Brocades of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Earlier known as kasi, Varanasi is a place known as one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage. It is said that if a person dies on this land then he/she is freed from the cycle of rebirths. This is one of the most crowded places in India, with hundreds of small streets full of temples and dharamshalas.

The important thing for which it is famous world wide is the Brocades. The Brocades of Varanasi were first woven only in the small city known as Alaipura, but now it is woven all over Varanasi. The brocades of Varanasi, have made a remarkable position in the designer sarees as well. The fabrics that are woven with warps and wefts threads of varied colors, and also of varied materials are called the brocades. The brocades of Varanasi are woven in threads of silk. The other region known for the brocades is the Madanpura, which is popular as the most traditional style and designed, used on the fabric. The fabric is woven in a light and transparent fabric. The best examples that are also widely used in the designer sarees are the jamdani, organza and tissue sarees.

The motifs and the designs that are common and still have succeeded to maintain their position in terms of popularity are the kairi (mango), and the moon shape in the body of the saree. The fabric is woven in such a style in the transparent material that it gives an impression of a double sided pattern. The weavers of Alaipura have easily adopted the new techniques so the work is not so fine. Hence, the brocades of this place are used in the furnishings and sometimes for blouse.

The brocades of Varanasi were woven at homes earlier but now the work is done on large scale in karkhanas(factories). It is a construction of several rooms in a row and the workers are provided peace for complete concentration. The same style is adopted by the designers who want particular motifs and pattern for designer or for the blouse. Generally, they buy the fabric from the place and get the desired work on, by the artists.
The zari thread that is used in the weaving is known as kalabattun. One single zari thread is made with finely drawn gold, silver and base metal thread, that is wound together rounded like a silk thread.

One of the best brocades of Varanasi that is known all over the world is the Kimkhab. It is woven with mukta, a durable silk thread. It is coarse and thick and heavy, therefore it can hold the gold and the silk threads for weaving easily. It became popular because of the gold used in it and this also led to the higher price of the saree. The designer sarees are far too expensive. A lot of people just buy the fabric and use it for making stylish blouse only. The common motif used in this was the ashrafi. Other patterns were jal, buta and trellis. The designers have succeeded well in en-cashing the popular and expensive brocades of Varanasi. You can find some wonderful designs in the websites of online sarees.