Yami Gautam’s Maheshwari saree celebrates a century-old weaving legacy

Yami Gautam put the skill of Indian handloom in the spotlight when she won the Best Actress Award at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony for the movie Article 370. The actress selected a very elegant black Maheshwari sari made by a seventh-generation weaver from the Salvi family of Maheshwar, who has been weaving for generations. The black saree was woven using silk, cotton, and zari threads. Yami also highlighted the role of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar in nurturing the weaving tradition.

Maheshwari saree: From Ahilyabai Holkar’s legacy to modern wardrobes

Maheshwari saree has its roots in the town of Maheshwar, which is located in Madhya Pradesh along the banks of the river Narmada. Though there have been weaving traditions that existed for many years in this region, the saree became popular only during the eighteenth century.

Ahilyabai Holkar called many talented weavers from textile centres such as Surat, Malwa and Mandu to come to Maheshwar. Ahilyabai Holkar motivated these weavers to make light and graceful cloths for the region’s weather and the royal family. This style of weaving turned out to be a mixture of silk and cotton.

The early fabrics from Maheshwari sarees also included silks like Garbh Reshmi. As time progressed, the silk warp and cotton weft came to define the weave structure, which was responsible for giving the fabric its shine.

These designs also showed a very strong connection to Maheshwar. The designs took their inspiration from geometric patterns from the fort, temples, and River Narmada in Maheshwar.

The motifs used are Chatai, Eent, Heera, and Leheriya, meaning mat, bricks, diamonds, and wave shapes. Other designs include stripes, checks, flower motifs, and animals like peacocks and elephants.

One of the most important characteristics of the Maheshwari saree is that it can be worn in both directions due to its reversible border. The pallu of the saree has colored and white stripes alternately.

But the trend suffered setbacks in the 20th century. The revival came about in the 1970s due to the initiative of Sally and Richard Holkar, and it even got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Indian government.

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