History of Paithani Sarees

Paithani is a variety of sari, named after the Paithan town in Aurangabad, Maharashtra State in India where the sarees are woven by hand. Made up of very fine silk fabric, it is considered one of the richest saris in India.

Even in today's advanced world the methods of weaving Paithani silk sarees have not changed at all from 200 B.C. The art is more than 200 years old, developed in Paithan (Pratishthan) capital of the legendary Satavahanas Ruler. Satavahana's ruler used to export cotton and silks to the great Roman Empire against the exchange of Gold.

During the Mughal era (1600-1800 AD) Aurangzeb patronized the weavers and the designs in this era came to be known as " Aurangzebi ". He prohibited the weavers to weave ' Jamdanis ' except for his court and punished the weavers who disobeyed his command.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Sadly, the Paithani weaving industry experienced a huge setback with the Industrial Revolution and the advent of the British Rule. But during the 17th Century, the Peshwas took it upon themselves to promote the craft and consequently, settled Paithani weavers in Yeola, which is now the manufacturing hub for Paithani Silk Sarees in India.

The Paithani Sarees & Fabric is socio-culturally related to the Maharashtrian people due to its confluence with their culture. Initially, weaving activities were limited to Paithan town until the 17th century. Laterweaving was transferred to Yeola (a village in Nashik district). The sale of Paithani saree started coming up in 1984-85 and the Yeola village became the main commercial center of Paithani weaving.

Despite the lustrous history of Paithani sarees, today they are in a similar state as many handloom sarees are, thanks to the power of looms.

However, no machine-made fabric can be compared with the hand-made Paithani sarees by the master craftsmen of Maharashtra. Even today Maharashtra is the home of the most celebrated textile like the Paithani saree, gold-embroidered zari sari with its beautiful designs and woven borders.

How to maintain your Paithani Saree.

1. Never hand-wash or machine-wash a silk saree.

2. In case the saree gets stained, immediately wipe the stain off with cold water.

3. It is advisable to only dry-clean silk sarees.

4. Never hang your beautiful silk saree to dry in direct sunlight as doing so will cause the color to fade.

5. Don’t keep the saree bundled up as this will result in the threads of the beautiful embroidery or zari work getting entangled.

6. Store your Paithani saree in a light cotton muslin cloth. This will give the saree breathing space and will prevent one saree from sticking to another when kept in a pile.

7. Don’t store your saree in a plastic blog or a cover as this will cause the gold embroidery to turn black.

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