Gujrati Saris

On popular demand, I am reviving the sari series before moving on to the next step in the sequence. Today I shall talk about a Sari that is simple, practical and immensely popular; the Gujrati sari.

There are different varieties of saris, made in different states in India. Each state has its unique saris and they all are so beautiful that it is difficult to choose from amongst them. The state of Gujrat in Western India is known for its rich cultural heritage, and its saris are quite popular in the country and beyond. The state of Gujarat produces many beautiful saris like the bandhani sari, the bandhej sari, the panetar sari and the famous gharchola sari.

Creating the bandhani sari is an ancient art that has been passed down for generations. It involves a tying and dyeing technique, in which materials like beads, grains, and grams are used to tie the fabric in intricate patterns. This prevents the color from seeping into the areas which are tied. It is then dyed in one or more colors and when the tied cloth is opened a beautiful, abstract design is formed. They are dyed in bright colors and may have a zari border. The sari may be further decorated with mirror work and gota patti.

The panetar sari is a variation of the bandhini sari. It has a white ground with a red bandhani border, and is popular amongst the locals. Its contrasting rich colors make it an interesting part of any sari lover’s collection.

The most elaborate of Gujrati saris is the Garhchola. A Gujrati bride usually wears the gharchola sari for her wedding. It is a traditionally a red bandani sari with golden squares woven in it, having beautiful motifs woven between the squares. The number of squares have a ritual significance and are in the multiples of 9, 12, or 52. These days’ gharcholas are available in different colors also such as green and yellow. The traditional gharchola saris were earlier made of cotton but now silk is also used to give it a richer look.

These saris may be bought across the counters at sari showrooms or they can be bought online from India specific online sales portals like indiaselections.com.

Significance Of Colors Of Wedding Saris

In the last of the series on Indian Saris, I shall talk about the significance of the color of the wedding sari. This color is not something picked out of the blue, and signifies different things for different people.

The Indian sari is a marvel. It is decent, graceful, and an enchanting garment. Indian women are admired for their beauty all over the world and this dress adds to the beauty of the Indian women. It is a decent, enchanting and graceful garment, and women find their aesthetic appearance very appealing.

The sari is an essential part of an Indian bride’s trousseau. Contrary to popular belief, red is not the only color worn by all brides in India on their wedding day. Different cultures have different colors which are significant to their regional customs or caste.

The brides of North India, Brahmins brides of south and those of Bengal wear red, which is considered a symbol of blood and marital bliss which are related to qualities of emotion and fertility.

Another color considered auspicious is yellow, which is related to a good harvest of wheat and mustard and is considered as a sign of prosperity. It is worn by the brides of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where this wedding sari is known as ‘piri’, gifted by their grandmothers.

Brides of Maharashtra also wear yellow saris gifted by their maternal uncles for the wedding puja, but green is the color of their wedding saris, with a red border. Green is considered the symbol of fertility and prosperity. Brides of certain castes of Tamilnadu and Kerala also wear saris dyed in turmeric which gives them a yellow color.

White, which is considered a peace in some cultures and of mourning and widowhood in other Indian ones, is also used in some wedding saris. The brides of Assam wear their traditional Makhla Chaddar which is white with a zari border. Brides of the Santhali tribe wears a four meter white sari with a purple border. The Malyali bride wears a creamy white sari with a zari border.

Today brides has a vast variety to choose from banarsis, kanjiveerams, mysore silks, tanchois and many more. The choice is so vast that it becomes difficult for her to choose one for the most important day of her life, when all eyes are on her.

Whatever she may wear, though, she will still look resplendent, such is the glow of happiness that lines the face of the bride on her wedding day. Am I not correct?

The Exquisitely Beautiful Banarasi Sari

The banarasi sari is in vogue since the Mughal era. It is sleek, elegant and is widely appreciated and popular among the women all over the world. This sari is made in and around the holy city of Benaras in Uttar Pradesh in India. Wearing the sari is an old tradition and children as young as ten years old start learning this art. It is mostly woven by Muslim weavers on handlooms across the length and breadth of the region.

Banarsi saris are quite expensive as they are quite heavily embroidered, and are generally preferred to be worn on formal occasions like weddings and festivities. These saris are very famous and are exported all over the world. They are mainly divided into four categories; pure silk, organza with zari, shattir and the georgette. Earlier during the Mughal period the natural silk for the silk saris used to come from China but nowadays it is obtained from Bangalore in South India.

The discerning factor of the banarsi saris are decorations with embroidery and rich paisley motifs. They have elaborate embroidery all over, or only along the border. The motifs are in the form of flowers, foliage, scenes of village fairs, dancing monkeys and many more. During the Mughal era beautiful Persian designs were fudged with Indian designs to form elaborate flowery patterns, which are visible in the modern designs as well. A simple sari takes up to 15 to 30 days to be completed, but some may even take six months or even more. The saris are hand woven, and it normally takes as many as three persons to work on one sari. If the sari has very heavy embroidery, and the cost of the saris can run up to several thousand Indian Rupees.

Once the saris are ready, the artisans come and sell them in the wholesale markets of Benaras, from where they are sent all over India and even exported. These saris can be bought from emporiums, or in sari showrooms, and no sari showroom worth its name is complete without the banarsi sari in its ranks. They can even be bought online from select online stores like indianselections.com