The Kodali Karuppur Sari: A forgotten Craft of Tamil Nadu

The textiles of South India are among the richest in the country. The dry hot climate of Tamil Nadu has been the home of luminous silks and brightly hued cottons famous all over the world. Tamil Nadu is one of major sari-weaving regions of India, besides producing considerable quantities of rural, peasant and urban saris in silk, cotton, rayon and polyester it is also home to some unique sari traditions. The handloom cooperatives, such as Tamil Nadu Co-op Tex, is India’s oldest handloom weaver’s cooperative established in 1935, selling saris throughout India creating whatever the market demands. As a result, traditional designs from different south based centers have become incorporated into the repertoire of other areas, which makes tracking down the origins of some textiles quite difficult, but many sari designs typical of particular areas are still distinguishable. Though Tamil Nadu is famous for silk saris and Kanchipuram has practically become synonymous with silk weaving, it is also famous for some exquisite cotton saris. The earliest records speak of the fine muslin and silks from Tamil Nadu. It is also said that Greek traders used to came to Uraiyur, an important centre in Tamil Nadu for cotton trade, to buy fine cotton and silks particularly, hand painted and printed.The cotton saris of Tamil Nadu follow the pattern of woven silk very closely. The coloured muslins of Tamil Nadu are finely woven with focal points on intricate weaving, rich colours and good technical quality. Cotton weaving is widespread in various places of Tamil Nadu like Kanchipuram, Sale...