house of kastoori

The best content I have seen lately ! Also love the printed sarees and the draping style of the ‘ladies’ who shine with their fabulous acting in this story told by Kiran Rao.


Do watch !

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Just finished watching Laapataa Ladies, What a masterpiece!!
This captivating movie proves that you don't need big stars to create something truly special. It's all about the quality of the content. Highly recommend diving into this hidden gem! 🌟
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Thanks for choosing us again our dear patrons from my home city Allahabad !

Your sarees shall reach you soon .

Every time we choose something handmade or handwoven, we empower and support a weaver , an artisan who is an artist carrying on the legacy of several generations of weaving or making, preserving our cultural heritage that we so much take for granted !

Why is it easier to see what I dont have ?

When what I want is right in front of me!

Cotton handloom Sarees, in our stock.
Take your pick !

It’s the best time of the year and we’ve put up our Christmas tree!

Bring some Christmas cheer into the lives of your loved ones with the glow, vibrancy and warmth of our handlooms !

These lovely pure cotton handlooms do have the warmth of the nimble fingers of our Indian weavers and could make lovely gifts this holiday season !

Take your pick !

DM or comment with the picture of your choice and we shall share details .

Happy Shopping !

On a cold dreary day, while nursing a bad back, I thought of cheering up myself up and share the beautiful bright colours of Indian weaves.

Cotton handlooms are an all season deal as the purity of the cotton keeps the body cool in Summers and warm in Winters.

Cotton lovers such as I , prefer Cotton sarees over Silk any given day !!

Let’s see how many of you agree with me !

Respond to the poll please !

Happy Diwali !!!

Wearing a handwoven silk ‘Baluchari’ gifted to me by my sister .

Of Diwali nights…
Wearing - timeless classics that Banarasi sarees are !

Just a little sprinkle of Diwali lights in and around our home in Gurgaon, before I leave for Delhi.

✨

Wearing a white handwoven cotton ‘Dokhna’ on Day 2 of Navratri, venerating ‘Brahmcharini’🙏🏼

This year I decided to chant the ‘Durga Saptshati’ a chapter a day and it’s a completely different vibe!

What splendour, what fierce strength ‘Maa Durga’ possesses and yet , is so tender and benevolent towards her children!

May she bless and protect us all 🙏🏼

This saree against a backdrop of fresh flowers, is an assertion of how our weavers take so much inspiration from ‘Mother Nature.’

There really isn’t any need for Pantone cards. Colour inspiration is all around us. We just have to learn to see…

The flowers in the background perfectly match the colours of this ‘Angara’ cotton handloom saree, available with us.

This ‘Udupi’ blue to beat the Monday blues.

The gold sprinkled on the pallu and the border weft and the myriad hues in the checks on the field, make this a rare one to flaunt on a full day at work or an evening out !
Yes Udupi handlooms are that versatile and guess what? They take in the hues of any kind of lighting so beautifully

Easy on the pocket and value for money , that’s an Udupi handloom saree.

Price - Rs. 1500 plus shipping at actuals

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ। निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥
May Lord Ganesha, whose splendour is like the splendour of a million Suns, remove all our obstacles from all our endeavours, always 🙏🏼

Haritalika Teej
18/09/23

Hartalika is made of two words - 'harát' means abduction and 'alika' means female friend or friends.
The ‘Puranas’ state the legend of how Goddess Parvati performed severe penance at the banks of the mighty Ganges, in order to impress Lord Shiva, to win him over to be her husband. However, Parvati's father ‘Himalaya’ wanted to marry her off to Lord Vishnu who already had sent his proposal to Parvati’s father.
When Goddess Parvati shared her misery with her female friends, they decided to help her. They abducted her and hid her deep into a forest where in a cave she continued her ‘sadhana’ and eventually won over Lord Shiva.
Hartalika Teej from then on is observed by women to get a husband of their choice / to pray and fast for the long life of their husbands.
For me it also means a celebration of female friendships. A reminder of how valuable female friendships are ! So here I am cheering myself up , dressing up and showing up for my ‘girls’ who are my sounding boards and saviours of sorts! I pray for you too on this day, in gratitude for your friendship 😘

- an Udupi boota saree. (Saree is my own and not for sale)

Celebrating the beginning of Ganesh Gauri festivities from today.

The weaves of South India have been unaffected by the influence of pre- colonial trade with Europeans along its Malabar and the Coromandel coasts . The Vijaynagar empire was completely destroyed by Muslim invasions in 1564 and yet the South has retained its culture.

There is a definite synergy between the temples and the weaves of ‘Kancheepuram’ as one can clearly see the temple architecture reflected in the motifs of these sarees .

For the sake of interest and a bit of indulgence in my passion for Indian weaves, I have researched a bit about the motifs on some of the ‘Southern’ weaves I have inherited from family.

