Sacred Symbols: Decoding The Motifs Of Kanchipuram’s Bridal Silk Sarees
The designs on Kanchipuram’s wedding silk sarees aren’t just marks of beauty, but also messages of blessing. Here are a few of the most revered motifs, handpicked from our latest wedding saree collection.
A bride, adorned in a handloom Kanchipuram silk saree, gently folds her palms at one of Kanchipuram’s iconic temples. As her pure silk saree catches the light, a casual observer will be struck by the parallels between the motifs on the bridal saree and the carvings on the temple’s walls and pillars - a mythical yali, half-lion and half-elephant, courageously standing guard; a kuthirai (horse) charging forward on the temple pillars, its power and vitality captured in fine detail on the wedding saree; the temple’s gopuram or gateway towers overhead, recreated on the saree as bold triangles.
While the weavers of Kanchipuram’s handloom silk sarees are heavily inspired by the sacred motifs carved onto temples, they also include auspicious symbols from everyday life into their creations. Aware of the journey that the wedding saree will accompany the bride on, Kanchipuram’s weavers imbue them with talismanic designs, transforming the bridal saree into a handcrafted blessing in silk and gold.
Our latest wedding saree collection features these patterns in abundance. Here’s a look at just a few of them.
Mayilkann (peacock’s eyes)
Our handloom tissue silk saree with mayilkann motifs on the stunning gold zari body.
The vahana (vehicle) of Lord Murugan, the peacock is deeply entrenched in the lore and landmarks of the temple town. The mayil is associated with valor, grace and victory, and is a recurring motif on handloom Kanchipuram silk sarees,
In fact, even the mayilkann (peacock’s eye) is included in wedding weaves as a diamond jaal (frame) along the border and pallu. Interestingly, in our gold handloom tissue silk saree, mayilkann motifs sweep across the luminous gold body, their sharp lines contrasting with the delicate curves of vines with Meenakari detailing. On the border, kuyilkann (cuckoo’s eye), which are dotted diamonds, frame the green-tinged flowering creepers. A stunning fusion of weaving traditions, this bridal weave elevates the tissue silk saree with motifs of deep significance.
Kili (parrot)
An exclusive RmKV Design Studio creation, this bridal silk saree captures the grace and beauty of the kili.
Perched on the shoulder of Goddess Meenakshi, the kili is symbolic of love and devotion. The bird is also believed to communicate across realms as a truthful messenger.
The kili is captured in vivid detail on the border of our striped silk saree created by the RmKV Design Studio. While the body is striped with rust and green and dotted with miniature pearl motifs, the border and pallu are filled with Persian-style gardens; parrots nestle among the flowers, while thilakam motifs add to the scene’s auspiciousness.
Muthu (pearl), vairam (diamond) & pavunpet (gold coin)
This handloom Lino silk weave is a lightweight saree awash with the motifs of prosperity.
For millennia, Tamil Nadu was a leading exporter of pearls, and the opalescent bead still holds sway in our collective imagination as the symbol of prosperity and purity. Gold is still synonymous with wealth, and the pavunpet (coin) motif is its most universal shape. Diamonds (vairam) are typically represented in a rhombus grid; the miniature motifs are used in, and rightfully depict, abundance.
These motifs come together beautifully in our white handloom Lino silk saree. The lightweight silk saree features a white payadi (basket weave) pattern on the body, dotted by pavunpet buttas. Vairam and muthu patterns form clusters on the aquamarine border, accompanying saavi (key) and kattu (knot) patterns, the latter picked out in pink silk threads. A unique bridal saree, this white weave glows like moonlight, much like the pearls that dot it.
Kamalam (lotus)
Featuring 2,000 kamalam motifs, this naturally-dyed handloom silk saree revives a heritage Tanjore design.
Its association with divinity makes the kamalam a mainstay in the Kanchipuram weaver’s repertoire. Symbolic of purity, wealth, spiritual enlightenment and beauty, the lotus is represented in myriad forms throughout India.
