For Pranpur's Chanderi Weavers, Looms Are Their Lease Of Life

"And this," says the weaver, unfurling with a flourish a gossamer-fine pink-and-gold fabric, "is the Kareena sari."

As we wander through the pretty-as-a-picture village of Pranpur, we're walking in the footsteps of Aamir Khan and his co-star from Three Idiots. The duo arrived in this obscure corner of Bundelkhand completely unannounced three years ago, as part of their whirlwind tour to promote the film, and Pranpur is still basking in the honour.

"Is bargad ke ped ke neeche baithe thhe Aamir."
"Is ghar mein kaafi time bitaaya unhone."
"Yeh solar lights Kareena ne bheje gaonwalon ke liye."

This running commentary on the doings of the celebrity duo plays like a constant counterpoint to the other sounds of Pranpur—the clack-clack of the looms of Chanderi weavers, the whirr of the potter's wheel, the clunk of the stone carvers' chisels, and, more faintly, the metallic clang from the homes of Pranpur's two remaining metal craftsmen.

So how did Aamir zero in on Pranpur? Probably because it won the National Award for Rural Tourism in 2009. One of 36 villages selected under the Ministry of Tourism and UNDP's Endogenous Tourism Project (what a forbidding name for a scheme meant to project and promote bucolic charm), Pranpur built its small, four-room homestay at the edge of the village.

The Amraee Rural Heritage Resort, managed by the Pranpur Village Tourism Development Committee, is nestled in an orchard filled with mango, khirni, guava, and sharifa trees, with the Vindhyachal hills forming a picturesque backdrop. The resort's architecture is a testament to the craftsmanship of Pranpur's artisans, with intricately carved stone jaalis, rooms adorned with Chanderi curtains, and delicious Bundelkhandi thalis prepared by local youth. Unlike typical resorts, Amraee offers no swimming pool, spa, or bar. Instead, it provides simple comforts—modern plumbing, comfortable mattresses—and promotes a vegetarian, teetotal lifestyle. Guests can immerse themselves in the rhythms of village life, including learning from the resident village elder, master potter Babu Ram Prajapati, who shares local knowledge under a mango tree.

The day at Amraee begins with a symphony of birdsong and concludes beneath a sky dotted with stars. Everything unfolds at a leisurely pace, inviting you to embrace the local rhythm—reset your watch to Pranpur standard time, which runs about an hour behind IST. Don’t worry if your requested early morning tea arrives late; the service is accompanied by a warm, eager-to-please smile that melts any frustration away. Timeliness depends on the arrival of the milkman, after all. Mobile phone signals may be elusive, and frequent power outages encourage you to leave your book behind and relax under the shade of a mango tree. Meals are generous and delectable, served at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring local delights like poha, kadhi, mangodi, maheri, and gujias. With so much to explore nearby, you’ll have no trouble walking off your culinary indulgences.

A Walk Around Pranpur

Allocate three to four hours for a leisurely stroll through Pranpur village, where you'll find impeccably clean streets and stone houses painted in soft pastel hues. The village boasts four stepwells, one of which dates back to the Sultanate period, along with numerous sati pillars from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries scattered throughout. These stone stelae, adorned with carvings of a sun and moon accompanied by doll-like figures, mark the locations of ancient sati practices when the area was densely forested. Some pillars have fallen but have been creatively repurposed as benches or supports for sagging doorframes. At the village's edge, a dargah and a Ram temple peacefully face one another. The tiled roofs of the houses are adorned with bundles of tendu leaves, collected from the nearby forest. The friendly residents of Pranpur are more than happy to welcome visitors eager to try rolling tendu leaves into beedis or experiencing the potter's wheel firsthand.

The Weavers

Peering into the home of a Chanderi weaver feels like gazing through a vibrant prism; the superfine silk warp and cotton weft stretched over the loom fill the room—and the weaver—with a shimmering, translucent light. The looms are more active than ever, according to the villagers. The popularity of the Chanderi sari, championed by celebrities like Aamir and Kareena, along with the specially commissioned Chanderi scarves for the Commonwealth Games, has revitalized interest in this exquisite fabric. Daily earnings have surged from a mere hundred rupees to around two hundred and fifty. Pranpur's weavers have established their own cooperative society, which markets the textiles produced in the village through a small shop and also supplies larger sari shops in Chanderi's bustling Sadar Bazaar.

