Salem villagers weave magic in silk

Think silk, and for the average person in Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram comes to mind. But when it comes to weaving pure silk saris, Salem is no behind. Traditional weavers at Chinthamaniyur, Panchukalipatty and Semmandapatty villages in the district have carved a niche for themselves with saris that bear the ‘silk’ mark. They say a little-known fact is that many shops in Kanchipuram sell saris made in Salem.

These fourth-generation weavers had been selling silk saris across the world. "In those days, there were no weavers in Kanchipuram," M Saravanan, a weaver at Chinthamaniyur, told TOI. He says Kanchipuram is famous more for selling silk than for weaving it. Silk saris woven in Chinthamaniyur, Panchukalipatty and Semmandapatty villages are being sold in almost all major cities across the country and exported to many countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, USA, UK and UAE.

Travelling on the Salem-Mettur state highway, just after Omalur, huge advertisement hoardings welcome you. Panchukalipatty village comes first. Its streets are lined with shops selling silk saris. Chinthamaniyur is 4km away and Semmandapatty, another 3km.

These villages have more than 20 big shops. Over 10,000 families weave silk saris round the clock. Wholesale shops will be buzzing with activity round the year, especially in marriage seasons.

A variety of saris are on sale - soft silk sari, pure jute silk sari, dupeon silk sari, pure Kanchipuram silk sari, wedding designer sari, party design sari, half-half design sari and brocade design. These cost anywhere between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2 lakh.

The shops at Chinthamaniyur, Semmandapatty and Panchukalipatty sell saris at wholesale prices. "Retail shops will price our sarees at least 40% more," said C P Saravanan, owner, K Perumal Silks, at Chinthamaniyur, whose family has been in the business since 1967. He says people flock to the village from across the state to buy saris because of the attractive prices and good quality.

S Jamuna came to Chinthamaniyur from Salem to buy saris for a function at her house. She said she had been coming to the village for more than a decade to buy saris as they were pure – the saris had ‘silver’ woven with the silk thread. "They also have ‘silk mark’ to confirm its authenticity," she said. Besides, all the shops stock fresh supplies.


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