The sarees of Varanasi

What is woven here

Banarasi sarees are woven in silk, with patterns made of zari, which is thread wrapped in gold or silver coloured metal. The main kinds are katan, a plain tightly twisted silk, and the lighter organza and georgette versions. Fine small motifs called buta are scattered over the body, and a broad pallu carries the heaviest design. Older Mughal-influenced patterns of flowers, creepers and leaves are still the base of most designs. The city also weaves tanchoi, a closely patterned silk with fine extra-weft pattern.

The craft and its people

Much of the weaving is done by Muslim weaver families, many of the Ansari community, together with Hindu weavers, and the work is divided. One person draws or designs the pattern, another punches it onto cards for the jacquard loom, and the weaver sets up the warp and weaves. A heavy saree can take weeks on one loom, sometimes two weavers working together. Banaras brocades and sarees are protected as a Geographical Indication, so the name is meant for cloth made in the region.

Seeing it

Weaving is spread across the old city and its edges, and lanes such as those of Madanpura are known for silk and brocade trade. Visitors can ask to see a loom in a weaver's house or workshop, and can walk the lanes of the old market to see how finished sarees are shown and folded. Do the Ganga ghats at dawn first, then the lanes. Buy from a seller who can show the weave and tell you whether it is handloom or power loom.

A trail idea for Varanasi

1. Dawn on the ghats Start by the river to see the city that the cloth comes from, and where many wedding sarees are first worn.
2. The weavers' lanes of Madanpura Walk the narrow streets of the old city where the click of looms is heard from open doorways.
3. A silk showroom or weaver's workshop Ask to see the same design as handloom and as power loom, and look at the back of the cloth.
4. A village loom outside the city On a second day, drive to a weaving village near Varanasi, to see work in the home.