Traditional Maheshwari Sarees

From the small town Maheshwar of Madhya Pradesh, the art and passion of weavers to handcraft traditional Maheshwari Sarees are being inherited from generation to generation since 18^th Century. Interestingly, the first Maheshwari Saree was designed by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar herself and was hand woven in pure silk. During Maratha Holkar reign, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar had invited several weavers from Malwa and Surat to design a special saree of 9 yards of Mulberry Silk Saree. This later came to be known as the Maheshwari Silk Saree.

Pure Maheshwari Silk Sarees

The traditional Maheshwari Silk Sarees are known for its simplicity and finesse. These sarees were originally handwoven as pure Mulberry Silk Saree using silk yarn both in weft and wrap. Therefore, these pure Maheshwari Silk Sarees used to be very expensive. However, with the passage of time, the weavers start crafted Maheshwari Cotton Silk Sarees using cotton yarn in weft and silk yarn in warp making these sarees affordable to all segments of Maheshwari lovers.

Maheshwari Cotton Silk Sarees

Maheshwari Cotton Silk Sarees are known for its following features:

• The body of the saree often has a plain or stripes or checks or chatai pattern with a contrasting colour border and palla, further, embellished with zari.
• The border of the traditional Maheshwari Sarees are reversible, therefore, the design looks exactly same from both the sides.
• Handwoven using cotton yarn in weft and silk yarn in warp.
• Use of gold and silver zari in warp to make these Sarees distinctive.
• The glimpse of zari stripes in palla make these Sarees attractive.
• Light weight with sheen texture, these Maheshwari Cotton Silk Sarees are more dense or compact than Chanderi Silk Sarees.
• The patterns in borders and palla are inspired by the patterns carved on the walls of grand temple of Maheshwar, forts and palaces in Madhya Pradesh.

How to distinguish a Handloom Saree?

Cheaper and power loomed Maheshwari Sarees or Chanderi Silk Sarees have swamped the markets all over. It’s now becoming difficult to identify an authentic handloom item. Following are the ways to distinguish a handloom Saree:

• Handloom Maheshwari Sarees or Chanderi Silk Sarees usually comes with some weaving irregularities. In case of perfect texture, it is most likely a power loom item.
• Handloom sarees comes with subtle sheen. If you find any saree overly shiny, it is most likely a factory or power loom item.
• Maheshwari Sarees are reversible with exactly same look and feel on the reverse side. In power loom sarees, this precision is hard to achieve.

House Of Elegance offers authentic handloom Maheshwari Sarees and Chanderi Silk Sarees. Choose your favorite from a wide range of  Maheshwari Cotton Silk Sarees, Maheshwari Tissue Silk Sarees or Mulberry Silk Sarees. All the sarees are certified by India Handlooms.

Embellished with tassels, these light weight traditional Maheshwari Sarees are one of the perfect choice to grace any casual or formal occasions for any season all year round. Be it weddings, engagements, conferences, social gatherings or festivals, these sarees can make anyone look elegant and effortlessly graceful.