Gardens and Hunts: The Hidden World Woven into a Banarasi
Behind the gold of a Banarasi lies a secret world of jungle vines, hunting scenes and Persian gardens. Here is how to read the patterns, and what the back of the saree reveals about its making.
In Varanasi, one of the oldest living cities in the world, the clack of handlooms has long mingled with the sound of temple bells. Here, in narrow lanes near the ghats, weavers have spent centuries turning silk and gold into the sarees that brides across India dream of. But a Banarasi is more than gold on silk. Look closely, and you will find a whole hidden world.
A meeting of worlds
Varanasi was famous for its cloth long before the first brocade. Early Buddhist texts praise the fine fabric of Kashi, the city's ancient name. But the Banarasi saree as we know it reached its height between the 16th and 18th centuries, when the tastes of the Mughal courts met the skill of Indian weavers.
Persian ideas of the paradise garden, with its flowering trees, scrolling vines and cypress trees, blended with Indian motifs of lotus, mango and peacock. Many accounts also describe silk weavers from Gujarat settling in Banaras in the 17th century, bringing new skills that helped the city's brocades flourish.
A Banarasi is a garden you can wear.
Reading the patterns
Banarasi designs have their own names, passed down through generations of weaving families. Here are the ones you are most likely to meet:
A dense, rambling growth of vines, leaves and flowers covering the entire body of the saree.
Riders, deer, tigers and birds among trees, inspired by royal hunting scenes.
Small flowers or paisleys spaced across the body like stars.
A lattice of connected motifs forming an all-over pattern.
A curving motif placed in the corners of the pallu and border.
A flowing vine that runs along the border, framing the saree.
Kadhua and phekwa: the back tells the truth
Turn a Banarasi over and you will learn how it was made. There are two main ways of weaving its motifs:
Each motif is woven separately by hand with its own thread, so the back is neat, with no loose threads running between motifs. It takes far longer and is greatly prized.
The pattern thread runs across the full width, and the loose floats between motifs are cut away after weaving. It is quicker and lets more people own a Banarasi.
Many fabrics, one name
"Banarasi" describes a weaving tradition, not one fabric. Over time, its weavers have worked in rich katan silk, sheer kora organza, flowing georgette, the multicoloured tanchoi weave and shimmering tissue woven with zari in the weft. Today, Banarasi designs are also woven on soft silk blends, which keep the look of a brocade while making the saree lighter and easier to wear.
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Ancient timesThe cloth of Kashi
Varanasi's fine fabrics are praised in early Buddhist texts.
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16th to 18th centuryThe Mughal flowering
Persian garden designs meet Indian craft; Banarasi brocade reaches its height.
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17th centuryNew hands arrive
Weavers from Gujarat are said to settle in Banaras, enriching its skills.
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2009A protected name
Banaras Brocades and Sarees are registered as a Geographical Indication.
In a shikargah design, look for tiny hunters on horseback with bows or spears. Some pieces hide dozens of animals in a single border.
Our Banarasi sarees are inspired by this tradition, with zari buttas, jaal patterns and grand pallus, and most are woven on a soft silk blend base. Unless a product page says so, they are not GI-certified handloom sarees from Varanasi.
- Geographical Indications Registry, Government of India: Banaras Brocades and Sarees
- Rta Kapur Chishti, Saris: Tradition and Beyond (Roli Books, 2010)
