Banarasi Sari
The Banarasi sari is the handwoven silk sari of Varanasi (Banaras) in Uttar Pradesh, famous for its rich brocade, its gold and silver zari, and its intricate pictorial motifs, among them the jangla (vine), bel (creeper), kalga and jal patterns. The weaving tradition grew under the patronage of the Mughal court, which encouraged Persian-inspired floral and arabesque designs in silk and metal thread, and the craft produced the heavy, opulent fabric called kinkhab, woven with real gold thread. A Banarasi sari is woven on a manually operated pit loom, and a single elaborate piece can take weeks or