Paithani

Present day Yeola town in Nashik, Maharashtra is the largest manufacturer of Paithani.

The greeko Romans were very fond of this paithani saree 2000 years ago.

Legend also has it that the Paithani caught the fancy of the Nizam of Hyderabad too and that it was his daughter in law Nilofer who introduced new motifs to the border and pallav designs.

In the revival of Paithani weaving, the production was oriented towards export requirements, while saris were produced only for sophisticated buyers.

Traditionally, Paithanis had a coloured, cotton muslin field that often contained considerable supplementary zari patterning.

Golden threads are obtained from Surat, the quality being 1200 yard (1080 meters) per tola (11.664 grams).

Gold threads are used in double and one of the finest varieties so much so that the closely woven surface looks like a mirror.

The texture of the fabric is fairly compact with about 160 ends and 170 picks per inch (2.6 cm).

A single sari may weigh from 1.45 kg or more depending upon the weight of the silk and zari used.

Warp threads are only of zari forming a golden ground upon which angular, brightly coloured silk designs are woven in the interlocked weft, producing a tapestry effect which makes it very elegant.

Due to proximity to the Ajanta caves, the influence of the Buddhist paintings can be seen in the woven Paithani motifs:[5][6] Small motifs like circles, stars, kuyri, rui phool, kalas pakhhli, chandrakor, clusters of 3 leaves, were very common for the body of the sari.

The dominant traditional colours of vegetable dyes included:[7][8] It takes approximately one day to set the silk threads on the loom.

In the days of Peshwas, the borders and the Padar were made of pure gold mixed with copper to give it strength.

In recent times, zari is made of silver, coated with gold plating.

The borders are created with interlocked weft technique either with coloured silk or zari.