Banarasi

Banarasi weaving is usually traced to the fourteenth or fifteenth century, and its zari brocade technique to Persian artisans who arrived in the Mughal period and brought floral motifs and metal-thread weaving with them. Varanasi grew into a major silk centre from there, and the name is now GI protected: a saree woven outside Varanasi and its neighbouring districts cannot legally be sold as Banarasi. The individual work styles woven into a Banarasi ground, kadhwa, jangla, tanchoi, meenakari and the rest, are covered on this shop's weaves glossary.

Region: Varanasi and surrounding districts, Uttar Pradesh
GI status: GI tagged: only silk brocade woven in Varanasi and its neighbouring districts may legally be sold as Banarasi.

1. 01Silk yarn is degummed, dyed and wound onto bobbins.
2. 02The warp is set up on a large, room-sized handloom; the weft and zari are prepared separately.
3. 03For brocade patterns, a jacquard mechanism controlled by punched cards is fitted to the loom so the correct warp threads lift for each pass.
4. 04A weaver, often with an assistant working a second shuttle, builds the pattern pick by pick. A simple bordered piece can take about fifteen days; a dense jangla or shikargah field can take up to six months.
5. 05The finished cloth is washed, calendered for sheen, and the loose ends finished by hand.

• Ask for the Silk Mark label or GI certificate. Genuine handloom Banarasi carries small weave irregularities and slightly uneven zari floats on the reverse.
• Turn the saree over: on a handloom brocade, the construction of the motif (threads carried and cut) is visible on the back. A power-loom or printed imitation looks identical and too clean on both sides.
• A pure zari border feels slightly rough and heavier than the surrounding silk; a fully smooth, ultra-light 'zari' is usually a metallic-look polyester substitute.

WEIGHT

Heavy, especially with dense jangla or kadhwa work; among the heaviest sarees in this guide.

WARMTH

Warm to wear. Better suited to an air-conditioned wedding hall or a cool evening than an outdoor daytime function in summer.

BREATHABILITY

Low; the dense brocade ground and metallic zari do not breathe.

DRAPE

Structured rather than fluid, holds its shape and does not cling.

WRINKLING

Resists wrinkling well and holds pleats through a long event.

Best season: Winter. Cool evenings. Indoor, air-conditioned halls

WASHING

Dry clean only, from a cleaner experienced with real zari.

IRONING

Low heat, iron the reverse side through a cotton cloth, never directly over zari.

STORAGE

Wrap in muslin, store flat, keep out of direct light and humidity, and refold every few months along a new line so the zari does not crack at a permanent crease.

STAINS

Blot, do not rub, and get it to a specialist dry cleaner promptly. This is not a saree to treat with a home stain remover.

PERFUME AND DEODORANT

Never spray perfume or deodorant directly on a Banarasi. Trapped moisture and alcohol both accelerate zari tarnishing, turning it a dull brown; scent yourself before you drape it.

The weight holds a Nivi drape's pleats without help; a plain silk or velvet blouse in one of the saree's own colours keeps the brocade the obvious focus.