Saree Series: West India

Hello everyone! Today is the final article in my series about sarees from all over India. This final article will be about West India. The states included are: Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Not as many states as my last article but still diverse in culture. Western India is known for its bright colourful handwork dyed sarees.

Nauvari - Maharashtra 

Nauvari sarees are also known as Kasta saree and Lugade saree. These sarees are 9 yards long, which is where they got the name "Nauvari" meaning "9 yards" in Marathi. Usually made with cotton.

Paithani - Maharashtra 

Paithani silk sarees come from the town of Paithan, Maharashtra. They usually feature a square design along the borders and nature designs on the pallu. Made with rich coloured pure silk and gold zari.  These sarees are very valuable and expensive. The weaving technique goes back to 200 BC.

Kota Doria - Rajasthan 

Kota Doria are handloom sarees made of silk and cotton blend. Woven into a square pattern known as "khat" with zari work on the borders. The fabric is very lightweight and fine. The weaving technique is originally from Mysore but was brought to Kota, Rajasthan by the Mughals in the 17th century.

Lehariya - Rajasthan

Lehariya is a type of tie-and-dye fabric that is used to make sarees. Made with cotton, silk, chiffon or georgette. The word "Lehariya" literally means "wave like" in Rajasthani. The fabric is tied and dyed to create vertical lines across the saree.

Patola - Gujarat

Patola sarees are handloom silk sarees that feature ikat weaving. They are made in Patan, Gujarat. These sarees are extremely expensive. Each strand of silk is dyed separately, which means that these sarees can take up to a year to make.

Bandhej - Gujarat

Bandhej is also known as Bandhani and is a type of tie-and-dye design from Gujarat. The fabric is tied very tightly and then dyed. After the dying process the knots are taken off and the fabric will feature a unique pattern. This art form is traced back 5000 years ago. 

Gharchola - Gujarat

Gharchola or Ghatchola is a type of Bandhej saree worn by brides. The word "Gharchola" literally means "Outfit for home" because it is given to a new bride from her future mother-in-law. It is usually red or green in colour with checked bandhej patterns and zari borders.

Thank you for reading my series on sarees from around India. I have quite enjoyed writing about the variety of sarees and researching them for this series. I love Indian culture, and I will hopefully make more articles about Indian culture because it's my passion. I hope you enjoyed my series and I will try to write regularly on my blog from now on.

-Amy Katrina

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