Silk Arts in India

The Brocades of Banaras

Varanasi is famous for its finest silk Sarees and brocades. These Sarees are known for rich and intricately woven motifs of leaf, flowers, fruits, birds, etc. on a soft color background. They are enriched with intricate borders and heavily decorated pallus. The centre is also known for its gauzi silver and gold tissues, which are ultra light in weight and delicate.

• The kinkab of Banaras is legendary. It is a glittering weave of gold and silver threads.
• The pure silk with a touch of gold is called bafta and the finely woven brocade of variegated silk is known as Amru.

Ikat of Orissa

The tie and dye weaves of Orissa known as ikats employ the yarn resist method for both warp and weft with diffused effect. But the overall pattern is boldly articulated as in confident strikes of a brush. Both mulberry and tasar silks are used in the weaving of these ikats.

Patolas in Gujarat

Both warp and weft are dyed by dye resist method in a range of five or six traditional colors like red, indigo, blue, emerald green, black or yellow. The exact and highly skilled process ensures that when the fabric is woven, the design will appear precisely and create a magnificently colored and figured ground of great richness and beauty with birds, flowers, animals, dancers, etc. in a geometrically stylized perfection.

Bandhej

In bandhej or bandhini, the finely woven fabric is knotted tightly and dyed to achieve a distinct design. The sarees, odhnis (veils) and turbans of these regions are a medley of brilliant colors. The bandhini of Kutch are famous for their fineness of the minutely tied knots, the magnificence of the colors and the perfect designs.

Tanchois of Gujarat

Tanchoi brocade was named after the three Parsi brothers called choi who learnt this art in China and introduced it to Surat. The choi brocade is usually a dark satin weave, purple or dark red in ground colour, embellished with motifs of flowers, creepers, birds all over design.

South India

South India is the leading silk producing area of the country also known for its famous silk weaving enclaves like Kancheepuram, Dharmavaram, Arni, etc. Kancheepuram are renowned for their magnificent heavy silk sarees of bright colours with silver or gold zari works. Bangalore and Mysore are known for their excellent printed silks.