Kanchi is a sleepy little town 70 KM (about 40 miles?) from Chennai. And close to 75% of its population is dependent on the Silk Saree business.
The Kanchipuram Silk Saree is hand-woven with dyed silk yarn with interleaved designs made with 'Jari' - a Silk thread twisted with a thin Silver wire and then gilded with pure Gold. Read more from this site: http://www.geocities.com/~kanchipuram/tips.html#Silk Sarees
Also read tips for buying sarees: http://www.geocities.com/~kanchipuram/tips.html#Silk Sarees
Write to me: suman (at) sumankumar(dot)com