Chanderi
Encyclopedia
Chanderi चंदेरी شندرئ is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District
of Madhya Pradesh
state in India
. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri
,37 km from Lalitpur,55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 45 km from Esagarh It is surrounded by hills southwest of the Betwa River
. Chanderi is surrounded by hills, lakes and forests and there are several monuments of the Bundela
Rajput
s and Malwa sultan
s. Chanderi finds mention in Mahabharata
. Shishupal was the king of Mahabharata period.
Chanderi:
Chanderi is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh. It is surrounded by beautiful hills southwest of Betwa river. There are several monuments of the Bundela Rajputs and Malwa sultans. History of Chanderi goes back to 11th century, when it is dominated by the trade routes of central India and was proximate to the arterial route to the ancient ports of Gujarat as well as to Malwa, Mewar, Central India and Deccan.
Chanderi is located strategically on the borders of Malwa and Bundelkhand
. History of Chanderi goes back to the 11th century, when it was dominated by the trade routes of Central India and was proximate to the arterial route to the ancient ports of Gujarat as well as to Malwa, Mewar
, Central India and the Deccan. Consequently, Chanderi became an important military outpost.
Dominating the skyline of this lovely old town is a vast Mughal
fort known as Chanderi fort
. Its main gate is known as the "Khooni Darwaza". Chanderi fort is situated on a hill 71 meter above the town. The fortification walls were constructed mainly by the Muslim rulers of Chanderi. To the southwest of the fort there is a curious gateway called katti-ghatti made through a hill side.
Chanderi is famous for its hand-woven Chanderi sarees. It is a renowned centre for traditional weavers of saree. The Chanderi sarees have sophistication hard to match.The Chanderi saree is a common name in middle & rich societies and is in high demand everywhere.
At a distance of 19 km from present Chanderi town is situated the Buddhi (old) Chanderi. Buddhi Chanderi is situated on the banks of Urvashi river. It is believed that the Chaidnagar mentioned in Puranas is same as Buddhi Chanderi.There is a myth that when Raja Nala
left Damayanti
asleep in the forests of Narwar
she moved through dense forests and reached Chaidnagar protecting her self from wild animals. The route through forest
s from Narwar
to Chanderi is very short. A number of 9th and 10th century Jain temples are there in Buddhi Chanderi attracting thousands of Jain pilgrims from all over the country.
Jain community. There are a number of Jain places nearby- Gurilagiri (7 km), Aamanachar (29 km), Bithala (19 km), Bhamon (16 km), Khandargiri (2 km), Thuvanji (22 km) and Bhiyadant (14 km), and Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh
(20 km, across the border).
The Jain Bhattaraka
s of Mula Sangh
, Balatkara Gana
had a center at Chanderi that flourished for several centuries. The lineage, as constructed by Pt. Phulachandra Shastri is as following:
A branch of this lineage continued at Sironj.
Ghiyas ud din Balban
captured the city in 1251 for Nasir ud din Mahmud
, Sultan of Delhi.
Sultan Mahmud I Khilji of Malwa captured the city in 1438 after a siege of several months.
In 1520 Rana Sanga
of Mewar
captured the city, and gave it to Medini Rai, a rebellious minister of Sultan Mahmud II of Malwa. The Mughal Emperor Babur
captured the city from Medini Rai and witnessed the macabre Rajput
rite of jauhar, in which, faced with certain defeat, women and children immolated themselves or were slaughtered by their men, who then slew each other or rushed out naked to fight and die. .
In 1540 it was captured by Sher Shah Suri
, and added to the governorship of Shujaat Khan.
The Mughal Emperor Akbar made the city a sarkar in the subah of Malwa.
The Bundela
Rajputs captured the city in 1586, and it was held by Ram Sab, a son of Raja Madhukar of Orchha
.
In 1680 Devi Singh Bundela was made governor of the city, and Chanderi remained in the hands of his family until it was annexed in 1811 by Jean Baptiste Filose
for the Maratha
ruler Daulat Rao Sindhia of Gwalior
.
The city was transferred to the British in 1844.
The British lost control of the city during the Revolt of 1857, and the city was recaptured by Sir Hugh Rose on 14 March 1858. Richard Harte Keatinge
led the assault, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross
.
