BHOPAL: Lovers of world heritage sites located in Madhya Pradesh, can not only visit them but also elegantly wear them now.
The MP Hathkargha and Hastshilpa Vikas Nigam Limited has launched a special series of premium silk wear for both men and women, woven with images of UNESCO World Heritage sites of the state.
Silk sarees, stoles, and men's wear woven by 20 top master weavers with images of the rock shelters of Bhimbetka, and Buddhist monuments of Sanchi have already been launched. The special series of sarees with motifs of the world famous Khajuraho monuments is set to be launched under the Nigam’s signature Mrignayani brand in Bhopal and 37 other Mrignayani showrooms across the country.
According to Rajeev Sharma, the Commissioner, MP Directorate of Handloom and Handicrafts, the first-of-its-kind of blending of the monuments on silk, woven by the weavers in Maheshwar (Khargone) and Chanderi (Ashok Nagar) is an attempt to promote the world heritage sites and our handloom products in a unique manner.
“The special series of silk sarees woven with motifs of monuments of Khajuraho (not erotic sculptures images), including tall shikhar of one of the temples and Shardul (a mythological character with the body of lion and head of parrot, horse or elephant) will be launched on Basant Panchami, February 16. The silk sarees of this special series will be priced between Rs 5000 and Rs 10,000,” Commissioner of MP Directorate of Handloom and Handicrafts Rajeev Sharma said.
“We are planning to launch two more special series of women and men silk wear weaving images of the Gwalior Fort and the Maheshwar Fort in 2021-22,” Sharma informed.
Importantly, the Bhimbetka and Sanchi series of special silk wear under the Mrignayani brand was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic peak and is priced at Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000 and Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 respectively.
“Just before the COVID-19 spread its tentacles, we had launched Royal Heritage collection in January-February 2020, which is a premium wedding wear based on designs of attires worn by kings and queens. It’s our most premium brand priced up to Rs 5 lakh and the men and women wedding wear under this series is woven by our master craftsmen based on specifications and designs rendered by the customers. The customers can even get their names woven on this premium royal wedding wear,” Sharma said.
The Handloom and Handicrafts Directorate of the state will also unveil the 39th Mrignayani showroom in the country at Nagpur (Maharashtra), which will be inaugurated by local MP and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on February 14.
“Our 37 existing Mrignayani showrooms are located in all metro and major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. We plan to open new showrooms in four major cities of Uttar Pradesh -- Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Agra to showcase handloom and handicraft delights of MP’s artists, particularly the marvel fashioned by 20,000 weavers of Chanderi and Maheshwar in 2021-22,” Sharma added.