Kancheepuram Sari

Kancheepuram town is also known as Silk City since the main profession of the people is weaving silk sarees. The weavers of Kancheepuram have earned the reputation as the producer of the best silk sarees in the country. 

The Kanchipuram Silk Saree is hand-woven with dyed silk yarn with interleaved designs made with 'Zari' - a Silk thread twisted with a thin Silver wire and then gilded with pure Gold. Technically, the silk thread used for weaving Kanchipuram Sarees is made up of three single threads twisted together.Woven from pure mulberry silk and have an enviable reputation for texture, lustre, durability and finish. Hence, the Kanchipuram Silk Saree is usually stronger (and more expensive) than its counterparts from Arni, Dharmavaram, etc. However, the designs on the Saree itself are what brings it the fame. To compare with other silk sarees, the Kancheepuram silk sarees are very famous in the world. The glamour of the Kanchipuram silk sarees is in its colour contrasts. Temple borders, checks, stripes and floral (buttas) are traditional designs you will find in Kanchipuram sarees. In a genuine Kanchipuram Silk Sarees, body and border are woven separately and then interlocked together. The joint is woven so strongly that even if the sarees tears, the border will not detach.

Kancheepuram sarees are available at a cost anywhere between INR 2500 (US$38) to INR 100000 (US$1,500) or more depending upon the intricacy of work, colors, pattern, material used like zari, gold thread etc.

How to check whether you are buying pure kancheepuram silk?

Take a few threads from the warp and weft and burn them from their ends. When the thread stops burning, a very tiny ash ball might be left behind.Rub the ball in-between your fingers and smell the powdered ash. If it is pure silk, it will smell like burnt hair. Silk, wool, leather and hair all burn alike and form an ash ball. In case of artificial silk, the fibers will flare and burn out quickly there will be neither ash ball nor smell like burnt hair. This silk fabric test is sure to help you while buying silk fabric.

Tips to preserve silk sarees.

• Always refold them every 3 months to avoid tear.
• Keep them in a dry and cold place covered in muslin cloth and always fold in such a way to avoid damage to the zari and let the zari be faced inwards to preserve sheen.
• As these sarees are worn only for 2 to 3 hrs at a time, there is no need to wash it after every use, just airing it inside the house will do.
• You can either dry clean or wash it at home using mild shampoo and we need to wash body, pallu, and border separately.

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