On handloom Kanchipuram silk sarees, it’s most often depicted as an eight-petalled blossom in full bloom. Its symmetry is as captivating as its simplicity. On our naturally-dyed indigo silk saree, 2,000 lotuses fill the kattam (checked) pattern on the body. Woven with pure gold zari, the kamalam motifs shimmer against the midnight blue of natural indigo. The broad orange border and pallu are darted with green seer highlights, bringing to life a design that was once lost in the annals of time.
Thazhampoo reku (screwpine flower)
This handloom wedding saree is the perfect embodiment of the thazhampoo reku temple border.
Founded on the silted banks of the Palar and its tributaries, Kanchipuram is very much a riverine community. The fragrant thazhampoo (screwpine) that takes root along the river’s banks is revered as a harbinger of good fortune and offered to temple deities. Its serrated petals are likened to temple gopurams, further highlighting the blossom’s auspiciousness.
The thazhampoo reku always takes on bold proportions, often along the saree’s border. Consider our handwoven pink silk saree. The thazhampoo reku draws attention to the border, where it's nestled between the body’s stunning annam-chakram pattern and dainty kamalam, rudraksham and kuyilkann (cuckoo's eye) motifs. The spiky blossom is known for its alluring fragrance, and its depiction on Kanchipuram silk sarees is no less striking.
Kodi visiri (flowering creeper)
Flowering creepers turn this handloom Lino silk saree into a garden of silk and gold.
As the monsoon showers over Kanchipuram clear, they leave behind a profusion of flowering creepers. As they gently climb and twirl, one can’t help but admire their resilience and ability to thrive. Perhaps that’s what makes weavers partial to the motif of the flowering vine for bridal silk sarees; they’re used liberally as central patterns on the saree’s body as well as connective designs on pallus and borders.
The lavender handloom Lino silk saree is an homage to the kodi visiri motif. The creepers take centre stage on the body, their flowers picked out in opulent gold zari. On the border and pallu, they inch alongside diminutive manga (mango) and kuyil kann motifs. Much like the flora that inspired it, the kodi visiri motif enhances, but never overwhelms, the beauty of the weave it inhabits.
Kalpavriksha (Tree of Life)
Actress Priyamani wears our naturally-dyed handloom silk saree with an exquisite Tree of Life pallu.
In many Indian religions, the kalpavriksha is called the wish-fulfilling tree. Heavy with fruits and flowers, the tree’s boughs are also home to an array of birds, with more nestling among its roots. While it certainly suggests abundance, the kalpavriksha is also the symbol of harmony and co-existence.
It is the central motif of our green naturally-dyed handloom silk saree. The gold kalpavriksha looms large on the crimson pallu, highlighted by a Meenakari outline. The tree’s framed by flowering vines rendered in the Benarasi style, carried forward from the border. The elaborate designs of the pallu and border are complemented by the demure Meena kamalam motifs on the green body. Fittingly for a saree that celebrates the harmony of life, its colours have been derived from natural ingredients like mulberry leaves, lac and myrobalan.
Betel leaf & thilakam
This pure tissue silk saree, a must-have in the bridal trousseau, celebrates the betel leaf motif.
At Hindu weddings, the betel leaf is exchanged between bride and groom to mark the beginning of marital bliss. Several deities, including Goddess Lakshmi, are thought to reside in the leaf. It’s also offered to wedding guests to foster lasting bonds.
Our handwoven Swarna Thilakam bridal saree in pure tissue silk features the betel leaf vine on the red and gold body. The border carries an equally revered motif - the thilakam. The thilakam is the sacred mark drawn on the forehead, signifying blessings. The motif unfurls along the edges of the saree, adorned by tiny pearls. Luminous with pure zari and layered with meaning, the red bridal saree is a symbolic statement piece created by the RmKV Design Studio.
Each silk saree that takes shape beneath the deft hands of Kanchipuram’s weavers blends the best that life has to offer - jewellery, the sweetest fruits, fragrant flowers, wholesome feasts, spirituality, strength, companionship and gentleness. So when the bride drapes the silk saree on her wedding day, she feels the motifs beneath henna-ed fingers, and knows she has everything to look forward to.
