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Sarees are an integral part of Indian culture. These are not only popular in the Indian states, in fact, numerous women of different parts of this globe are fascinated with the beauty of Indian sarees and as a result, they keep adding those in their wardrobes. Indian culture has actually given birth to various exotic weaving traditions. Paithani is one of those. This traditional craft dates to 200 BC and till date these sarees are widely worn by Maharashtrian women during religious and social functions. Besides, these sarees also works as the precious possession of a family as the Maharashtrian saas pass these on to her bahus.
Paithani sarees can be of different types. The majority of these are classified by the weaving styles, the colors on display and the motifs created on these sarees. Here are the details of some of the types:
Named after a little town located near Aurangabad, these sarees are made of silk and hand woven. The result is a luxurious touch and appeal, which is widely worshipped by both the wearers and makers.
The best thing about choosing Paithani sarees for special occasions like wedding or any other special events or celebrations is that these sarees come with a wide variety of styles and designs to choose from. The majority of the paithani saree designs boast traditional touch, therefore getting contemporary designs in these sarees will be a little difficult.
The main element of the paithani saree is the completely hand woven pallu and border. Woven between the warp and weft threads, this saree almost creates a mirror image of the face design at the opposite side of the saree. This is the difference between a handmade and machine made paithani sarees, where the mesh of threads are visible in the reverse side of the sarees.
These days, various smart techniques are applied to the machine made versions of paithani sarees like as trimming the mesh of threads carefully to offer the appearance of real paithani sarees.
But in case you are finding wide range of shades in same design, too much shine or non-natural color ranges in the sarees, then definitely these sarees are not authentic paithani. So, to test the authenticity of the silk, remove several strands from warp and weft threads and individually burn those. Those will smell like human hair. This way, you will find the differences between synthetic and natural mixture.
Paithani sarees should be used more often. After using these sarees every time, allow the sarees to breathe for several hours and therefore wrap those in muslin covers and keep those in the wooden chest. Avoid board or mica cabinets as these often contain chemicals. Don’t forget to change the fold of these sarees after every use.
While these are in storage offer good air circulation and in case you find creases in these sarees after wearing, only roll press these sarees. Remember, don’t iron these. To protect these sarees from insects, use a few pieces of cloves. In case you find any sign of damage or tear, consult with the manufacturer and get that fixed. But one thing you must keep in mind is that the more you will use these sarees, these will last longer.