The Magical Beauty of Banarasi Sarees

An ancient Indian weave, prized for its exquisite motifs and unmatched craftsmanship, Banarasi Silk surely is India’s textiles’ crown jewel. An ornate fabric woven with finest silk – and at times cotton mixed – yarns, Banarasi weave forms the base for the favorite wedding sarees of India.

The mere mention of a Banarasi saree brings visuals of an ostentatious drape, dazzling with intricately woven metallic shimmers and nature inspired forms over a vibrant colour base. Banarasi Sarees are woven by artisans, on the hand-operated looms, primarily in the ancient city of Banaras, also known as Varanasi. The saree and weave get their name from this holy city, located on the banks of river Ganga. Also woven extensively across India now, especially in Bengal, various parts of Uttar Pradesh and even parts of Southern India, the heritage weave continues to get its name from this city of Benaras, where probably it originated. At a time, a favourite of the royal families and a popular souvenir for tourists, over the years this traditional drape has evolved from being a family heirloom to a glamorous style statement in itself.

The Banarasi Weave

Banarasi silk sarees have a typical shimmery weave, detailed with brocade which involves the use of a special jacquard loom. Metallic zari threads are used with coloured fine silk yarns to form designs which are fed into punch cards of the loom. There are traces of real gold and silver threads being used to weave exclusive Banarasi silk sarees for the royal and affluent ones around the 16th century, while these days copper wires and synthetic zari has conveniently replaced the use of precious metals.

The patterns on Banarasi saris mainly revolve around nature with striking details of flowers, birds and leaves; however, a strong influence of the Mughal culture can be seen in the buttis and other forms woven on these grandiose drapes.

A Modern Touch

The dazzling finish and lustre of Banarasi silk has caught the fancy of the Indian youth worldwide as well as number of global citizens who are intrigued by the Indian culture. Thus this handloom fabric has found its way into the clothing categories of trendy lehenga cholis, salwar suits, contemporary lehenga saris, fusion wear and heavy dupattas which are worn over plain Anarkali suits during celebrations.

A lot of designers like Anita Dongre, Sabyasachi and many more have been experimenting with Banarasi weaves to make them more compatible with the changing trends in Indian fashion. Couturier Hemang Agarwal showcased his contemporary collection of Banarasi sarees and kurtis at the recently held Lakme Fashion Week. He blended traditional weaves with trending forms like contrasting stripes, polka dots and tartan checks to take Banarasi silk closer to global fashion.

The Bollywood Effect

After cricket, the second most important religion followed all over the country is Bollywood. Especially when it comes to wardrobe trends, the fashionistas of B-town are indeed the most influential trendsetters. Celebrities like Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone and many more are often seeing carrying off these ornate drapes with grace. Actress Anushka Sharma walked in for her wedding reception as a traditional Indian bride by donning a red Banarasi silk saree with ethnic jewellery and an Indian hair-bun. It so seems that this ancient weave is definitely an undying trend which we can only expect to go on indefinitely!

Ritu is a creative and marketing communications specialist, a devout reader and a passionate writer, who successfully manages an operations role with the popular ecommerce business Saree.com.