The city was transferred back to the Sindhias of Gwalior in 1861, and became part of Isagarh District
of Gwalior state.
After India's independence in 1947, Gwalior became part of the new state of Madhya Bharat
, which was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.
coor title dms|24|43|12|N|78|07|48|E
, Chanderi had a population of 28,313. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Chanderi has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 72% and female literacy of 52%. 17% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Handlooms and Chanderi Sarees:
Chanderi is famous for its hand-woven sarees. It is a renowned centre for traditional weavers of sarees. Due to the high demand in middle and high societies Chanderi is one of the best known clusters in India, particularly famous for its sarees, made with mix of silk and cotton. Saree is the product of second half of twentieth century only. Then, there have been changes in the methodologies, equipments and even the composition of yarns in part. The heritage is attached with the skills of weaving high quality fabric product here. The weavers are actually the symbol of the heritage, as they have been the ones who produced the kinds of stuff that received appreciation even from the royals. Originally, Chanderi was always woven using handspun cotton warps and wefts. It was spun as fine as 300 counts and was as prized amongst cotton fabrics as the famed muslins of Dhaka. After the Industrial Revolution in the 1930's, Chanderi weavers discovered Japanese silk. They began substituting this in the warps in cotton sarees and also developed a silk in which their profit margins were higher. The traditional weaving of Chanderi fabric is mainly done for making sarees and suit materials. The high cost of this fabric is not seen much in home furnishing linen but since it is designed for an elite class the high expense is not an issue. However introducing it into home furnishing products would be a challenge. The Chanderi fabrics are known for their sheer texture, light weight and a glossy transparency.
Marketing of Chanderi Sarees:
There are two modes of marketing Chanderi fabrics in India. Local traders and businessmen sell between eighty five and ninety percent of the total fabric produced. Some of these businessmen provide yarn and designs to weavers, but the bulk of them just trade in the finished products. Government agencies like M.P. Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Federation, M.P. Laghu Udyog Nigam, M.P. Handicraft Development Corporation and State Textile Corporation sell the remainder of fabric produced. Unfortunately, weavers are unable to market their own products successfully in metros, or in trade fairs or exhibitions. As a result, their profit margins are eroded by the presence of traders, as is the unfortunates case with most Indian handicraft produced in remote areas.
Geographic Indication status for Chanderi Sarees:
The production of Chanderi has been protected by India as a Geographic Indication (GI). This is a sign used on products with a specific geographical origin, which have certain qualities because of the place they have originated from. As a WTO member country, India passed the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and protection) Act in 1999, which enables the registration and better protection of GIs relating to products. India has petitioned the World Trade Organization for the recognition of Chanderi as a GI product at the international level as well.
Ashoknagar District
Ashoknagar District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Ashoknagar is the administrative headquarters of the district.-Geography:...
of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri
Shivpuri
Shivpuri is a city and a municipality in Shivpuri district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is in the Gwalior Division of northwest Madhya Pradesh and is the administrative headquarters of Shivpuri District. It is situated at an altitude of above sea level.-History:Shivpuri is an ancient...
,37 km from Lalitpur,55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 45 km from Esagarh It is surrounded by hills southwest of the Betwa River
Betwa River
The Betwa is a river in Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. Also known as the Vetravati, the Betwa rises in the Vindhya Range just north of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh and flows north-east through Madhya Pradesh and flow through Orchha to Uttar Pradesh. Nearly one-half of its course,...
. Chanderi is surrounded by hills, lakes and forests and there are several monuments of the Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s and Malwa sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
s. Chanderi finds mention in Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Shishupal was the king of Mahabharata period.
Chanderi:
Chanderi is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh. It is surrounded by beautiful hills southwest of Betwa river. There are several monuments of the Bundela Rajputs and Malwa sultans. History of Chanderi goes back to 11th century, when it is dominated by the trade routes of central India and was proximate to the arterial route to the ancient ports of Gujarat as well as to Malwa, Mewar, Central India and Deccan.
