The origin of this saree is associated with saint Markanda, who is believed to be the master weaver of the Gods. He had woven tissues from lotus fibre. The main weavers of Kanjivaram Silk are known as Kanchis who are the descendants of sage Markanda. Another historical fact says that the famous king Krishna-Deva Raya of the Chola dynasty ruled Kanjivaram between the years 985 and 1015. He was the one to take an active initiative for silk trading and the two famous weaving communities, the Devangas and the Saligars came to the city of Kanchipuram. In the 17th century due to the French invasion, this trade was temporarily halted.
Position in todays market
Today Kanjivaram is the leading South Indian saree followed by Opara and others. It is one of the most demanding sarees among all and almost every ethnic fashion enthusiast lady will surely keep this saree among the favourite saree's list. Now a days people love to wear Kanjivaram saree in all sorts of occasions with pride.
Design and pattern
This is a 9 yard long saree with designs of temples patterened on it. Over a period of time, Kanjivaram sarees got converted in 6 yards with gold zari weaving. Those are really very much costly. In order to make it a bit cost effective, artificial zaris are used which look almost like the original zari. These sarees are available in a variety of colours which is its speciallity and that gives it an alluring and elegant look.
The making procedure
The silk that is used to produce Kajivaram sarees are obtained from the mulberry worms through the method of sericulture. About 250 to 300 threads are used to woven into the wept. This allows the saree to remain sturdy. The zari work used is generally gold and silver with silver running in first and coated with gold later.
Maintainance
For proper maintainance dry cleaning is the most preferred method. Please don't keep these sarees inside any plastic bag. One can use some pre-washing techniques as well. Don't forget to nicely fold and keep the saree.
Speciality
The speciality of the saree lies texture, glimmer, permanence and refinement which is why it is popularly known as the queen of all sarees. The material used is the heavy Kanchipuram silk and is also a bit expensive because of its finesse and weight. The weight of the saree determines or is the sole parameter of its quality. The heavier the saree the better it is.
International Exposure
The price of the Kanjivaram saree lies between 2,000 to 1,00,000 and is exported all over the world mainly to countries like USA, UK, Sri Lanka, Italy, Australia, Canada and many more. These sarees are also used as the GI (Geographical Indication) tagged product by the Tamil Nadu government.