banarasi sarees

banarasi sarees

Banarsi Sarees – In the most ancient and sacred city of Varanasi, there thrives an equally ancient tradition. Thousands of weavers are engaged in weaving Benaras saris. Benaras is the other name for Silk Saris. The Banarasi saris gained popularity during the Mughal era. During this period, all art was amalgamated to create a fusion of aesthetics. Persian motifs and Indian designs on silk studded with gold and silver remained the cue of Mughal patronage. Today banarasi sarees are being exported worldwide.

The persian motifs and Indian designs on silk texture studded with gold and silver remained the cue of Mughal patronage. Elaborate pure gold and silver designs are today rare still the zari has rightfully taken its position as an apt replacement. Today there are mainly four varieties of Benarasi saree available. Those are Pure Silk (Katan); Shattir, Organza which is fine kora with zari and silk works and finally the Georgette.If you go to varanasi you would find some 10,000 shops selling Banarai Saree which is more a cottage industry for several million people around Varanasi which includes Gorakpur and Azamgarh as well. Around 60 percent of artisans are Muslim for whom weaving this art is their tradition.