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Gold dhoti, uttareeyam for Lord of Seven Hills
Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala is set to get a unique gift from a master weaver of Dharmavaram, which is famous for its wonderful silk saree creations in South India. It is a dhoti and a uttareeyam weaved using gold zari and dyed in natural colours. The exquisite gift costs Rs 15 lakh.
Dharmavaram (Anantapur): Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala is set to get a unique gift from a master weaver of Dharmavaram, which is famous for its wonderful silk saree creations in South India. It is a dhoti and a uttareeyam weaved using gold zari and dyed in natural colours. The exquisite gift costs Rs 15 lakh.
Speaking to The Hans India, Raghavendra, the master weaver who owns 15 looms, said: “I wanted to offer something unique to the Lord which reflects my craftsmanship. Hence, I came up with the idea of weaving a gold dhoti and a uttareeyam for my favourite god. After obtaining permission of the TTD for my divine project, I got the measurements of sacred dhoti and uttareeyam adorned to the Lord.
The dhoti is 12 metres in length and 1.5 metres in width, while the uttareeyam measures 6 metres in length and 1.5 metres in width. I designed a special loom for weaving the sacred fabrics. I gave an opportunity to my fellow weavers and devotees to participate in the divine project.”
Elaborating further, he said: “I started weaving the sacred dhoti and uttareeyam using gold zari by placing the loom at Venkateswara temple in Anantapur on November 9, 2015. I took the loom to Venkateswara temples in Kurnool, Rajahmundry and other cities in the State to enable weavers and devotees to participate in the production of sacred fabrics.”
About 12,000 handloom weavers and devotees participated in the creation of dhoti and uttareeyam. He said: “I collected the signatures of the weavers and devotees who lent a helping hand in weaving the dhoti and uttareeyam, as a proof of their participation in the project. Saffron and other spices are used as dyes to give a rich fragrance to the fabrics.
I finished weaving of the gold dhoti and uttareeyam on March 22. The words of `Namo Venkatesaya’ are intrinsically woven one lakh times in the design of sacred fabrics.’’ Revealing the motive behind his divine project, Raghavendra said: “I want to get name and fame by shining in my profession. I will offer the gold dhoti and uttareeyam to Lord Venkateswara on an auspicious day and seek His blessings for the well-being of handloom weavers.”
