Benarasi Saree
Among the many traditional Indian sarees, the benarasi saree is considered one of the most original ones. It came into recognition and got fashionable during the Mughal era. The legendary holy town of Varanasi or Benaras is in Uttar Pradesh state where its origins lie..
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. From ancient times, it is ranked as one among the exquisite traditional sarees of India. It has to be coveted, to be passed down from one generation to another to prosper. Even today, thousands of weavers are found making these sarees, in this sacred city.
Benarasi sarees are made of delicately woven silk and fine tissues (zari) and are embellished with rich elaborate golden engravings along the border, sometimes all over. These sarees are heavy and are worn by Indian women only during special occasions like wedding, parties or festivities. It is complemented with heavy gold jewelry. There are only four varieties of benarasi saree available in the market. They are pure silk (katan); organza (kora) with zari and silk, shatter, and georgette. Modern artisans add some mirror work, stones, zardosi work along with the silk.
.Fine zari work augments the over all look of the garment. It makes it much heavier. It has carved a niche of its own! It is available in emporiums, online stores and retail stores. It is also popular abroad and is shipped straight from Vanarasi, once it is ready. A very good benarsi saree takes months to be made. It can be a Jangla, Tanchoi, cutwork, tishu or buttidar.