Types of Sarees: The famous Kasavu saree from Kerala

Malayali women wear this beautiful saree during Onam or even during their wedding. This traditional saree of Kerala has grabbed the attention of the entire nation owing to the beautiful patterns and simplicity which embody the true essence of Kerala. You will see many types of sarees all across the nation but Kasavu Saree has something about it.

The Gorgeous Kasavu Sarees from Kerala

The traditional Kasavu saree originates in “Gods’ own country”, Kerala. The materials used to make these sarees are tissue, cotton or even silk… silk is used to make the saree look even shinier and add a regal touch to it. In some Kasavu Sarees, the pallu has zari embroidery which elevates the beauty of this traditional handloom saree. Kasavu saree dates back to the Buddhist era. With time, this combination became very popular in Kerala. However, the fabric style is also inspired by the Graeco-Roman culture, called ‘Palmyrene'. Often golden and sometimes cream thread work is done on the white ethnic fabric to intensify its traditional appeal. Nowadays, threads of different colours are being used for embroidery to heighten the oomph factor in this ethnic saree. Through the paintings of the famous Malayali painter, Raja Ravi Verma, the importance of this saree became discernible. Many Malayali women wear the saree as quasi Mundum neriyathum. Many Malayali women prefer printed Kasavu sarees as well. You must have heard about the traditional dance form of Kerala, Mohini Attam? Kasavu saree is an integral part of this dance form.

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 A specific product is used to design the zari bordering the white cloth and this product is called the Kasavu. When Kasavu is attached to the mundu dhoti, the whole thing is called Kasavu mundu. Manufacturers in three specific clusters of Kerala are granted the GI tag by the Government of India. Among three clusters each cluster is noted for specific kind of zari work and the materials that they use such as the Balaramapuram cluster, they use pure zari (Gold plated silver thread) and the thread count ranges up to 120. The Chendamangalam cluster is well-known for sarees and Mundus that are intricately woven with half fine zari, and thread-count ranging from 80 to 100. Besides the sarees do not consist of too many motifs or patterns, they are quite simplistic. The Kuthampully cluster is also well known for making appealing white sarees with zari borders but these sarees are nicely designed and come with a lot of patterns, jacquard borders having human figure motifs.

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