PAITHANI
Paithani textiles take their name from the temple town of Paithan, located about 50 kilometres from
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, where the weave is believed to have originated. Paithani sarees are instantly
recognisable by their silk body with gold motifs and gorgeous
pallavs
that feature silk motifs on a glistening
gold field unlike most brocades that feature metal yarn motifs on a silk background.
The motifs of the
pallav
are woven by working with multiple weft yarns, which are manually wound
around cloth bobbins. These bobbins are taken under the required warp yarns, as per the motif colours,
and interlocked to create woven motifs and patterns. Floral motifs, leaf patterns, stylised birds, miniature
stylised flowering shrubs and the tree of life motifs with variations,
asavali,
a flowing vine and flower
patterns, are some of the popular motifs. Woven with bright and rich silk yarns, they create a dazzling
effect on a gold background, and make Paithani sarees much sought after especially for weddings. The
textile featured above was created by
Rizwan A. Qureshi
.
Aditya Birla Centre, SK Ahire Marg, Worli, Mumbai 400030
