The sarees of Tangail

What is woven here

The Tangail sari is woven in cotton and silk on a handloom, often with a jamdani-style or buti pattern in the body, and a woven border. Tangail weavers are known for the fine counts of their thread and the use of bright colours. Plain cotton varieties are used for everyday wear and finer or brocaded ones for festivals and weddings.

The craft and its people

Weaving is done in villages across the district by families of weavers, who work on pit looms in their homes. The Tangail tradition is often linked with weavers who settled here from areas of Bengal across the Ganges, and the sarees were sold widely in the Bengali trade. Weavers sell through local markets and traders in Dhaka.

Seeing it

Villages in the district can be visited through a local guide or a craft organisation, and the saree markets in the district sell finished cloth directly. Tangail is within a few hours of Dhaka by road, so it can be a day trip. Ask to watch a weaver at the loom before buying.

A trail idea for Tangail

1. A weaving village in the district Visit a household loom and watch the pallu and border being woven.
2. A saree market in Tangail town See how weavers sell cloth directly or through traders.
3. A dyeing and warping yard Look at how thread is dyed and stretched into a warp before it goes onto the loom.