The ancient city of Benaras (present-day Varanasi) is the production hub of Banarasi sarees. A saree is the national dress and an integral part of Indian women’s lives as well as they would choose to adorn themselves in a saree as it’s elegant and sophisticated. A Banarasi saree is a hit amongst the Bengali brides and women from different religions and social statuses.
The Banarasi weave is not only famous in the Indian Fashion Industry but has a fan base internationally.
What is the history behind the Banarasi Sarees?
The history of weaving in Banaras is somewhat broken and has multiple stories and shreds of evidence recorded in various scriptures and books. Kasi or Varanasi was a thriving sector of the cotton textile industry (cotton growing/ weaving centre) though also reputed for all sorts of weaving, says the Buddhist records from Jataka tales. Some say the mention and description of a type of fabric in the revered Rig Veda, Hiranya fabric (made of gold), is very similar to those of the magnificent Kimkhab/ Kinkhab brocades of Banaras (woven with real gold and silver yarns). The most articulate available documentation is the British records. Even the British documentations mention that the ancient city of Varanasi was always a significant weaving centre and its excellent brocades were exported to Europe as well.
Around 14th Century, during the Mughal period, the weaving of brocades with intricate designs using gold and silver threads became the speciality of Banaras. They brought this fine craftsmanship to India and tried their best to glorify the art of weaving and designing. During that act, they inspired few craftsmen to work in the intricate art of weaving and thus was the beginning of Sari weaving art.
It was only at the turn of the 17th Century that the land that was once popular for cotton and muslin weaving developed into a flourishing silk weaving cottage industry that we see today. As silk weavers from Gujarat migrated during the famine of 1603, it is likely that silk brocade weaving started in Banaras in the 17th Century and developed in excellence during the 18th and 19th Centuries.
The Banarasi Silks that we see today are the product of this particular mix up of two different cultures and exemplary enthusiasm of Mughals.
What is the Process of the Banarasi Sarees?
Base Material of Banarasi Sarees
Authentic Banarasee saris use the purest of the silk yarns and zari. In the earlier times, silk for Banarasi Sarees used to be imported from China but now it is procured from the southern part of India. They mostly use mulberry silk threads. Zari is made from metallic yarns, nowadays they are mostly synthetic. In ancient times they used real gold or silver yarns’ Zari according to the available accounts. Pure Zari, which is available today, is made from copper yarns with gold and silver polish. Sarees with pure Zari will be way more expensive than the ones made with synthetic variations that we get today.
The Weavers and The Weaving Technique
The weavers in Banaras are mainly Muslims (Ansaris) also known as Karigaars that means artists. There are a few Hindu weavers involved in brocade production as well.
The weaving centres are called Karkhanas and are spread all over the modern city of Varanasi and the Karigaars work in these well managed Karkhanas. The Bunkaar is a single loom weaver.
A handloom Banarasi saree may take anywhere between a few days to few months for completion, depending on the intricacy of its design. Brocade weaving requires considerable skill and knowledge, yet the time and effort increase with the complexity in designs. The more elaborate weaves and brocades, the more expensive they will be. To create this saree three weavers are required, one weaves the saree, the second one handles the revolving ring in making bundles, and the third one assists in border designing. The motif designing begins at the bundling stage. Making the Banarasi saree requires teamwork. Ideally, a Banarasi saree has around 5600 thread wires and are 45 inches wide with a base of about 24-26 inches in length is created by the artisan.
Traditionally, the weaving was done with Naksha drawlooms, introduced in India in 990 AD. In the 16th Century, Khwaja Abdul Samad Kashmiri, who came to Banaras during Akbar’s reign, introduced the heddle system that we see today. The heddle loom helped the weavers introduce various floral and artistic designs with ease.
The jacquard loom was introduced in Benaras during the 1930s. Jacquard looms were a great help to the weavers.
An artist sketches the designs or the motifs on graph paper with colour concepts and creates design boards. The artist who makes these designs or motifs is known as Nakshaband. Before selecting the final design or motif, punch cards are made, then hundreds of perforated cards are made to accommodate a single design for a saree. These perforated cards are made for the jacquard loom. Different colours and threads are used to attach the perforated cards on the loom. The perforated cards are then paddled systematically to ensure the main weave picks up the right colours and patterns. During the complete weaving procedure, these cards operate as a guide for threads.
