This 30-foot-long sari from Tamil Nadu in southern India represents a rare surviving example of the famed “Kodali Karuppur” textiles once made for the Maratha rulers of Tanjore (1780-1850). These luxurious saris were prized as royal gifts and wedding attire, combining exceptional weaving and dyeing techniques that required close collaboration between artisans.
At first glance, the sari’s deep red tones and silver accents appear modest. A closer look reveals intricate craftsmanship. The weaver first created a plain cotton base, adding delicate geometric patterns with a supplementary weft — a technique known as “jamdani” weaving that flourished under the Mughal Empire. For this sari, the supplementary wefts are of metal-wrapped yarn (zari).
After weaving, the dyer transformed the cloth using “kalamkari” techniques of freehand drawing with a special pen (kalam). Designs were painted with mordants and wax resist, and dyed with natural dyes. On the “pallu,” or decorative end of the sari, a “tree of life” motif was drawn, outlined in wax and dyed red. When the wax was removed, fine white outlines appeared around the figures where the dye could not penetrate, leaving the tree design surrounded by a red background, shimmering with silver metallic thread.
The body of the sari features small metallic motifs, possibly representing “tilaka” — marks worn by devout Hindus. Although production of Karuppur textiles declined after British colonial rule began in 1857, contemporary weavers continue to reinterpret their intricate beauty using methods such as Jacquard looms and block printing.
Researched by Nancy Hoagland
Nancy Hoagland has been a docent with the museum since 2014. She previously taught college writing for more than 30 years. She has a collection of family textiles from Alabama and enjoys sewing and weaving.