A Visit To Chanderi

The three-kilometre journey from Pranpur to Chanderi abruptly transports you from a tranquil hamlet to a vibrant, bustling town where the sari shops are hard to miss, flaunting large billboards featuring familiar faces. One can't help but think that Kareena Kapoor should return to Chanderi to witness the full impact of her influence. The weaving tradition here dates back to the eighteenth century, and today, approximately 3,500 families—about sixty per cent of the town's population—earn their livelihoods from the looms. However, Chanderi offers much more than its renowned fabric. Steeped in history and filled with architectural treasures, it raises questions as to why it has slipped from the tourist spotlight. Once a key stop on the itineraries of medieval travellers like Al Biruni, Ibn Battuta, and Ferishta, Chanderi was famed for its wealth, grandeur, and significance. Every conqueror of Hindustan aimed to seize its fort, strategically positioned along the trade routes linking North India to the South and the ports on the western coast.

The fort dominates the town, extending for two kilometres along the crest of a hill, its architecture showcasing the influences of the various dynasties that once ruled it. Founded in 1100 AD by Gurjara Pratihara king Kirtipal, the fort has been captured by numerous rulers over the centuries, including the Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Malwa sultans, Lodis, Rana Sangha of Udaipur, Mughals, Bundelas, British, and finally, the Scindias of Gwalior. Our guide, the remarkable Muzaffar Ansari, affectionately known as Kalley Bhai, passionately advocates for Chanderi's recognition as a World Heritage city. However, before embarking on our tour, Kalley Bhai, who truly understands the essence of local culture, insists we sample seasonal delicacies from the bazaar—sweet, bright yellow khirni fruit and tender green lotus seeds (kamal gatta) that are both delicious and emblematic of the region.

Badal Mahal Gateway

Our walk through Chanderi's streets leads us past the stunning thirteenth-century Jama Masjid and the intricately carved lattices of the fifteenth-century Badal Mahal Gateway, a defining feature of the town. Along the way, Kalley Bhai takes the time to highlight other local treasures, including camel caravanserais, stepwells, hammams, temples, and the very house where Ibn Battuta stayed in 1342, alongside grand havelis and palaces. In the expansive fifteenth-century Raja-Rani Mahal, meticulously restored by Intach, the NGO Chanderiyaan has established looms to train local youth in weaving, block printing, and tailoring. Meanwhile, the Digital Empowerment Foundation provides training in digitizing design motifs—many inspired by Chanderi's historic monuments—which can then be effortlessly reproduced by the weavers on saris and dupattas.

Kati Ghat

With his shock of orange-hennaed hair making him easily distinguishable among the bustling crowds in the bazaar, Kalley Bhai now guides us to Chanderi's most striking site—the Kati Ghati. This remarkable opening was carved overnight through a colossal wall of solid rock, a feat of human ingenuity that allowed an invading army to access the lush Chanderi valley. The road from Kati Ghati leads us to Ramnagar Mahal, a seventeenth-century pleasure palace that overlooks the expansive Mehjatiya Lake. Notably, Babur camped by this lakeside the night before he besieged and captured Chanderi Fort in 1528.

As we relax on a balcony overlooking the lake, a sudden storm brews, unleashing sheets of rain that pelt the water's surface, sending a tiny boat bobbing about helplessly. When the boat finally reaches the shore, we discover the boatman has caught two plump carp in his net—and they can be ours for seventy rupees. The resourceful Kalley Bhai quickly gathers some fallen twigs, turmeric, salt, lemon, and oil, then commandeers the palace chowkidar's kitchen. In just ten minutes, using his Swiss knife, he prepares the freshest, most delicious fried fish we've ever tasted.

Prehistoric Rock Shelters

As the sunset hour approaches, Kalley Bhai insists we visit one final site before returning to Pranpur. A forty-five-minute drive takes us to the prehistoric rock shelters at Nanaun, located at the edge of a vast plateau strewn with boulders and covered in scrub and thorn. There, alongside the Urvashi river, where giant crocodiles lounge on the banks, we discover caves adorned with Stone Age paintings depicting animals and stick-like figures. Nearby, the names and mobile numbers of recent visitors are scrawled, creating a striking contrast. With an impish giggle, Kalley Bhai leaves us with a thought to ponder as our journey concludes: how will future archaeologists interpret this peculiar juxtaposition of Stone Age art and Phone Age graffiti at Nanaun?

The Information

Getting There

By Road: Pranpur is in Ashoknagar district, in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. Chanderi is 3km from Pranpur.

By rail: The nearest railway station, Lalitpur, is 35km from Pranpur, and several trains from Delhi, including the Dakshin Express and the Gondwana Express, stop there. Or else, one could take a train to Jhansi, a major railway junction, from where Pranpur is 110km by road.

By air: The nearest airport is at Gwalior (168km).