Banarasi Silk Saree is a saree made in Varanasi, an ancient city which is also called Benaras/Kashi/Banaras..These saree are among the finest saree in India and are known for their gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk andopulent embroidery. The saree are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate design, and, because of these engravings, are relatively heavy.With a mention in the Mahabharata and in the Buddhist scriptures inthe first millennium, Banarasi silk have its roots seeped into the rich cultural history of India. Originally crafted exclusively for the royalty, each Banarasi sari was created from real gold and silver threads, taking as much as a year to make.This magical skill is passed on to the next generation as a way of life itself. We call it a magical process because the entire process (from preparation to weaving) takes anywhere between 15 days to 6 months or 1 year depending on the design complexity. The best example of true treasure and art is BANARASI SAREE.
Their special characteristics are Mughal inspired designs such as intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, kalga and bel, a string of upright leaves called jhallar at the outer, edge of border is a characteristic of these saris. Other features are gold work, compact weaving, figures with small details, metallic visual effects, pallus, jal (a net like pattern), and meena work.
