As a child, I used to be fascinated by the red-bordered, flower stained,gorod saree that my grandmother kept tucked away in her Burma teak almriah (this beautiful word has traveled quite a bit. First, from the Latin armarium, meaning closet, to the Portugese armario. The Portugese traveled with the word to India, where, the Indian languages lovingly adopted it by rechristening it as almaari. The word then found a resting place in English as almirah, though it is rarely used now, replaced by the nondescript cupboard or wardrobe).
Coming back to my grandmother's gorod, it was reverentially brought out during the family pujas (hence, the flower stains). I realised then, that there must be something sacred about the saree. Gorods were not merely 'puja' sarees exuding scent of flowers and incense, but they made many interesting social statements in upper caste Bengali society. Owning a gorod was a status symbol to be flaunted in style. Women would proudly show them off at family gatherings, especially if gifted by a son or a son-in-law. Interestingly, these 'puja sarees' were woven by weavers from both the Hindu (tanti) and Muslim (julaha) communities in Murshidabad, Shantipur, and Tangail.
Gorad or gorod and koriyal are two varieties of traditional Bengal hand loom silk. They are made from either mulberry or tussar. The term gorod means silk that is not dyed, rather than white silk. Korial/koriyal is version of gorod that has a heavier texture, giving it a much richer look than ordinary gorod. Another version of this variety is the Koriyal Benarasi with gold and silver intricate designs on the border and the pallavs. The simple gorods have a finer and softer texture than gorod-koriyals.
The distinguishing features of these sarees are that they are based on white or off-white (kora) backgrounds, borders that are usually red, though other colours are also being used now and they mostly feature paisely motifs.
A gorod-koriyal saree from my almirah
It is a good idea to team up a gorod with a jamevar stole
Coming back to my grandmother's gorod, it was reverentially brought out during the family pujas (hence, the flower stains). I realised then, that there must be something sacred about the saree. Gorods were not merely 'puja' sarees exuding scent of flowers and incense, but they made many interesting social statements in upper caste Bengali society. Owning a gorod was a status symbol to be flaunted in style. Women would proudly show them off at family gatherings, especially if gifted by a son or a son-in-law. Interestingly, these 'puja sarees' were woven by weavers from both the Hindu (tanti) and Muslim (julaha) communities in Murshidabad, Shantipur, and Tangail.
Gorad or gorod and koriyal are two varieties of traditional Bengal hand loom silk. They are made from either mulberry or tussar. The term gorod means silk that is not dyed, rather than white silk. Korial/koriyal is version of gorod that has a heavier texture, giving it a much richer look than ordinary gorod. Another version of this variety is the Koriyal Benarasi with gold and silver intricate designs on the border and the pallavs. The simple gorods have a finer and softer texture than gorod-koriyals.
The distinguishing features of these sarees are that they are based on white or off-white (kora) backgrounds, borders that are usually red, though other colours are also being used now and they mostly feature paisely motifs.
A gorod-koriyal saree from my almirah
No comments:
Post a Comment