Benarasi Saree!
The saree is made in Varanashi, a city of Uttar Pradesh. The sarees are among the finest in India. It is known for its gold and silver zari, fine silk and beautiful design. The saree is generally heavy and takes almost a year to be produced. The saree is crafted originally for the royalty. It bears the ancient culture of Indian history. Even in Mahabharata and Buddhist scriptures, the Benarasi was used as a rich quality clothes.
With the help of the Mughals, the weaving and the quality of this saree got a special position in the saree industry. Mughals were fond of this saree that is why they glorified and inspired the weavers of that time to craft this saree in their own design. They created gold work, compact design, figures with small details, metallic visual effects, net work etc. They also add special designs like floral and floiate motifs. The gold and silver work in the zari is the main attaraction of this saree. They mixed up Persian attire with Indian culture in a skillful and royal way.
Benarsi sarees nowadays are draped in special ocassion like wedding, ceremony or royal parties. It is costly and comes in varity of colors. This is really a traditional saree and mixed up with Mughal cultures. Draping this saree makes you always look bride always. There are 6 types of benarasi sarees those I draped and know:
- Organza
- Kora
- Jangla
- Tanchoi
- Butidar
- Vaskat
They are differenciated by their zari, weaving process, mixture and designs. But they are very gorgeous and gives you a royal look.
The saree that is seen here is SiCo Benarasi i.e. Silk Cotton Benrasi. It is the mixture of the two finest fabrics. I bought from a boutique. The colour of the saree i.e. bottle green in very much eye catching. The whole body is covered by zari butas. The golden zari is 18 inch approx. I am teamed up with gold jewellery. I draped this saree on the ocassion of my friends' get together.