On the way stopped at Yeola in a saree shop on 8th October, 2017, a shop that claims to be one of the oldest shop in the area. It had an amazing collection of silk from Maharashtra, especially Paithani sarees. I picked up few and enjoyed looking at the old buildings. Many of these are now being razed and new buildings being constructed in their place.The 2,000 year-old weave is done with the same technique as the Persian rug. It is an heirloom sari and once it was even used as currency because it was so expensive.One important difference between Paithani sarees and Shalu sarees is the thickness of the silk that is used. Paithani is a thicker weave, which makes the sarees fall with a certain amount of stiffness, while the Shalu is easy to drape as the silk used is much thinner and lighter.
For the past forty years I have become too much of a Hyderabadi and though I love to collect sarees from all regions my first preference is always for the sarees from Andhra and Telengana. No saree can stand in front of these sarees be it for any occasion.