Chanderi is located strategically on the borders of Malwa and Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
. History of Chanderi goes back to the 11th century, when it was dominated by the trade routes of Central India and was proximate to the arterial route to the ancient ports of Gujarat as well as to Malwa, Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
, Central India and the Deccan. Consequently, Chanderi became an important military outpost.
Dominating the skyline of this lovely old town is a vast Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
fort known as Chanderi fort
Chanderi fort
Chanderi fort located at Chanderi in Ashoknagar District of Madhya Pradesh state in India is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri and 37 km from Lalitpur and about 45 km from Esagarh It is located on a hill southwest of the Betwa River. Chanderi is surrounded by hills, lakes and forests...
. Its main gate is known as the "Khooni Darwaza". Chanderi fort is situated on a hill 71 meter above the town. The fortification walls were constructed mainly by the Muslim rulers of Chanderi. To the southwest of the fort there is a curious gateway called katti-ghatti made through a hill side.
Chanderi is famous for its hand-woven Chanderi sarees. It is a renowned centre for traditional weavers of saree. The Chanderi sarees have sophistication hard to match.The Chanderi saree is a common name in middle & rich societies and is in high demand everywhere.
At a distance of 19 km from present Chanderi town is situated the Buddhi (old) Chanderi. Buddhi Chanderi is situated on the banks of Urvashi river. It is believed that the Chaidnagar mentioned in Puranas is same as Buddhi Chanderi.There is a myth that when Raja Nala
Nala
Nala , a character in Hindu mythology, is the king of Nishadha Kingdom, son of Virasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling...
left Damayanti
Damayanti
Damayanti , a character in Hindu mythology, was the princess of Vidarbha Kingdom, who married king Nala, of Nishadha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata.-The story:...
asleep in the forests of Narwar
Narwar
Narwar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Shivpuri district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Narwar is a historic town and the Narwar Fort is just east of the Kali Sindh River and is situated at a distance of 42 km from Shivpuri. Narwar was known as Narwar District during the times of...
she moved through dense forests and reached Chaidnagar protecting her self from wild animals. The route through forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s from Narwar
Narwar
Narwar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Shivpuri district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Narwar is a historic town and the Narwar Fort is just east of the Kali Sindh River and is situated at a distance of 42 km from Shivpuri. Narwar was known as Narwar District during the times of...
to Chanderi is very short. A number of 9th and 10th century Jain temples are there in Buddhi Chanderi attracting thousands of Jain pilgrims from all over the country.
Jainism at Chanderi
The Chanderi area has been a major center of Jain culture. It was a major center of the ParwarParwar (Jain)
Parwar, also spelt as Paravāra , is a major Jain community from the Bundelkhand region, which is largely in Madhya Pradesh, but also includes Lalitpur region of Uttar Pradesh...
Jain community. There are a number of Jain places nearby- Gurilagiri (7 km), Aamanachar (29 km), Bithala (19 km), Bhamon (16 km), Khandargiri (2 km), Thuvanji (22 km) and Bhiyadant (14 km), and Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh
Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh
Deogarh is a small farming village near the town of Lalitpur in Lalitpur district, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Located at the border with the former princely state of Gwalior, which is now part of Madhya Pradesh, it is known for its Gupta monuments, located on and near the hill fort on...
(20 km, across the border).
The Jain Bhattaraka
Bhattaraka
A Bhaṭṭāraka is the head of traditional Jain institutions. They are responsible for training of scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing the endowments, presiding over the installation ceremonies and running of Jain institutions....
s of Mula Sangh
Mula Sangh
Mula Sangh is an ancient Jain monastic order . Mula literally means the "root" or the original order.Mula-Sangh has been the main Digambar Jain order. Today the Digambar Jain tradition is synonymous with Mula Sangha. The great Acharya Kundakunda is associated with Mula Sangh...
, Balatkara Gana
Balatkara Gana
Balatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha....
had a center at Chanderi that flourished for several centuries. The lineage, as constructed by Pt. Phulachandra Shastri is as following:
- Devendrakirti (see Balatkara GanaBalatkara GanaBalatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha....
), who awarded SinghaiSinghaiSinghai is a hereditary title awarded in the past to leaders of the Jain Sangha ....
title in 1436 CE(see ParwarParwarParwar may refer to:*Parwar, Pakistan - town in Pakistan*Parwar - a Jain community...
