CHENNAI: Arani for its thazhampoo motif silk saris, Koorainadu for its traditional bridal saris, Arupukottai for its thick cotton saris, Thirubuvanam for its one-side border saris, Sirumugai for its soft silk saris... Every district in Tamil Nadu is identified by a distinctive textile woven by the local craftsmen for many generations. But the not-so-great news is that despite having a rich legacy of handlooms creating a diverse collection, the Kanchipuram silk overshadows most other traditional weaves, owing to its worldwide sophisticated status.
To bring some of these textile gems under the spotlight, preserve and promote them, in a recent Instagram live session, textile researcher Sreemathy Mohan and danseuse Anita Ratnam walked us through the lesser-known textures, weaves and motifs of Tamil Nadu that need to be celebrated.
Checks and stripes
The hour-long session commenced on a vibrant note as prized possessions from Mohan’s sample collection were displayed on a Bhavani jamakkalam for the audience’s perusal. Of the many varieties, Mohan thought it would be appropriate to begin with the history of the hand-woven cotton textiles exported from the Coromandel coast for their distinct identity. “The checkered pattern or kattam, in Tamil, was woven into a pattern made for ritual clothes, squares, lungis and yardage. The double ikat telia rumals, bandanas, Real Madras Handkerchief, and lungis were all classified as Indian handkerchiefs,” she detailed.
One of the important items exported from Madras to Nigeria was the Real Madras Handkerchief (RMHK). It was an ethnic marker to the West African tribes, who used RMHK as birth to coffin textile — the newborn was received in this cloth and it would go with them (years later) into the coffin. It was referred to as ‘George’ by the Igbo and Ijo tribes, and as Injiri by the Kalabari tribes of Nigeria.
“The Madras exporters packed the Madras cloth in trunks which contained 64 pieces of the square handkerchiefs to the main buyers, who were British trading firms. The Madras cloth was popular in Southern Nigeria and Sierra Leone, in Africa. In Nigeria, this eight-yard piece was used by women as wrappers around their hips and as head ties,” shared Mohan, who was the project coordinator and researcher for DakshinaChitra’s project on RMHK Revisited in 2018. Unfortunately, the trade textile that was once a best-seller is now extinct, she reports.
Mohan is not surprised by how the kattam and kodu patterns found their way into our other textiles. “The renowned milk and fruit or the paalum-pazhamum checks, the cotton bridal saris of Koorainadu, the zari kottadi of Thanjavur, the colourful checks of Mokshakulam are fabulous designs even today,” elaborated Mohan.
Inspirations aplenty
While it’s common to find inspiration for designs from other weaving clusters in India, it was the penetration of the Jacquard technique in the Indian market that fuelled innovation and mass production. Drawing references from her collection, Mohan said, “The Banarasi Shikargah sari with animal and floral motifs from the forest was an inspiration to create our version of a Vanasingaram sari.
We drew influence from the legendary paisley motif called the Konia which was placed in the corner of a pallu. Tamil Nadu’s 1000 butta sari is very similar to hazar butti of Odisha, and the Lakshadeepam pattern, with small squares and a dot of thilagam inside is very similar to Molakalmuru and Pooja saris from Karnataka.”
Some of the lesser-known clusters like Vilandai and Palani make saris resembling Venkatagiri and Pochampally ikats. Some clusters are even inspired by the rectangular figurative pallus from Baluchari. “There was always an eye-for-detailing and aesthetics. These are not imitations but were looked at as inspirations of popular designs,” said Mohan.
Cotton culture
While there’s been a demand for silk, one cannot forget that Tamil Nadu was well-known for its cotton, she reminded the participants. Rich black soil belts like Erode, Madurai, Pollachi and Arupukottai are known for their quality of cotton. A popular weave from Tamil Nadu is the earthy and rustic-hued Chettinadu cotton sarees. Then there’s the art silk sari variety of Kodambakkam Bumper saris that travelled from Madras to Madurai.
Woven by Saurashtrian weavers, who’ve settled in Madurai, the saris are now called Devendra saris. “Another important textile from Madras is the Kalakshetra design, which retains an old-world charm of earthy colours and double pettu broad borders. The Craft Education and Research Centre — a unit of Kalakshetra Foundation — continues to make these beautiful designs and revives them,” she reported.
Of revival and legacy
Besides cotton and silk, among the patterned textiles of Tamil Nadu, some of the well-known designs are the brush painted Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari saris, and the block printed version of the Kodalikaruppur sari. The original Kodalikaruppur sari of the Tanjore Marathas is preserved in the Madras Museum.
Through the lecture, Mohan traced the evolution of sari and reiterated the untapped potential of our artisans. “Saris were initially woven in plain designs, with natural dyes. Then came the korvai border, contrast pallu, ornamentation of zari buttis, and zari in warp and weft. Jacquard brought more ornamentation into textiles.
But for us, the pre-dyed yarns woven in plaids and checks were valued more. The Coromandel coast was well known for its dyeing, and no wonder they were the master dyers of the world. Our Tamil Nadu textile designers and weavers are one of the most skilled artisans who have adapted to newer technologies. There’s so much to be documented with textiles from Tamil Nadu and this can also help the textile industry flourish,” she shared, drawing curtains on the session.
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Popular patterns
Besides the popular cotton and silk, among the patterned textiles of Tamil Nadu, some of the well-known designs are the brush painted Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari saris, and the block printed version of the Kodalikaruppur sari.