The beauty of Banarasi Silk Sarees

Tradition plays a very significant role in every Indian’s life. From festivals to clothing, everything clearly screams tradition. One of the most traditional clothing items would undoubtedly be Sarees, the most well-known traditional Indian piece of clothing worn by Indian women and nowadays by women all across the world. There are several different types of sarees when it comes to design and material and several different ways to drape a saree. One of the most beautiful types of saree adorned by Indian women is Banarasi Silk Sarees.

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Banarasi Saree is a Saree particularly made in Varanasi (Banaras), a very ancient and sacred city located in Uttar Pradesh. The Sarees are made of fine silk and decorated with gold or silver or zari embroidery making them quite heavy than a usual Saree. Banarasi Silk Sarees are one of the finest and most sophisticated Sarees in India.

The legends of Banarasi Silk Sarees adorned with gold and silver and zari were popular all across the nation usually narrated by traders in order to promote the complex yet beautiful work of weavers and artisans. Earlier, migration for trading and other business aspects was very common. It started a new wave of innovations by all the weavers and artisans which led to many innovations in the 19th century.

The Banarasi silk Sarees are a mixture of two different cultures – Mughal and Indian.

Zari and Brocade were known as the Royal Fabrics and their first ever mention can be found in the 19th century literature. Gujarati silk weavers and other artisans migrated to the city in the 17th century after the famine of the 16th century. Banarasi silk was introduced by the Mughals with its beautiful way of weaving and ultimate designs. Zari and Brocade's work started developing during the Mughal Period, especially during the era of Emperor Akbar in around the 14th century. This was the time when Panara craftsmen started showcasing their creativity in developing fine fabrics.

Originally, they were decorated with real gold and silver as it was only worn by the royal families but now, in order to make it for every type of crowd, the real gold and silver is replaced with gold and silver color threads. This makes it affordable and light in weight. These Sarees are ideal, appropriate, and sophisticated for any function, be it a Pooja or a Party. It is originally made in four varieties name Shatir Saree, Georgette Saree, Pure silk (Katan), and Organza (Kara). All these fine materials have varieties of fascinating designs that will leave you awestruck.

Well, it mostly depends on the complexity of all the designs and embroidery but usually, it takes approximately 15-30 days in order to finish the making of a Banarasi Saree. Normally, 3 weavers work together in the making of one Saree – one weaves the Saree, one focuses on the design and one handles the revolving ring. It is a complete team effort. The designs are the first prepared on graph paper and punch cards are created to make sure that the knitting is done in a particular manner.

The traditional Banarasi Silk Sarees are famous all around the world because of their beauty. These Sarees are very unique and versatile in nature, making them appropriate for everyone.