) - Tribhuvanakirti (anointed Vikram 1522),
- Sasasrakirti
- Padmanandi
- Yashahkirti
- Lalitkirti
- Dharmakirti
- Padmakirti (died Vikram 1717)
- Sakalakirti
- Surendrakirti (pratishtha in samvat 1746)
A branch of this lineage continued at Sironj.
- Jagatkirti (pupil of Dharmakirti above)
- Tribhuvanakirti
- Narendrakirti
- Unknown
- Rajkirti
- Devendrakirti (pratishtha in samvat 1871)
History
Chanderi is mentioned by the Persian scholar Alberuni in 1030.Ghiyas ud din Balban
Ghiyas ud din Balban
Ghiyasuddin Balban was ninth sultan of the Mamluk dynasty who ruled from 1266 to 1287.-Biography:He was son of a Central Asian Turkic noble of the Ilbari tribe, but as a child he was captured by Mongols and sold as a slave at Ghazni...
captured the city in 1251 for Nasir ud din Mahmud
Nasir ud din Mahmud
Nasir ud din Mahmud, Nasir ud din Firuz Shah was the eighth sultan of the Mamluk Sultanate . He was the youngest son of Shams ud din Iltutmish , and he succeeded Ala ud din Masud after the chiefs replaced Masud when they felt that he began to behave as a tyrant.As a ruler, Mahmud was known to be...
, Sultan of Delhi.
Sultan Mahmud I Khilji of Malwa captured the city in 1438 after a siege of several months.
In 1520 Rana Sanga
Rana Sanga
-Historical Fact:Maharana Sangram Singh was the ruler of Mewar state, a region lying within the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, a desert region, between 1509 and 1527. He was a scion of the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs...
of Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
captured the city, and gave it to Medini Rai, a rebellious minister of Sultan Mahmud II of Malwa. The Mughal Emperor Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
captured the city from Medini Rai and witnessed the macabre Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
rite of jauhar, in which, faced with certain defeat, women and children immolated themselves or were slaughtered by their men, who then slew each other or rushed out naked to fight and die. .
In 1540 it was captured by Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
, and added to the governorship of Shujaat Khan.
The Mughal Emperor Akbar made the city a sarkar in the subah of Malwa.
The Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
Rajputs captured the city in 1586, and it was held by Ram Sab, a son of Raja Madhukar of Orchha
Orchha
Orchha is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River , 80 km from Tikamgarh &...
.
In 1680 Devi Singh Bundela was made governor of the city, and Chanderi remained in the hands of his family until it was annexed in 1811 by Jean Baptiste Filose
Jean Baptiste Filose
Jean Baptiste Filose was a military commander in the army of Daulat Rao Sindhia, the Maratha ruler of Gwalior. In 1811 he captured the fortress of Chanderi on the eastern border of Sindhia's kingdom from the Bundela Rajput rulers...
for the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
ruler Daulat Rao Sindhia of Gwalior
Gwalior state
Gwalior State was an Indian kingdom and princely state ruled by the Maratha dynasty. The state took its name from the old town of Gwalior, which, although never the actual capital, was an important place because of its strategic location and the strength of its fort. The state was founded in the...
.
The city was transferred to the British in 1844.
The British lost control of the city during the Revolt of 1857, and the city was recaptured by Sir Hugh Rose on 14 March 1858. Richard Harte Keatinge
Richard Harte Keatinge
Lieutenant General Richard Harte Keatinge VC CSI was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Life and career:Keatinge was born in Dublin...
led the assault, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
The city was transferred back to the Sindhias of Gwalior in 1861, and became part of Isagarh District
Isagarh District
Isagarh District is a former administrative district of the princely state of Gwalior in central India. Gwalior state existed from the 18th century until shortly after Indian Independence in 1947. Geographically, the district included most of the present-day districts of Guna and Ashoknagar, along...
of Gwalior state.
After India's independence in 1947, Gwalior became part of the new state of Madhya Bharat
Madhya Bharat
Madhya Bharat , also known as Malwa Union was an Indian state in west-central India, created on 28 May 1948 from twenty-five princely states which until 1947 had been part of the Central India Agency, with Jivaji Rao Scindia as its Rajpramukh...
