LEGACY LOOM

BEYOND THEIR EXQUISITE CRAFTSMANSHIP, THE APPEAL OF KANJIVARAM SARIS LIES IN THEIR TIMELESSNESS

- SATARUPA PAUL

ANANYA MUKHERJEE vividly remembers the day she wore her mother’s Kanjivaram sari to her first job interview. “I needed something simple but elegant,” recalls the Hospitality PR and marketing professional, “It was my mother who suggested one of her Kanjivaram saris—an Indian lotus-pink with a maroon and gold zari border.” She has now amassed a collection of over 60 such saris, many of which have been handed down from her mother and grandmother.

Originating from the temple town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, the Kanjivaram is a testament to the enduring legacy of one of India’s most prized textiles. The tradition of weaving these saris began during the reign of the Chola Dynasty (9th to 13th centuries), but the craft truly flourished under the Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries. Introduced by the Padmasaliyas, a Telugu-speaking silk-weaving community, Kanjivaram weaving became synonymous with quality and craftsmanship.