Originated in Banaras, the Banarasi saree has won the hearts of Indians. In recent years it’s coming back in the market in all forms. The saree has derived its name from the city name Banaras (Benares). Banarasi saree is known for its zari, brocade work, and high-quality silk.
Motifs Used in Banarasi Saree
On Banarasi sarees you will find floral motifs with bel work on the border. You will also find a string of leaves on some traditional sarees which is called jhallar. In the 14th century the art of weaving gold and silver threads into silk flourished and became a speciality of Banaras.
Features of Banarasi Saree
- Jal pattern (a heavy weaving pattern), goldwork, threads weaved in a way that gives a visual metallic effect.
- Pure banarasi sarees are mainly an attire of brides.
- Depending upon its design and pattern a banarasi saree can take up to 6 months. Time length depends on the complexity of the weaving pattern.
- Banarasi saree represent a house’s wealth and prosperity. These are worn by women on special occasions such as a wedding.
- It requires three weavers to weave this saree. One helps with the border, one weaves the saree and one manages the revolving thread rings.
- Narendra Modi gifted Banarasi Saree to Michelle Obama considering her love for good weaving patterns.
Recently machinery has replaced human efforts. Now machines are producing sarees that are cheap but are also of good quality. They are almost similar looking to authentic silk banarasi saree but they are made of synthetic materials. These synthetic materials can not be compared to real silk.
India was not able to produce silk earlier. For sarees, it was imported from China. But for some years southern parts of India are producing silk.
Even though low-quality materials only resemble the silk banarasi saree they are also allowing less privileged women to wear such a beautiful pattern. A banarasi saree costs as cheap as 1000 rupee if it’s made of cheap silk and it can cost as high as 10 lakh if it’s designer and made of high quality materials. With the help of e-stores worldwide every women can get their desired piece of banarasi saree online.