Kasavu Saree

I fell in love with the kasavu saree the moment I laid my eyes on it.Its such a great combination of simplicity and grandeur. I used to call it the Kerala saree or Mallu saree. It was much later that I cam to know that it was called kasavu saree, kasavu being the golden border that runs along the length of the saree. This is the traditional  handloom saree that Malayali women wear for festive occasions irrespective of religion or caste. I have seen women wearing this saree for temple festivals as well as when going to church. Its a completely white saree with a thin golden border. Sometimes threads of other colours are woven along the border and sometimes there are patterns etched on the pallu. But the overall look is simple.

Onam celebrations

Kasavu Saree

My friend told me that earlier (in days of yore), women(especially women of lower castes) were not allowed to wear an upper garment and the saree was just worn as a skirt. I believe this was the just cause of a revolution and subsequently this practice was abandoned. It came to a point that when women tried to cover their breasts , the covering was forcefully removed by men. I have heard the story of a Devi who, when the covering was removed in the presence of the king, chopped off both her breasts. A temple was later erected in her name and she is worshiped as a goddess.

Kasavu sarees are available in any saree shop and in all price ranges. I found some really good sarees at Ramachandran Handlooms in Kochi. I bought a whole bunch for my family. You can try the same or go to bigger shops like Seematti and Jayalakshmi.