Paithani

What is Paithani?

Paithani is a silk sari from Maharashtra. It takes its name from Paithan, and Yeola is now the main production town. Weavers use silk yarn and zari, a metallic thread, to build a dense cloth. The border, or selvedge, carries an oblique square pattern, and the padar, the decorated end, can show a peacock. Some pieces are plain, others spotted; a single colour may run one way while another runs across, producing a changing, kaleidoscope look. The surface is compact and can appear mirror-like when gold thread is used closely. The sari is worn by women, and the craft supports thousands of weaving households in and around Yeola.

Where does Paithani come from?

The cloth is linked to the old city of Pratishthan, today Paithan. It was also called Pratishthani. Under the Satavahana rulers, whose period ran from about the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE, the sari trade grew and reached Greco-Roman markets. Cave inscriptions and the Gatha Sattasai, a work linked to King Hala, mention weaving, dyeing and embroidery. Ptolemy called the textiles of Baithana among the finest. Hindu and Buddhist texts refer to the sari, and it has the name Dev vastra, fabric of God. Fragments and silk threads that look like Paithani patterns were found at Nevasa. Later, in the 1600s, Peshwa rule moved some weavers to Yeola, which became the new centre.

How is Paithani made?

Silk arrives as yarn and is cleaned, then dyed. Weavers in Yeola do this work themselves, using vat or acid dyes and copper vessels. The yarn is dipped, washed, squeezed and dried in shade, and coconut oil gives a soft finish. Warp and weft use different silk counts. The warp is wound and tied at the back of the loom. Three shuttles are common: two for the selvedge and one for the body, so the border can look separately woven. Figures are made by tapestry methods, including split tapestry, interlocking and a tooth-comb effect. The interlocking method, kadiyal, leaves few floats at the back and makes the design close to reversible. A complex sari can take 18 to 24 months.

Colours, motifs and borders

Colour can change across the cloth: one shade may be used along the length and another across the width, giving a kaleidoscopic effect. Traditional dye shades include black, parrot green, white, pale pink, peacock green, blue, chrome yellow and aubergine purple. The border may be woven in zari or coloured silk. In a zari border, silk flowers or creeping vines sit against the metallic ground. Named border types are Narali and Pankhi. The padar can carry a peacock, parrot, lotus, swan or coconut motif, along with small circles, stars and leaf clusters. A peacock inside a bangle is called morbangadi.

How Paithani is worn

The sources do not describe a particular drape. They present Paithani as a sari worn by women, with the decorated padar as its display end. A single sari can be about 11.5 metres of warp length, often enough for two pieces, and may weigh 1.45 kg or more. The border and pallu patterns are woven into the cloth, so the design is not printed on the surface.

When Paithani is worn

The sources do not name specific weddings, festivals or rites. They do call the sari Dev vastra, fabric of God, and mention Hindu and Buddhist texts. Historically it travelled to Greco-Roman markets and later had Peshwa patronage. Today thousands of weavers in Yeola and surrounding villages make it, and some are working for its revival.

Styles of Paithani

Paithani is grouped by motif, weave and colour. Morbangadi places a peacock in a bangle or bangle shape on the padar. Munia brocade uses parrots, always leaf green, on the padar and border. Lotus brocade puts lotus motifs in the padar and sometimes the border, using seven or eight colours. In a kadiyal sari the border warp and weft match, while the body uses different colours. Kad or Ekdhoti uses one shuttle, a narali border and small buttis; kad is also a lungi worn by Maharashtrian men. Colour names include Kalichandrakala, a black sari with a red border; Raghu, parrot green; and Shirodak, white.

What Paithani means

Paithani carries official recognition as a Geographical Indication in India. The sari is also called Dev vastra, fabric of God, and appears in ancient Hindu and Buddhist references. Its motifs draw from Buddhist paintings at Ajanta, close to Paithan: the lotus, swan and other forms. Zari was once made in Yeola and later also in Surat, and gold gave way to silver with gold plating as the affordable metal. Thousands of weavers depend on the craft in Yeola and nearby villages. Some are working to revive it, while imitations in the market make handwoven silk and true zari important markers.

Questions people ask about Paithani

Good reading and sources

• Paithani on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data