Chanderi sarees are traditional, fine and luxurious looking sarees from Madhya Pradesh. The name of saree is named after the town called Chanderi where it is produced which is a town in Ashok Nagar district of Madhya Pradesh. This town has 30,000 populations, in which around 3500 looms are actively working and 60% of this population is directly or indirectly dependent on the Chanderi handloom business. Artisans have carried out this traditional culture for centuries. Chanderi cluster is best known among all clusters in India for its handmade sarees made from silk and cotton with Zari woven work.
It is said that the name of Chanderi sarees is also mentioned in the Mahabharata. It is believed that in the 13th or 14th Century a large number of people migrated from the Lakhnauti region in Bengal to Chanderi following the Sufi saint Hazrat Wajihuddin. These migrated started weaving Chanderi fabrics. Emperor Akbar and Maharani of Baroda, Maratha rulers have also praised this fabric and used to wear the cloth from this fabric.
This fabric is best known for its transparency, lightweight and softness which gives delicate look and is comfortable to wear. Earlier it was bought by the royal family as it was expensive but now it has reached the common man. Chanderi produces three types of fabrics like Pure silk, Chanderi cotton and Silk cotton.
The main communities involved in Chanderi fabric production are Muslims, Jains, Hindus and Kohlis. For these artisans, it is the primary source of income and whole family members are involved in the production and selling of this fabric. Small artisans buy raw material from big traders, take it home, produce sarees and give the finished products to traders. Traders give wages on the number of meters of cloth woven.
Process of Making Chanderi Sarees
The raw material for Chanderi handloom is cotton, silk yarn and zari which comes from different parts of the country. Zari comes from Surat, Gujarat, cotton yarn from Coimbatore and Silk used for warp are purchased from the dealers in Bangalore. Pit loom made from wood is used for weaving. The process of Chanderi weaving follows basic processes like designing dyeing of yarn, weft and warp, weaving on a loom and finishing it. Motifs on the fabric are handwoven on the handloom with needles. Artisans use separate needles for different motifs. The normal length of sarees is around 5–5.5 yards. Other products made from Chanderi fabric are dupattas, Salwar suits, scarves, etc. Normally, manufacturing takes minimum 10 days or more as it depends on the design and motif used to make sarees. Motifs THAT are used in the fabrics are peacocks, lotus, geometric patterns and animal figures. There are two main characteristics of this material, first, it will always be sheer and translucent in its look and second, designs or motifs show an influence of Chanderi temple art.
The production process of Chanderi has been protected under Geographic Indication (GI) act. The MP government has also taken initiatives to keep this age-old tradition alive like they have set up a loom park with electric looms to help the weavers.
The mission Chanderiyaan is also initiated with help of the Ministry of Communication and IT, Digital Empowerment Foundation to bring digital inclusion in the lives of weavers to improve livelihood. Due to these all initiatives by NGOs, Institutions and government, Artisans have improved a lot in every aspect of Chanderi Manufacturing and selling.
Today Chanderi has become famous not only in India but also worldwide. In Bollywood, many actresses like Vidya Balan, Kareena Kapoor, and Sridevi in English Vinglish movies and Mini Mathur have draped this beautiful Chanderi Saree.