Yet, the weaver community of Banaras is and has remained under tremendous pressure, mainly due to economic reasons as they fail to get adequate remuneration for their back-breaking hard work.
Where does the Weaving of the Banarasi Sarees take place?
In Varanasi, there are two traditional centres of weaving, one at Madanpura and the other at Alaipura and both groups have their techniques and design. Madanpura weavers are known for their traditional and fine work on the brocades, while the weavers of Alaipura are more experimental and like working on new techniques and designs. The texture of fabric also varies in both centres.
Apart from Madanpura and Alaipura, Banarasi silk sarees are also produced in places in and around Varanasi district like NatiImli, Lallapura, Chittanpura, Ramnagar, Dulahipur, Pilikothi, Cholhapur and Dharsauna.
How are the Designs and Motifs in Banarasi Sarees?
When the Mughals were encouraging this craft, they combined the Persian motifs with the Indian customary attire.
The historians recorded the distinctive sway of Rajasthani paintings along with Hindu motifs on early brocades but somewhere around 16th Century, it was noted that there was a sudden disappearance of the ancient designs.
Each religion had its norms regarding the colour, material and design of the Banarasi silk. The Hindus liked bright colours like red, yellow and orange whereas the Muslims preferred mixed fabric and pastel colours like lavender, sky blue and magenta. The Muslims didn’t like animals and human motifs.
Today the brocading that we see has a distinct Persian, Mogul and Central Asian influence. It is known to have multiple foreign influences, improvised upon by many indigenous techniques, the fine weaving-style that is now collectively called as Benarasi weave, had touched its pinnacle, during the Mughal era, when it was championed by the royalty and the nobility, immensely under the patronage of Emperor Akbar. Persian, Turkish and Mogul influences. These influences are visible on Benarasi weaves in the commonly used motifs of Buttis, Paisley, Jhallar, Bel and Shikargah (hunting). Today, Banarasi handloom textiles weaving is expanded around several cities, towns around Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and is one of the biggest cottage industries in the weaving sector in India.
What is the Classification of Banarasi Sarees?
1.Based on Weave.
Banarasi Brocades are largely made in two types –
Kadhua Banarasi Brocade – These are discontinuous brocade, where each motif is individually woven by the weaver, with no floating or extra weft yarns at the back of this material. It is one of the most difficult brocading techniques, as it is an extremely labour and time-intensive technique and requires great craftsmanship and finesse. The prominent Jamdani weave of Bengal is also made from a similar brocading process.
Fekuan Banarasi Brocade – These are continuous brocade, where the motifs run from end to end of a stretch of the base weave. Sometimes, especially when the motifs aren’t carried throughout the entire width of the fabric, there are loose or floating yarns at the wrong side of the brocaded fabric which usually are removed, before the material is declared finished.
2.Based on Design Process or Motifs.
Under this category, Banarasi sarees can be as Butidar, Cutwork, Jangal, Tanchoi, and Tissue.
- Butidar: These are woven with silver, silk, and gold brocade threads. The name Ganga-Jamuna of the brocade patterning was acquired due to the darker shade of gold compared to the silver threads.
- Cutwork: These are the less expensive version of Jamdani sarees and are products of the cutwork technique on plain texture. Some popular motifs featured on Cutwork sarees are leaves, jasmine, creepers, and marigold flowers.
- Jangal: These are woven with colourful silk threads and is decorated with intricate patterns of Jangala motifs and vegetation that fall alongside the saree. This Banarasi saree makes an ideal choice for wedding occasions for its luxurious fabric with intricate designs and details.
- Tanchoi: These patterns are woven with colourful weft silk yarns. The designs or motifs on this saree are large paisleys along with the border that has criss-cross patterns.
- Tissue: These are woven with golden Zari Brocade to add sheen to the saree. The borders and pallu have motifs with self-woven paisleys.
3.Based on Fabric variety.
Under this category, Banarasi sarees can be Georgette, Katan, Organza with zari and silk, and Shattir.
