Woven out of fine silk and bearing elaborate golden embroidery either along the border or all over, the famous Varanasi sari made in the holy city of Banaras in Uttar Pradesh state since the ancient times is ranked among the finest traditional sarees of India. These saris are quite heavy due to its rich embroidery and are donned by Indian women only during special occasions like wedding, parties and festivities. Most ladies wear heavy gold jewellery to complement the Banarasi sari.
Depending upon the intricacy of designs and patterns, a sari can take anywhere from 15 days to a one month and sometimes up to six months to complete.
A Brief History of Banarasi Sari: The tradition of making Varanasi or Banarasi sarees in Varanasi or Banaras is very ancient. But it has continued to be passed down from one generation to another and continues to flourish. One will find thousands of weavers making the Varanasi silk saree in this scared city even today. The training usually begins when one is as young as 10 years. It is believed that the making of Varanasi saree gained prominence during the Mughal rule. Persian motifs were fudged with Indian designs on silk to create the distinct flowery patterns so typical of Varanasi saris today.
Types of Banarsi Saris: Created in eye-catching shades and pattern, the Banarasi sarees of India are so famous today that they are exported all over the world. They usually fall into four categories – pure silk (katan), organza (kora) with zari and silk, georgette and shattir. Weaved on the power loom, normally three people are required to make one Varanasi sari. Each Banarasi silk sari can take 15 days to six months to complete depending upon the intricacy of the designs. Banarasi sari manufacturing supports strong cottage industry in areas like Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh.
According to design process, they are divided into categories like, Jangla, Tanchoi, Vaskat, Cutwork, Tissu and Butidar.
Design:
Their special characteristics are Mughal inspired designs such as intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, kalga and bel, a string of upright leaves called jhallar at the outer, edge of border is a characteristic of these sarees. Other distinctive features are Heavy gold work, Compact weaving, figures with small details, metallic visual effects, pallus, jal (a net like pattern), and mina work.
The Banarasi silk saree is popular for its rich and intricate weave and zari work. Banarasi Sarees have designs with original gold and silver thread. Some of the designs on the body of a banaresi sarees are as follows:
Benarasi sarees often depict scenes of villages, fairs, flowers, dancing monkeys and clouds. Traditional designs remain the base appeal for Benarasi sarees.
There are also temple and mosque designs. They come up in all shades.
Most brocades usually have designs that exhibit Mughal patterns such as intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, kalga and bel.
A distinct feature found along the inner, and sometimes outer, edge of borders in this saree is a narrow fringe like pattern that often looks like a string of upright leaves called jhallr.
The pallus of these sarees have elaborate pure gold and silver designs densely woven with gold and multicolor thread which lend the saree its elegance.
Its major attraction lies in colorful dying of silk fabric.
The brocade that is used in producing these sarees are Amru silk brocades which are world famous. Jamvar, Navrangi (nine colors), Jamdani etc. are other brocade types from the range of Banarasi sarees.
Owing to its beautiful designs and colors, a banarasi silk sari always has come to occupy a special place among buyers, throughout the world. The people with rich taste love the beauty and intricate design of the Banarasi sarees as these are very elegant and gorgeous.
Benarasi Brocade Sarees
Brocade weaving, especially with gold and silver, has been an age-old tradition in India. There are two broad classes of brocades. Silk Brocade or silk and zari brocades with gold and silver threads both are used in brocade sari. The most important material in brocade weaving is silk.
Brocade weaving, especially with gold and silver, has been an age-old tradition in India.
There are two broad classes of brocades. Brocades of pure silk or silk and cotton blends and zari brocades with gold and silver threads.
With the migration of silk weavers from Gujrat during the famine of 1603, it is likely that silk brocade weaving started in Banaras in the seventeenth century and developed in excellence during the 18th and 19th century.
The following are considered to be the main characteristics of the brocade fabrics of Banaras.
Heavy gold work.
Compact weaving
Figures have small details.
Metallic visual effects.
Pallus
Jal (A net like pattern)
Mina work.
Banarasi brocade produced two sub-variants from its original structure namely:
Katan
Tanchoi
Katan
Katan, a thread, prepared by twisting a different number of silk filaments according to requirement gives a firm structure to the background fabric. Katan is a plain woven fabric with pure silk threads. It consists of two threads twisted together and is mostly used for the warp of light fabrics.
