Bengal Silks

Prominent among the silk handloom saris of Bengal is the Baluchari handloom silk saree and the Tangail Jamdhani. Fine count quality weaves, each has its specialty. There are also the Bengal soft silk, the Jamdhani handloom silk sarees which have a standing of their own.

• Balucharis are made from silk. With silk brocade designs suited to the base colour, they are decorated with attractive motifs.
• The appeal of the BaluchariSaree lies in its colour harmony. Colours preferred are red, green, yellow, blue and their shades. Silk brocade designs suited to the base colour, are decorated with attractive motifs.
• One of the major themes that adorn the Pallav or Pallu of the BaluchariSaree are mythological stories depicted on the walls of the terra cotta temples that the Malla rulers had built and are located in present day Bengal. The Malla dynasty rule had influenced motifs and the narratives from the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana were obvious subjects for depictions on the thematic pallus.
• Baluchari handloom silk sarees are preferred as soft and comfortable wear, for their fine weave and stylish looks. Some popular themes of today as flower bunches, animals, court scenes of an earlier era, boat etc. adorning the BaluchariSaree make them most attractive and apt for a variety of occasions; be it wedding ceremonies, parties, grand functions, social gatherings or as corporate wear.
• The current trend of increasing use of organic materials, has found its way into the experimental manufacture of the Baluchari Organic Sari. Fine blends of cotton with both banana fibres and bamboo shoots replace the silk yarn, while acidic dyes have been substituted with dyes made from extracts of fruits, vegetables, leaves, turmeric etc.

Jamdhani hand weaving is a necessary accompaniment for Bengal handloom silk sarees where cotton and gold thread weaving create motifs of geometric patterns and floral designs in colourful hues. Dhania Khali and Thangail are popular weaving styles. Sarees like the Thangail Jamdhani weave have popular motifs like Nature, the sun, the moon and stars.

• A Baluchari Silk saree was once worn only by women from the upper class and landlord families in Bengal during festive occasions and weddings. Today it is widely worn without distinction in many parts of the country on various occasions.
• There was a time when it briefly had lost its importance. Post-independence revival through the weaving skills of a weaver from Bishnupur knowledgeable in this art form, restored the glory of this fine weave once again.
• This time round the Baluchari Saree once hand-woven, was tried out on Jacquard looms and the success of the experiment is now for all to see in the current weaving method of this art weave.
• The Baluchari saree has won the Presidential award on two occasions for its weaving style and has been prominently displayed in international trade fairs.

Definitely. In this age of the internet with so many websites catering to sarees alone, Bengal silk sarees online shopping is very easy.The typical Bengali silk sarees like the Balucharican be seen for online shopping on some prominent websites with price and images.Though being a very exclusive and costly saree it would not be seen on many online websites.

Unnati Silks would definitely be able to provide a customized order based on requirement. You would also be able to buy the trendy Bengal pure soft silks, the slightly different Bengal cotton silk sareesand the Jamdhani silks online with a lot of variety fare.

Gone are the days when a regional variety of saree had to be specially ordered from the place of its source. India has so culturally evolved, that any variety of saree is literally available in all parts of the country, so that women across can indulge in wearing different varieties if it catches their fancy.Nalli Silk sarees with branches in prominent cities of India has one of its branches in Kolkata, West Bengal also.

Further getting special handloom silk sarees like Bengal Khadi silk or the Bengal Tussar silk saree online ordered in India is just a matter of time. I remember my aunt saying she liked the typical Bengali white silk saree with red border. I got it for her within two days of her specifying her choice.