Tangail Sarees of West Bengal

Tangail Saree is a renowned handicraft product of West Bengal. It is woven mostly in Shantipur, Dhaniakhali, Bagampur and Farasdanga. This saree is known for its comfort and elegance.

Tangail Saree contains tiny repeating patterns, giving the feel of an embroidery work. Its borders are adorned with designs depicting temples and the patterns seen on the ‘rudraksha’ (a bead used for religious purposes). This saree basically comes in two varieties; one is a made from cotton while the other from silk. The cotton saree is light colored and is worn mostly in summer. The silk saree features dark shades and is mostly preferred during special occasions.

The Tangail saree is known for its durability. It comes in embroidery motifs and flower designs. Its border has designs depicting temples and patterns seen on the rudraksha.

It may or may not have a zari border and mostly comes in light colours.

The “Tangail” sari exemplifies most graphically, the travails of the weaving community of the 2 Bengals. “Tangail”, which is a village in what is today known as ‘Bangaladesh’ was the home of the weavers who now reside in Fulia, Dainhat, Samudragarh, Dhatrigram, and Sainthia as a consequence of “Partition”. The traditional tangail borders had a “paddo” or lotus pattern, “pradeep’ or lamp pattern, apart from the popular “aansh paar’ which was common to Shantipur. From the use of a single colour on the border, they began to use 2 to three colours to give it ‘meekari’ effect.

At one level, this sari is a simplification of the “jamdani” technique of Dhaka which has given it the extra-weft ornamentation, which is combined with the original “lata-pata” vine pattern.

Dhonekhali

The place has lent its name to the tant (handloom) sari it produces. Dhoneokali is known for its stripes and checks.Dhonekhali sarees are woven in near opaque white surfaces with contrasting borders in red, black, purple, and orange, emphasized by a serrated edge motif. Gradually the border was broadened to six or even eight inches, and adorned with a variety of stripes in muga (a kind of raw silk, native of Assam) or zari (fine glittery thread of gold or silver and the embroidery made using them). Known as ‘Maatha Paar’ or ‘Beluaari paar’, these borders are often woven in two colours e.g. black and red. Having a tighter weave than the tangail or shantipuri, it is more hardy and durable. . Its bold body colours and contrasting borders and absurdly low prices make them very affordable.

The Dhaniakhali sari is simple and budget friendly. The material is slightly coarse and heavier than other Bengali saris. Dhanialkahi saris are often woven in off-white with contrasting coloured borders, and also in stripes and checks. Such cotton handloom saris have emerged as favourite attire among women particularly during summer

Shantipur & Phulia

The fascinating story of Shantipur and Fulia is in a nutshell the story of Bengal Handloom. The geographical twins could not be more different. The first, a weaving centre over 500 years old. The second came to flourish only after Partition.
Phulia is resort to best of the weavers of the Tangail ,Bengali cotton sarees.

Topic
Arts & Crafts