Sari | Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

item details

NameSari

ProductionUnknown; manufacturer(s); 1948; India

Classificationcostume, saris

Materialssilk, silver

Techniquesweaving, embroidering

DimensionsOverall: 1155mm (width), 4500mm (length)

Registration NumberGH007987

Credit lineGift of Mrs Ruxmaniben Kasanji, 2000

Overview

This sari was made in Gujarat, India in the late 1940s. Vanmalibhai Kasanji bought it for his bride Ruxmaniben for their wedding in India in 1948.

Design
This sari is an untailored length of cloth measuring about five metres in length and about 120 centimetres wide, and would have been draped around the entire body, with a matching embroidered blouse (choli) and a matching petticoat. Richly embroidered saris are still the most popular form of traditional wedding costume among Indian communities throughout the world, especially for Hindu brides.

When a Hindu bride leaves her own family for her husband's, the occasion is marked with a 'going away' ceremony. For Mrs Kasanji's ceremony, she chose to wear the colour blue because of its spiritual connections with the sky: 'The sky has no limit - human thinking should be broad.'

Significance
Vanmalibhai and Ruxmaniben Kasanji immigrated to New Zealand shortly after their wedding. Bringing such a treasured possession like this sari to New Zealand symbolised a commitment to their new homeland. Objects such as this allow Te Papa to represent other cultures within New Zealand.