, which was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.
Akbar's description of Chanderi
According to Ain-e-Akbari, the autobiography of Akbar, Chanderi had 14000 stone houses and boasted of 384 markets, 360 sapcious caravan sarais (resting place) and 12,000 mosques.Geography
Chanderi is located at 24.72°N 78.13°E. It has an average elevation of 456 metres (1496 feet).coor title dms|24|43|12|N|78|07|48|E
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Chanderi had a population of 28,313. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Chanderi has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 72% and female literacy of 52%. 17% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Places of interest
- Shri Choubisi jain mandir
- Bawari masjid
- Jami Masjid
- Shahzadi ka Rauza
- Jageswari devi Temple
- Chanderi Museum
- Khandar Giri Atishay Khetra
- Malan Kho
- Baiju BawraBaiju BawraBaiju Bawra is an award-winning 1952 Hindi movie directed by Vijay Bhatt. It stars Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari.The movie is based on the legend of Baiju Bawra from the days of Mughal Emperor Akbar in India. Baiju is the son of a musician who also grows up to be a musician...
's Samadhi(Cenotaph) - Janki Nath Temple
Reach To Chanderi
One can easily visit chanderi via- Lalitpur 40 km from Chanderi. Well connected by road Lalitpur is situated on Bhopal-Jhansi railway route and many important trains have halt at Lalitpur
- Mungaoli 38 km from Chanderi well connected by road situated on Bina-Kota railway route and many passenger trains and few express like sabarmati exp,dayoday exp okha-gorakhpur,ujjayni exp. trains from Bina and Kota halt at Mungaoli.
- Ashok Nagar 65 km from Chanderi situated on Bina-Kota railway route and many passenger trains and express trains from Bina and Kota halt at Ashoknagar.
Handlooms and Chanderi Sarees:
Chanderi is famous for its hand-woven sarees. It is a renowned centre for traditional weavers of sarees. Due to the high demand in middle and high societies Chanderi is one of the best known clusters in India, particularly famous for its sarees, made with mix of silk and cotton. Saree is the product of second half of twentieth century only. Then, there have been changes in the methodologies, equipments and even the composition of yarns in part. The heritage is attached with the skills of weaving high quality fabric product here. The weavers are actually the symbol of the heritage, as they have been the ones who produced the kinds of stuff that received appreciation even from the royals. Originally, Chanderi was always woven using handspun cotton warps and wefts. It was spun as fine as 300 counts and was as prized amongst cotton fabrics as the famed muslins of Dhaka. After the Industrial Revolution in the 1930's, Chanderi weavers discovered Japanese silk. They began substituting this in the warps in cotton sarees and also developed a silk in which their profit margins were higher. The traditional weaving of Chanderi fabric is mainly done for making sarees and suit materials. The high cost of this fabric is not seen much in home furnishing linen but since it is designed for an elite class the high expense is not an issue. However introducing it into home furnishing products would be a challenge. The Chanderi fabrics are known for their sheer texture, light weight and a glossy transparency.
Marketing of Chanderi Sarees:
There are two modes of marketing Chanderi fabrics in India. Local traders and businessmen sell between eighty five and ninety percent of the total fabric produced. Some of these businessmen provide yarn and designs to weavers, but the bulk of them just trade in the finished products. Government agencies like M.P. Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Federation, M.P. Laghu Udyog Nigam, M.P. Handicraft Development Corporation and State Textile Corporation sell the remainder of fabric produced. Unfortunately, weavers are unable to market their own products successfully in metros, or in trade fairs or exhibitions. As a result, their profit margins are eroded by the presence of traders, as is the unfortunates case with most Indian handicraft produced in remote areas.
Geographic Indication status for Chanderi Sarees:
The production of Chanderi has been protected by India as a Geographic Indication (GI). This is a sign used on products with a specific geographical origin, which have certain qualities because of the place they have originated from. As a WTO member country, India passed the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and protection) Act in 1999, which enables the registration and better protection of GIs relating to products. India has petitioned the World Trade Organization for the recognition of Chanderi as a GI product at the international level as well.