The Beauty of Royal Maheshwari Silk Saree: History of Origin, Varieties & More

India's handloom industry is huge. The handlooms of India have been there ruling for centuries with the fabric quality, motifs and weaving process. Maheshwari sarees are one of the finest saree that have been highlighting the handloom industry of India. The handloom saree comes from the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh. From the heart, this beautiful handloom saree initially was weaved in silk but it comes today in silk cotton, cotton and also wool. The story of this beautiful and exclusive handloom began centuries back.

Maheshwari Saree

Since the Beginning

The name of the saree comes from the historic city of the origin “Maheshwar”. The ancient city is located at the banks of the Narmada River. The city has royal vibes as it was the capital of the Malwa Sultanate for a few months in the 17th century. Weaving has been existing in the city since the 5th century. With the royalty, the Maheshwari handlooms were weaved for the royal women in the state. The royal family's encouragement made the Maheshwari handloom saree possible.

Story of the Royals

Stories say the Holkar's Rani Ahilya Bai had a specialized team of specialists from Surat and Malwa sent to her palace to design a nine-yard handloom saree. This extremely special royal saree was given as a gift to her visitors, friends and special guests. This handloom design is woven to produce Maheshwari sarees and was created only by Queen herself.

And once the queen “Maheshwari” unveiled the first saree and this brought royalty to it. The amazing Maheshwari handloom saree was made popular among all ages of women. This also became popular in both international and national markets.

Maheshwari Saree

Varieties Maheshwari Silk Saree

Maheshwari Silk Saree has a unique feature of its own which makes the handloom unique and exclusive. Few Maheshwar handloom saree may be plain at the centre and have neatly designed borders. Few of them have different variations of stripes and checks all over. Maheshwari sarees broadly have categories like Chandratara, Chandrakala, Beli, Baingani Chandrakala and Parbi.

The Baingani Chandrakala and Chandrakala come under the plain ones with broad borders. And other handloom sarees like Beli, Chandratara, and Parbi come with stripes or checkered motifs. All these motifs make the saree different from others and unique.

What are the Unique Features of this Saree?

Maheshwari handloom saree’s pallu is the most interesting part. The diverse colors make the handloom beautiful. These handloom colors come in maroon, magenta, mauve, magenta, green, and violet. The five stripes color makes them distinctive. There are three colored stripes and two white ones that alternate. Another interesting one is that the borders are also reversible, which means that the wearer can wear it on either side.

Maheshwari Silk sarees are loved widely because of their lightweight and airy features. The techniques used in the process are so beautiful and unique which makes the saree lightweight. While weaving both the warp and weft are done. This is the reason, the handloom saree is preferred by women in all seasons.

Maheshwari Sarees materials are of extremely fine quality. Few of the materials come from South India, a few from Bangalore and wool from Australia. All of these make the Maheshwari handloom a great piece to wear and flaunt. Women of all ages love it badly and have been fav for a long time.


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