Arani silk saree

What is Arani silk saree?

Arani silk sarees come from Arani, a town in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, which people call the Silk City for the cloth it weaves. The sarees are silk, woven on handlooms by one of the biggest silk saree clusters in the state, where more than 35,000 traditional weavers work. They are known for zari, the gold thread worked into the weave, and the Arani cluster is noted for working with original silver zari threads. Like every saree, each one is an unstitched length of cloth, four to nine yards long, wrapped around the body. After Kanchipuram, Arani ranks among Tamil Nadu's best-known silk saree centres.

Where does Arani silk saree come from?

Silk weaving took root in Arani during the Vijayanagara Empire period and kept growing under the Arani jagir, a local landed rule, and through the British era. The trade flourished in the town and the country around it. Stone inscriptions in nearby villages, among them Vadamanadamangalam and Devikapuram, record handloom weaving. Thambanna Chettiar is believed to have set up the first silk weaving unit. As the trade grew, Kannaiya Naidu brought block printing to the town and V. Vijayaraghava Naidu introduced dyeing in several colours. Weavers and sellers increased in number over time, and in 2008 the saree received Geographical Indication status.

How is Arani silk saree made?

Each saree is woven by hand on a handloom, a loom worked by hand rather than by machine. Arani holds one of Tamil Nadu's biggest handloom silk saree clusters, with more than 35,000 traditional weavers at work in the region. The cluster is known in particular for its use of original silver zari threads, the metal thread that carries the pattern work on the cloth. Dyeing in several colours and block printing both entered the town's craft as the silk trade grew. In 2018 the sarees won a national award for their silk production and marketing.

Colours, motifs and borders

An Arani silk saree is known above all for its zari, the gold thread weavers work into the fabric. The town's cluster is noted for using original silver zari threads, so the pattern work on the cloth is done in real metal thread. Block printing, in which carved blocks stamp patterns onto cloth, and dyeing in multiple colours both became part of the town's craft as the trade grew. Beyond the zari, no particular motifs, borders or colour pairings are recorded for this saree.

How Arani silk saree is worn

A saree is an unstitched cloth, usually four to nine yards long, worn by wrapping it around the body; the word sari traces back to the Sanskrit sāḍī, and Tamil writing of the 5th and 6th centuries CE already mentions sarees. No special Arani drape is recorded: the cloth is worn in the usual ways, pleated at the waist with its loose end over the shoulder.

What Arani silk saree means

Arani silk sarees carry a Geographical Indication tag, registered in 2008, which ties the name to the town and marks the cloth's identity and quality. Arani is called the Silk City, and it comes just after Kanchipuram among Tamil Nadu's best-known silk saree centres; the town also brings in the highest revenue within its district. In 2018 the sarees won a national award for their silk production and marketing. With more than 35,000 traditional weavers in the region, the saree is the town's living trade.

Questions people ask about Arani silk saree

Good reading and sources

• Arani Silk Sarees on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data