By Rafe Calder
The river gets the attention. The looms are in the lanes behind it.
Where it is
Wikipedia places Varanasi on the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, 692 kilometres south-east of New Delhi and 320 kilometres south-east of Lucknow. It gives the 2011 census population of the metropolitan area as 1,212,610. It says the city claims to be one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, that Kashi was its ancient name, that it has at least 84 ghats, and that Sarnath lies about 10 kilometres to the north-east. It says silk weaving dominates manufacturing, and that carpets, brassware, copperware and handicrafts are also made. Banaras Hindu University, it says, was established in 1916.
What a Banarasi sari is
Wikipedia describes Banarasi saris as fine silk with gold and silver brocade, called zari, and intricate embroidery. It lists floral motifs, kalga and bel patterns, jhallar borders of upright leaves, and a net-like pattern called jal. It names four main types: pure silk (katan), organza (kora) with zari and silk, georgette and shattir. It names construction styles including jangla, tanchoi, vaskat and cutwork. It says a single sari takes 15 days to a month and sometimes up to six months, depending on how complex the design is.
Two dates for the same story
Wikipedia’s account of the craft’s history is not tidy. It says brocade weaving likely began in the seventeenth century, after silk weavers migrated from Gujarat during a famine in 1603. In the same article it says that during the Mughal period, around the fourteenth century, Banaras became renowned for brocades woven with gold and silver threads. Those two sentences do not fit neatly together, and we have not found a source that resolves them. We are giving both as the article states them.
A household craft
A second Wikipedia article, on the silk industry in Varanasi, says the work is mostly household-based, on room-sized foot-powered looms, and passed down through families. It says weavers’ and cooperatives’ associations secured a Geographical Indication in 2009 for Banaras Brocades and Sarees. The first article adds that the GI legally restricts authentic Banarasi sari production to six specified districts of Uttar Pradesh. A GI application profile published by a GI information site names only four districts, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Sant Ravidas Nagar and Chandauli, and describes the covered products as silk brocades, textile goods, silk saris and silk embroidery saris. The profile lists nine applicant organisations, including a weavers’ association. The district counts differ, and we have not seen the registry entry itself, so we are not choosing between six and four.
How many weavers?
The numbers differ. The article on the sari says about 1.2 million people work directly or indirectly in the handloom silk industry across Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Chandauli, Bhadohi, Jaunpur and Azamgarh. The article on the silk industry says the weaver population fell from 300,000 to about 40,000 as of 2015, and names reduced demand, imports and power looms among the causes. These probably count different groups, and we are not claiming to know which is right. We would not treat either as current.
What to ask before you buy
We have not profiled any weaver, workshop or shop in Varanasi, and we will not name one we cannot source. If a sari is sold as Banarasi, ask which district it was woven in. Ask whether it is handloom or power loom. Ask what the fibre is, whether the zari is metal or something else, and how long it took. Ask who wove it. Ask for the maker’s own account in writing. We are not recommending any producer.
Roam first. Shop later.
Uttar Pradesh weavers can find out what’s involved at /sell-with-sephari/