Katan can be further classified into the following:
Katan Butidar: Fabric with Katan warp and weft with butis (designs and patterns) in gold or resham (untwisted silk).
Katan Butidar Mina: Katan Butidar with Mina work (design made out of zari thread) in butis.
Katan Butidar Paga Saree: Saree with Katan warp, resham weft, small butis all over body, closely spaced (about 10 cm (4") apart), about 5 cm (2") wide border and 30–55 cm (12-22") wide pallu.
Katan Brocade: This is a fabric with Katan Warp and Katan weft with figures in gold thread with or without mina, with the traditional styles being ‘katrawan’, ‘kardhwan’ and ‘Fekva’.
o Katrawan: A technique or design in which the floating portions of the extra weft (laid from selvege to selvege) at the back of the fabric is cut.
o Kardhwan:
o Fekva
Jangla: Plain fabric of Katan warp and Katan weft, with all-over floral designs in an extra weft of either silk or zari.
Katan Katrawan Mina: A fabric in Katrawan style with Mina.
Tanchoi
Plain woven body with one color extra weft, one color weft and one color warp. Relative to the jamawar, it is lighter and softer. Tanchoi could be further classified into the following:
Satan Tanchoi is the satin weave (four ends and eight picks or five ends and five picks satin) with the warp in one color and the weft in one or more colors. The extra weft in the design may also be used as body weft.
Satan Jari Tanchoi: Satan Tanchoi with weft in the order of one silk and one gold thread (Jari), or two silk (double) and one gold thread.
Satan Jari Katrawan Tanchoi: Satan Jari tanchoi in which the floating, extra weft, gold thread at the back is cut and removed.
Atlas: Atlas is a pure satin body. Relative to other fabrics, Atlas is thicker, heavier and is shinier than other fabrics because of the extra use of zari. It is also known as gilt, because it is even shinier than the katan.
Mushabbar: The cloth is distinguished by its jal woven as bushes and branches of trees. The normal association with the design was that of a jungle.
Tissue Sarees
Tissue material that exhibits a golden affect has been incorporated in the process of weaving zari brocade. Particular traditional designs such as Jangla Butidar are incorprated.
The renowned Zari brocade weavers of Banaras has evolved a technique of weaving tissue material which looked like golden cloth. By running Zari in weft a combination of Zari and silk in extra-weft (pattern thread) and silk in warp, the weave of this sari has densely patterned with golden lotuses floating in a glimmering pond.The 'drops of water' are created by cut work technique. The borders and the end panel have a diaper of diamond patterns enclosed by a border of running paisley motifs. Tissue saris are most popular as wedding saris among the affluent. Tissue sari has glazed, shining character due to the use of real gold Zari/Silver Zari in weft on silk worp ground are ornamented with the particulars traditional design such as Jangla Butidar, Shikargah menadar etc.
Fabric in Tissue Saree: Surprisingly affordable and easily maintained, Tissue is woven of 100% polyester, and is moderately wrinkle resistant, and is machine washable or dry cleanable, depending on color and trim combinations. Tissue offers the ultimate in draping qualities and sumptuous texture. This top quality silky faille weave brings an elegant gracefulness to a saree. There are silk tissue as well as cotton tissue sarees. Cotton tissue sarees are ideal for summer. Tissue silk is a very fine quality silk fabric. It is a very shiny and gorgeous fabric. Tissue silk saree can be both simple and gorgeous depending on the occasion in which it is worn.
Colour and Design: These sarees come in various colours. There are some sarees with vibrant color combination in the body and the pallu. Some designs that are commonly found in Tissue sarees are:
Tissue silk sarees with beautiful brocade work done at the time of weaving the saree.
Plain tissue silk saree with designs at border and pallu. The anchal and border with floral motifs blends the classic and contemporary weaving in jamdani style.
There are tie and dye tissue silk saree with silver or gold or multicolored thread work.
Geometrical and floral patterns in brocade work with jamdani style weaving on all over the body. The pallu and border of the saree enhance your beauty.
The heavy tissue silk saree is adorned with kundan, sequins, and resham zardosi & zari hand embroidery, giving it a rich and ornate look.