Scroll left to see the exhibits -

Exhibit 1
A pure zari ‘Kanjivaram’, that has a chequered body. The motifs on the border seem to be stylised ‘Killi’ parrot motifs. You can see the kondai (ornament) on the head and the stylized beak as well. The border is typical ‘Kanjivaram’. The checks though are a reminder of the ‘Koorainadu’ weaves that primarily use checks on the field and that too in tones of red .
This sari was bought by my mother in the 1970s from a famous shop in Allahabad.

Exhibit 2
Another vintage ‘Kanjivaram ‘ with a ‘Korvai’ palla and a chequered body typical of Kanjivaram sarees. Floral motifs adorn the pallav and the border of the sari. This sari is a ‘hand me down’ from my in-laws side of the family.

Exhibit 3 -
A ‘Gadwal’ with a cotton body and a pure mulberry silk border and pallav with floral motifs. This sari is very old and was handed down to me by my mother in law.

Exhibit 4-
The ‘Annapakshi’ or the goose or the Hamsam is a favourite motif of Kanchipuram weavers. It is often found in temple sculptures. In Vedic literature, the Hamsam is associated with the sun and divine knowledge. It has the ability to discern, and can pick out one drop of milk mixed in an ocean of water. In temple sculpture of Kanchipuram, Sarasvati, the goddess representing learning, culture and the arts is shown with the Annapakshi as her ‘vahana’ or mount.
This pure silk ‘ Kanjeevaram’ was a gift by a relative around 15 years back .

looking lovely in our Udupi cotton saree that she wore for an important event in Amritsar. Thank you for all the appreciation dear Sharmita !

In India's textiles and even in the Indian temple architecture, elephant motifs are well-renowned, especially because this great and graceful animal holds an honourable place in history and mythology.

The elephant is a leader, a gentle giant, reliable plodder and playful rogue – the magnificent personality of the elephant found in nature are so dynamic and versatile. When part of a formidable army, the elephants march together in exceptional harmony and during other times in solitude, they walk in quiet dignity and exhibit majesty and poise. Also called Yanai, Hathi and Gaja, the elephant is a symbol of strength, wisdom, prosperity and royalty.

Elephant motifs in sarees drew inspiration from folklore and were created from several environmental and cultural influences. The motifs were intricately drawn by hand and arranged with other patterns according to the saree’s colour, material and handloom capacity. Elegantly woven as warp and weft in cotton and silk, elephant motifs are woven not only in sarees but also exhibited almost in every region’s handcrafted weaves.

Featured :- My personal Chettinadu handloom saree .

A new motif series …
The Rudraksha motif. Scroll left to read and see the motifs from close quarters.

Please note:-
📌The Saree featured in slide1 and 2 is my personal saree, a Chettinadu from Tamil Nadu
📌 The saree in slide 4, however is a brand new Andhra cotton with Ganga Jamuna border with its own blouse piece on the running . It is very much available for sale. Price is mentioned if you go through previous posts.

The very purpose of this post is to talk about the significance and history of various motifs woven into South Indian handloom sarees.

Tomorrow is the last of the Handloom Day sale .
From August 16th the sarees will revert back to their original prices.
Thanks for a great response so far !

On Handloom Day today and till August 15th, all sarees are on a discount of 10 percent .
Take your pick from a good variety of our handlooms !

Refer to the exhibit -

Saree 20 - Udupi boota saree - Rs. 2450 with a 10 percent discount will now be Rs. 2205 only.

Saree 21 - Udupi saree - Rs. 1500 with a 10 percent discount will now be Rs. 1350 only.

*Courier charges shall apply at actuals
*No returns or exchanges please.

On Handloom Day today and till August 15th, all sarees are on a discount of 10 percent .
Take your pick from a good variety of our handlooms !

Refer to the exhibit -

Saree 19- Angara Cotton saree - Rs. 2850 with a 10 percent discount will now be Rs. 2565 only.

*Courier charges shall apply at actuals
*No returns or exchanges please.

On Handloom Day today and till August 15th, all sarees are on a discount of 10 percent .
Take your pick from a good variety of our handlooms !

Refer to the exhibit -

Saree 18- Begampuri Naksha Par saree - Rs. 2499 with a 10 percent discount will now be Rs.2249 only.

*Courier charges shall apply at actuals
*No returns or exchanges please.

On Handloom Day today and till August 15th, all sarees are on a discount of 10 percent .
Take your pick from a good variety of our handlooms !

Refer to the exhibit -

Saree 17 - Begampuri Naksha Par saree - Rs. 3999 with a 10 percent discount will now be Rs. 3599 only.

*Courier charges shall apply at actuals
*No returns or exchanges please.

On Handloom Day today and till August 15th, all sarees are on a discount of 10 percent .
Take your pick from a good variety of our handlooms !

Refer to the exhibit -

Saree 15 - Andhra cotton with blouse piece - Rs. 3250 with a 10 percent discount will now be Rs.2925 only.

*Courier charges shall apply at actuals
*No returns or exchanges please.