- Georgette: It is a finely woven light fabric made of crepe yarn inter-woven with both warp and weft.
- Katan: The pure silk Banarasi fabric is known as the Katan silk. It is a plain fabric that is woven with pure silk threads, usually made without zari borders but with the softest and heaviest silk. In the old days, its beautiful motifs and patterns were woven using handlooms. They are costly due to their splendid purity and sturdiness. Various brocading or designs are found on this gorgeous fabric such as butis or scattered leaf/ floral motifs are quite popular and are made in resham, zari or minakari designs. Expensive Banarasi Katan brocades are made using an extremely time & labour intensive technique.
- Organza with zari and silk: This, also known as Kora silk, is a richly woven fabric with the most beautiful Brocade patterns and designs made with gold-coated silver threads woven around the silk yarns to produce zari brocade.
- Shattir: This is used to produce beautiful contemporary and exclusive Banarasi saree designs.
How to Identify Original Banarasi Sarees?
- When buying a Banarasi saree, pull up the reverse side of the saree to check for floats between the grids of warps and wefts on the saree. Only a hand-woven Banarasi saree will have such a warp and weft technique that the machine fails to replicate.
- Check for pin marks which are usually found on the selvedge/ self-finished edge of the saree. It is due to fixing the handloom saree to the loom.
- An original Banarasi saree mainly carries the Mughals patterns like Amru, Ambi and Domak. A fake Banarasi saree lack these Indian handmade Persian designs on it.
- Always question the seller regarding the craft as ill-informed vendors can be easily caught and intentionally negligent sellers are made uncomfortable by too many questions.
Price Range of Banarasi Sarees
The price for an authentic Banarasi saree can range anywhere between Rs 8000 – Rs 3,00,000 depending upon the intricacy and uniqueness of the designs.
What is the Current Scenario of Banarasi Sarees?
Problems and Threats to the Traditional Weavers
- The availability of good quality raw materials at reasonable prices is one of the major problems faced by the weavers. The cost of good quality yarn is still a bit high and government intervention has not yet helped.
- The competition from power looms remains a vital problem as there has been a rapid growth in the quantity of power looms despite regulations. A Banarasi silk saree that takes around two months to complete by handloom can be made in a day by power loom.
- Unfair trade practices such as traders selling power loom made sarees as handloom made is another reason for the downfall of this craft.
- Increasing quantities of look-alike Banarasi saris are flooding the market. Fake and low-quality materials, uninventive designs, cheap imitations, without any intricacy, depth or sturdiness and synthetic stuff, like Chinese Banarasis that are mass-produced in China on massive looms, are substantial threats to this heritage weaving art
Environmental Hazards to the Banarasi Sarees
A mass of silk dyeing units in the trade uses chemical dyes, thus causing pollution in the Ganges River. A step is taken to shift onto natural dyes. The Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) took the initiative and had a research team use the technique of solvent extraction and enzymatic extraction to develop natural colours from plants, flowers and fruits such as Acacia, Butea (Palash), Madder, Marigold and Pomegranate (Anar) etc.
Certification and Popularity of the Banarasi Sarees
In 2009, the weaver association of Uttar Pradesh secured a copyright for the Banarasi brocades and sarees. It stated that sarees or brocade coming from outside these six identified districts (Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Chandauli and Vanarasi) are not eligible to be sold under the names of Banarasi sarees and silks.
These traditional and beautiful Banarasi sarees are creating new platforms of liking. Nowadays, five-star hotels and resorts are decorated with Banarasi silks. Also, Bollywood films and popular TV serials are using the traditional Banarasi sarees for wedding and festive scenarios.
Innovation in Banarasi craft and Designer Approach
- Banarasi Lehenga Choli: With the changing fashion trends, many brides want to wear lehenga-choli for their memorable day. Yet many brides aren’t able to get over the Banarasi fascination and hence, the latest Benarasi Lehenga Choli trend. These grand lehengas are like works of art with magnificently woven fabric bases without much ado, a stunning bridal ensemble put together.
- Designers Involved: Many renowned and many younger designers (Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Hemang Agrawal, Payal Khandwala, etc.) are working with the Banarasi silks. They hope to provide it with a new height and to start a new era as well.
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