Butidar Sarees
Butidar sarees are designed with gold, silver and silk threads. These sarees are brocaded with pattern threads of real gold, silver Jari and Katan silk in the weft. Ample motifs or buttis are used in designing these sarees.
The most striking feature of this dark blue silken saree is that it is brocaded with pattern threads of gold, silver and silk. Due to darkar shade of gold and lighter of silver this variety of patterning in brocade is conventionally known as Ganga-Jamuna, indicating the confluence of these two river whose waters are believed to be dark and light receptively. The end panel has a row of arches, in each of which a bouquet of flowers is placed. A slightly smaller and variegated bouquet is diapered all over the field.
The butidar saree is a rich kind of the Banaras Saree in high traditional pattern and motiff of the design locally popularised such as Angoor Bail, Gojar Bail, Luttar Bail, Khulta bail, Baluchar bail, Mehrab bail, Doller butti,Ashraffi Butti, Latiffa Butti, Reshem Butti Jhummar Butti,Jhari Butta, Kalma Butti,Patti Butti, Lichhi Butti, Latiffa Butta, Kairy Kalanga Thakka Anchal, Mehrab Anchal, Baluchar Butta with the use of real gold and silver Jari and Katan silk in the weft.
Benarasi Silk Jamdani Sarees
In Banaras Silk Jamdani sarees silk is brocaded with cotton threads. Zari threads are rarely used for weaving brocades.
The silk Jamdani, a technical variety of brocade or the 'figured muslin' ,traditionally woven in Banaras may be considered to be one of the finest products to come out of the Banarasi loom. Here silk fabric is brocaded with cotton and rarely with zari threads. Jamdani is woven by transfixing the pattern thread between a varying number of warp threads in proportion to the size of the designed then throwing the shuttle to pass the regular weft. By repeating this process, where in the size and placing of the cut-thread is in accordance with the character of the pattern, the Jamdani weaver produces arrange of intricate designs.
Jamdani Banarasi sarees have a special touch as the motifs are woven with cotton threads. These Banarasi sarees are distinct with chameli (Jas mine), panna hazar (Thousand emeralds), genda buti (marigold flower)and tircha motifs (diagonally striped) and also the extra special with floral mango buta (konia).
The most attractive design feature of the Jamdani sari was konia or a corner-motif having a floral mango buta.
Cut Work Sarees
This type of saree prepared by cut work technique on plain ground texture after removing of the floated thread which are not design (Woven) during the weaving process which provide good transparent look.
Cut work is the cheaper version of the Jamdani variety. Jamdani effect is created by making the pattern run from selvage to selvage, hanging loosely between two motifs. The extra thread is manually cut for a clear and neat finish, giving the effect of Jamdani.
Jangla Sarees
Jangla sarees have brocading patterns in colourful silk threads incorporated amongst the usual gold and silver motifs.
Brocade weavers of Banares have often endeavoured to add a sense of gaiety and festivity by brocading patterns in colourful silk threads amidst the usual gold and silver motifs; of the brocade convention.
The present sari is an example in which muga silk motifs have been in laid.
Jangala wildly scrolling and spreading vegetation motif is among the eldest in Banares brocades. This old rose sari is embellished with beautifully contrasted gold-creepers and silver flowers of the Jangala motif.The borders have brocaded running creepers in muga silk and gold and silver-Zari threds.The end panel is a combination of motifs of the borders and condensed Jangala of the field. Muga silk brocading in-hances the beauty of the sari while reducing the cost. All over Jal Jangla design to get the stylish work of the sarees and also used mena work for the decoration of the fabrics.
The exclusive design saree has time taking skilled work, costly fabrics are widely accepted during the wedding occassion.
Jamwar Tanchoi Sarees
For Jamwar tanchoi sarees colorful extra weft silk yarns are used for patterning. Using a technique similar to that of brocade, weavers of Banaras weave saris using colorful extraweft silk yarn for patterning. This varietyis known as tanchoi.
Tanchoi fabric has remarkable fame in the India as well as all over in the world widely acceptable to all kind of the people.
The Jamwar Tanchoi sarees contain intricate Jamawar paisley motifs which are inspired from Kashmiri Jamawar shawls.
Shalu Sarees
It is a special type of sari made in Varanasi. It is usually a soft textured sari worn by the women for regular use.
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