Pattu Silk vs. Kanchipuram Silk

In Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil, "Pattu" simply means silk. A "Pattu silk saree" describes any pure silk saree woven in South India — it isn't one single named weaving tradition the way Kanchipuram or Banarasi is. So when you see "Pattu silk saree," it's telling you the fibre (pure silk), not a specific place or technique.

Kanchipuram (or Kanjivaram) silk is a specific, Geographical-Indication-protected weave from the temple town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. Its signature is the korvai technique — the body and the contrast-colour border and pallu are woven separately and then interlocked together on the loom, thread by thread, so the join is strong enough that the border won't tear away from the body even after years of wear.

A Kanchipuram silk saree is a Pattu saree — but not every Pattu saree is a Kanchipuram. South India has several distinct pure-silk weaving clusters, each with its own technique and identity: Dharmavaram, Gadwal, Uppada, Pochampally, and others. Each produces genuine handloom Pattu silk, just with different border styles, motifs, and construction.

Look closely at where the border meets the body. On a true Kanchipuram, the colour change is woven in — you'll often see a fine zigzag or toothed line at the join, the fingerprint of the interlocking weave. On other Pattu sarees, the border may be a separate contrast panel woven straight across, without that interlocked edge. Neither is "better" — they're different traditions — but knowing the difference helps you buy exactly what you're looking for.

Every saree in our Handloom Sarees collection is genuine hand-woven Pattu silk, with the weave, zari, and border details called out on each product page so you know exactly what you're buying.