Saree is woven into the fabric of Indian tradition. In fact, it is considered to be the most elegant dress not just by Indian women but by women in other countries as well. When it comes to sobriety, the Kota Doria saris earn brownie points. There are several small villages around the Kota city that are the centers for the production of the beautiful Kota Doris saris. Kota Doria is a fine quality cotton and silk yarn woven in the form of a graph. Hand woven cheque patterned and printed saris are quite popular with women who love to add some graceful saris in their collection. Such saris are popular all over India. The literal meaning of Doria is thread.
Originally these saris were known as Masuria because Mysore was the first place to take up this type of weaving. This art of weaving was brought to Kota by Rao Kishore Singh, a general of the Mughal army. He brought the weavers to Kota in the 17th and early 18th century. Since then the saris were called Kota saris.
Today in the wake of industrialization when almost everything is made with machines using modern techniques Kota Doria Saris are still made by using primitive methods involving a great deal of expertise and hard work. The production entails spinning, dyeing and weaving and involves several workers. It takes them around three weeks in preparing three saris of similar designs. It is economical for the karigars (workers) to weave at least three saris of the same design at the same time as their looms can accommodate them in one go. These saris are best worn in summers as they are made of cotton (the coolest fabric) and are airy. They are light in weight and easy to handle. The gossamer-fine fabric Kota Dorias are known to be the best quality weave and are extremely light in weight.
Some of the Kota Doria Saris have beautiful zari border which adds more charm to them.
