Reviving a queen's Maheshwari saris

A show to mark the 300th birth anniversary of queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Malwa recreates the saris that she patronised

- Avantika Bhuyan

At 47-A gallery, Khotachiwadi, Mumbai, you can see the cyclical nature of fashion unfurl right in front of you—colours such as peacock blue, paan green, haldi yellow and gulbasi pink, which were once the signature hues of 18th-century Maheshwari saris are in vogue in mainstream design. The textiles on display make you feel like you have one foot in the past and one in the present.

The collection of 14 saris and one shaalu dupatta showcases long-lost techniques of weaving such as the pajni and ochna. This blend of the traditional and the contemporary dominates the exhibition, A Tribute in Thread, by Rehwa Society, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the revival of Maheshwari weaving and which was founded in 1978 by Richard and Sally Holkar of the erstwhile royal family of Indore.

The exhibition commemorates the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha queen known for her humanitarian and social welfare work, who shifted the seat of the Holkar dynasty from Indore to Maheshwar (in present-day Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of the Narmada, in the last quarter of the 18th century. She invited weavers—both Hindu and Muslim—from Surat and Burhanpur to establish Maheshwar as the hub for handloom.

The period between the 18th and the early 20th centuries, before the onset of industrialised mills, is known as the golden period of weaving in the town, with Maheshwari saris gaining repute for their elegant fall, gossamer-like fabric, five-striped pallus in red, white and gold zari, and motifs such as the rui phul (cotton flower), the waves of the Narmada, and the chatai mat drawn from the immediate environment.