Chanderi Sarees

Chanderi sarees are the famous sarees produced in a small town called Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh. Chanderi sarees are very light and ideal for Indian summers. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, airy feel, narrow borders and decently designed anchals with buttis. The Chanderi sarees give a sophisticated look to whoever who wears it.

Types of Chanderi Sari

• Narrow border: These are the plain sarees having a very narrow border of complementary-warp zari and an endpiece containing a few narrow zari bands, or one single, wider band.
  
  
• Broader border: These are the sarees with broader borders woven in supplementary warp zari with coloured supplementary-warp silk embellishments, woven into small repeat floral or geometrical designs. The endpiece consisted of the border elements repeated twice as two parallel bands, often with narrow woven lines and many buti woven between them.
  
  
• Wide border: The third type called do-chashmee (two streams) is no longer made but had wide borders with brightly coloured supplementary- warp silk in a satin weave upon which were supplementary bands of white geometric patterns. In some sarees the borders were reversible.

Fabric in Chanderi Sarees
The Chanderi sari is woven in cotton as well as silk. Chanderi silk from India is the result of traditional methods of hand-weaving that have been developed over the centuries, and passed down through generations. Chanderi silk is considered the fabric of choice for sarees produced for royalty, due to its light-weight quality and intricate designs.

Colours and Design

• These sarees are a rare fusion of soft & contrasting colors.
• The plain cotton ones are with borders and have stripes and floral patterns.
• There are also ones which have butis on the body of the saree as well.
• Silk sarees are woven with zari borders and have zari and thread work all through the length of sari, giving it an elegant and dazzling look.
• Chanderi sari is known for soft colors and the harmonious balance between the border and the body of the saree.
• These sarees are also known for their contrasting colors and the depiction of animal and human figures on them and patterns taken from the Chanderi temples.