Kota Sarees - Ethnic Weaves That Have Endeared The Fashion World

By Author: parineeti
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The Kota Saree is a work of pure silk and cotton. Popularly referred to as Masuria and Kota Doria, this traditional handloom saree is a fine offering from the land of the desert, Rajasthan, showcasing the ethnic skills and effort that are put in through its exquisite outcomes.

Kota sarees are called Masuria because they were once woven in Mysore. The weavers migrated to Kaithoon, near Kota, and the sarees came to be known as 'Kota-Masuria'.

The Kota Doria weave employs the warp and the weft in a special combination of cotton and silk threads. While the cotton threads provide the binding strength, the silk threads together lend lustre to the fabric. The resultant fabric is therefore a lustrous, fine textured, light and airy fabric that provides all-day comfort.

The standard Kota Doria Saree initially woven in white is later dyed in different colours. In the case of saris with designs, the threads are dyed prior to weaving. The use of traditional organic dyes make the colours fast and durable, though nowadays with limited availability and cost of producing these dyes have led to the use of chemical ...
... dyes sometimes.

The Saree is woven on a traditional pit loom designed to produce check patterns on the fabric. The square shaped checks are known as Khats. They are smeared with onion juice and rice paste to make the yarn strong and durable.

Cotton for the Kota Saree comes from Madhya Pradesh while the silk, which once came from Karnataka, is now procured from other places as well.

For the sake of economy, weavers take up three Sarees of the same design at a time. The setting-up of the threads is complicated and time-consuming and could take up to a day. More complicated the design, more the time taken for setting-up. It takes close to a week to complete three saris in the basic pattern.

Weaving was done mostly by women, while the dyeing of threads was taken care of by men. It has evolved into a joint effort by various members of the family. The dyed thread is obtained by the weavers themselves or through wholesale dealers, who are also willing to buy the finished product.

Rajasthan Handloom Development Corporation (RHDC) has made efforts to popularize the unique skills of the KotaDoria. An all-silk saree on the Masuria handlooms that was successfully attempted was their joint effort with the weavers. Various permutations and combinations of the silk and cotton threads, produce unique and complicated designs.

The Kota Cotton Saree is translucent muslin, preferred for its light weight, softness and airy comfort.

Pure Cotton with golden Zari threads woven in square patterns is a popular variety. Variations in borders and a whole array of bright colours and shades like pink, blue, saffron, orange etc. applied to traditional prints and beautiful embroidery work create stunning effects.

A refreshing change is the Rajasthani Kota Saree woven by coarse cotton or golden threads with zari border and is preferred wear for daily casual, corporate offices, colleges and family get-togethers.
Stylish block floral or geometrical prints on the kota cotton sari with zari temple border is lovely attire for corporate conferences, college meetings and traditional occasions.

Designer Kota Supernet Saree adorned by zari flower work and having zari brocade border with elegant pallu is choice wear for weddings, bridal attire, corporate office parties, college events.

The Masuria Silks are grand affairs of pure silk, gold and silver threads or Zari. The Katan Pure Silk Weaves are adorned with beautiful Jaipuri prints, traditional motifs, fancy zari or printed borders, exquisite embroidery work on the pallu, making them an exclusive must-have.

Other worthy creations are designer Kota Katan Silk Saree richly woven in Meena work and with suitable accompaniments and the Dabu block prints on Stylish Kota Sari for formal conferences and meets and change for college events and daily casual.

Unnati Silks provides an impressive display of 300 plus varieties of traditional offerings, having a website with the largest Indian ethnic collection of sarees and salwar kameez materials. It includes a wide range of Kota Silks and Cottons in the latest prints and eye-catching designs that are also available to order from its offline stores.

Backing its sales is the Unnati service which includes dispatch within 24 hours of confirmed order, speedy and safe delivery through reputed couriers, free delivery and COD for retail customers and attractive terms for its bulk and international customers.