THE INDIAN BRIDE'S CHOICE
Zari work, unique to Banaras region of Uttar Pradesh is a world famous
centre of hand-made textiles. The ancient tradition of weaving is more
preserved in Banaras than anywhere else. The main products are Zari and
brocades. The deep red, golden zari saris are popular with nearly all the
Indian brides.
The zari thread known as 'Kalabuttum' consists of finely drawn gold,
silver or base metal threads wound round as silk thread. Silk
traditionally came from Bengal, Central Asia and Italy but now it comes
from either Malda, in
Bengal or
from Kashmir
or Japan. Jandhuri, Banaks, Mukta and Sandal are the chief varieties of
silk that is used, in the zari work.
The Skillful Artisans
These textiles have been traditionally woven by a team of weavers and
assistants, using traditional naksha dran looms. Traditionally, the design
of the brocade was done on paper first. Then the naksha-bandh rendered the
design onto cotton threads on a naksha, or ceiling-mounted thread device.
The nakshabands of Varanasi were so skilled
that they tied the designs for the weavers of other brocading centers such
as Surat in Gujarat and Chanderi in MP. Now, the designs used are inspired
by folk art of Assam, Bengal, Gujarat, and adaptation of Mughal,
Rajasthani and Pahari paintings.
TYPES OF ZARI BROCADES
Kimkhabs
One of the best known Varanasi brocades, have more Zari work visible than
Silk. They were very popular in the Mughal court. They were woven with
coarse but durable silk called Mukta. It is heavy enough to take brocading
with gold and silver thread. These heavy Kimkhabs were designed for
furnishings rather than clothes. Other Zari brocade types were Potthan and
batt-hana or batta. They are woven entirely in silk, showing through Amru
brocades and donot make use of Zari.
Tanchoi brocades have multiple warp and supplementary weft threads
fabric. Abramamn (flowing water) has a distinct transparency. Tarbana has
a fine silk warp but the weft of Zari threads gives the brocade a metallic
sheen.
The Themes
The design motifs of these brocades are intricate floral and foliage
patterns, kalga and bel, and in sari pallavs and dupattas a string of
upright leaves, called jhalar is invariably used.
