Bagh Prints
Bagh-the hand block printing craft of Bagh, Madhya Pradesh (one of the most elegant kinds of sarees out there)
This bold and vibrant hand-block Bagh printing has its origins in Bagh village in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, from where it also derives its name ‘Bagh prints’. This unique craft was started by the Chhippas of the Khatri community who migrated to Bagh around 400 years ago from Larkana in Sindh, which is famous for its Ajrak prints.
Bagh was chosen as a suitable place for this craft as the high copper content in the waters of the Bagh River adds depth to the color.
Like most handicrafts, bagh printing is a tedious and time-consuming process, but the results are worth the wait. The whole process of block printing involves 15 steps and a single Bagh print composition may comprise as many as 1300 different block impressions.
Chanderi
According to mythology of the Vedic period, it is said that Chanderi was founded by Lord Krishna's cousin Shisupal. The famous weaving culture started during the 2nd century and 7th centuries. It was situated on the boundary of two cultural regions of the state, Malwa, and Bundelkhand.
The habitation of the Vindhyachal ranges has a wide range of traditions. In the 11th century, the trade locations of Malwa, Medwa, central India, and south Gujarat gave it importance.
These chanderi sarees are produced from three kinds of fabric, i.e., pure silk, chanderi cotton, and silk cotton. Traditional coins, Flora art, peacocks, and geometrics are woven into different chanderi patterns.
But the weaving culture or tradition has been available since the 13th century. In the beginning, the weavers of these kinds of sarees were Muslims, and later, in 1350, the Koshti weavers from Jhansi migrated to Chanderi and settled down there. During the Mughal period, the cloth business of Chanderi reached its peak.
Maheshwari
It is charming and elegant and has the quality of magnificence. It is the pride of the owner and is glamour personified! Once an exclusive privilege of royalty, it has become an established choice of women today.
Each Maheshwari Saree evokes images of royal elegance.
Majestic in its designs, it is woven from silk and cotton fibres and embellished with gold zari.
The Pallu is particularly distinct with its five stripes. The royal Maheshwari is vibrancy in its purest form, available in angoori (grape green), Gul Bakshi (magenta), rani (deep Mauve Pink), and Raasini (light Violet), and famed for its reversible border that can be worn on either side.
Tussar
Tussar silk is produced from the larvae of several species of silkworms belonging to the moth family. These silkworms live in the wild forest in trees belonging to Terminalia species as well as other food plants like Asan, Arjun, Jamun, and oak found in South Asia, eating off the leaves of the trees they live on. Tussar is valued for its rich texture and natural deep gold color.
The sari is the most important Tussar silk product, although it is also used as the base material for handicrafts, furnishing fabrics, and stitched apparel.
With the introduction of chemical dyes, the range of available colours for these kinds of sarees has increased significantly. There are fashion designers who use tulsar silk in their creations.
The precisely finished and designer garments produced from Tussar Silk are known globally and are exported to various countries, including Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the United States.