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Ilkal's saree story - The Economic Times
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Saturday, August 28, 2004| Updated at 16:59 hrs IST
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Ilkal's saree storyAdd to Clippings

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2002 04:06:41 PM ]

Karnataka’s contribution to the rich tapestry of Indian apparel comes from a remote corner in the state. Located deep in the northern part of the state, Ilkal borders the western state of Maharashtra and today is best known for its sarees.

“Much of the growth of Ilkal sarees could be traced to the migration of weavers from Maharashtra besides availability of raw material. Today, there is a small community of weavers who still continue with this tradition,” says an apparel industry expert.

The Ilkal saree industry has a 1,000-year-old tradition with the local chieftains in and around modern day Bellary and other adjoining areas promoting this craft in their heydays. The growth of the industry also helped to span another industry and craft form — Kasuti embroidery.

“Kasuti” embroidery often goes into Ilkal sarees. The development of the “Kasuti” embroidery has an interesting background. Essentially, this kind of embroidery was popular among the womenfolk, notably those belonging to the sculptor’s households who were engaged for temple construction. “Temple motifs and designs provided the womenfolk a good and ideal background to experiment with. In the absence of adequate amount of yarn availability, the women turned to working their design patterns on the Ilkal sarees itself, leading to this combination,” says a senior faculty member of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore.

The Kasuti embroidery is reflective of strong traditional designs like palanquins, elephants and creeping lotuses. The pallu of the Ilkal saree carries designs of temple towers indicative of the lasting influence. Most of the sarees are usually nine yards in length.

Youngsters like wearing a blouse carrying Kasuti designs on top of their jeans, she adds. While other traditional handloom forms have gained significant prominence, even Ilkal is not lacking in its appeal, with one connoisseur being none other Ms Sonia Gandhi herself. No ready statistics is available for the size of this market, which is estimated to be around Rs 1 crore.

“Depending on the demand, it is possible to also weave a six yard saree,” industry sources point out.

Ms Hema Maya, Nift’s director, points out there is potential to promote Ilkal sarees and Kasuti embroidery.

 

 

 


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