CHENNAI: After presenting a garment to the deity during the Athi Varathar Vaibavam in 2019, a natural fibre shawl to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a saree made up of vettiver and cotton to Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhom, artisans from the Anakaputhur Weaving Association have knitted a saree for goddess Sita as a special gift for the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

The weavers shared their desire to make a saree for Sita to the Tamil Nadu Banana Producers Association. After getting the nod from Governor RN Ravi, they worked for 10 days to make the fabric using banana fibre.

Sekar from the association, a third-generation weaver, told DT Next, “Our speciality is using eco-friendly materials and coming up with innovative garments. We wanted to adorn Sita with a handcrafted saree as a token of respect and love. This is a moment of pride and happiness for our entire cluster. The banana fibre saree has colourful prints of the Ram Mandir, with a silhouette of Lord Ram. ‘Sri Ram Mandir’ is also written on the fabric. The saree reached Ayodhya yesterday through Brahma Yoga Nandha guruji from a Ram Temple in Medavakkam.”

The cluster is known across the globe for its contribution to making garments using natural fibres like banana, pineapple, lotus, vettiver, bamboo among others.