Handloom saris are a traditional

textile art Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials use ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The production of handloom

sari A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...

s is important for economic development in rural India.Completion of a single sari takes two to three days of work. Several regions have their own traditional styles of weaving handloom saris.

The weaving process

A handloom sari is often woven on a shuttle-pit

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

made from ropes, wooden beams and poles. The shuttle is thrown from side-to-side by the weaver. Other weavers use a fly-shuttle loom which can produce different types of patterns. The saris can vary in size and quality. Handloom sari weaving is generally a family business and is one of India's

cottage industries The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

. The handloom saris are made from silk or cotton threads. The handloom weaving process requires several stages in order to produce the final product. Traditionally the processes of

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

(during the yarn, fabric, or garment stage), warping, sizing, attaching the warp, weft winding and

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

were done by weavers and local specialists around weaving villages."weaving"
/ref> However, currently most of the activities are outsourced.

Major regional weaving traditions

Weaving takes place in many regions of India. Each region follows traditions for the motifs, designs and colours. Handloom weaving takes place in villages supporting lakhs (hundred thousands) of families for their

livelihood A person's livelihood (derived from ''life-lode'', "way of life"; cf. OG ''lib-leit'') refers to their "means of securing the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing) of life". Livelihood is defined as a set of activities essential ...

Types of handloom saris

Tant sari is a traditional sari of

. "Tant" means "Handloom" in

Bengali language Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

. Handloom industry in Tangail is famous for its Tangail saris which are also a type of Tant sari. Some of the well-known Indian handloom saris are

Kanchipuram silk sari The Kanchipuram silk sari, also called Kanjeevaram sari is a type of silk sari made in the Kanchipuram region in Tamil Nadu, India. These saris are worn as bridal & special occasion saris by most women in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka & Andhra P ...

s, Maheshwari saris,

Bagh print Bagh print is a traditional Indian handicraft originating in Bagh, Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The process is characterised by hand printed wood block relief prints with naturally sourced pigments and dyes. Bagh print motifs are ty ...

saris, Chanderi silk saris, Tussar silk saris, Banarasi silk saris, Baluchuri saris,

Sambalpuri sari A Sambalpuri sari is a traditional handwoven ''bandha'' (Odisha Ikat, ikat) sari (locally called ''"sambalpuri bandha"'' sadhi or saree) wherein the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before weaving. It is a handloom sari produced in the Sambalpur ...

s, Kantha stitch saris, Bandhani saris and Munga saris. Some handloom saris are made out of high-quality silk fabric, which is valued for its lustre.

Tant sari

Tant saris are one of the earliest sari weaving techniques. It is the most common cloth used by Bengali women. Bengal Tant handlooms especially thrived during the

Mughal period The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

and

Sonargaon Sonargaon (; ; Literary translation, lit. ''Golden Hamlet (place), Hamlet'') is a historic city in central Bangladesh. It corresponds to the Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj District in Dhaka Division. Sonargaon is one of the old capitals of ...

, where it received immense support from the royalty with

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq. Muslin was produced in different regions o ...

and

jamdani Jamdani () is a fine muslin textile (figured with different patterns) produced for centuries in South Rupshi of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh on the bank of Shitalakhwa river. The historic production of jamdani was patronized by imperial ...

which are now a

Intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

as well as Gi products of

Tangail saris

Tangail weaving stands as one of Bangladesh's oldest cottage industries, with Tangail weave sarees gaining global appreciation.The immensely popular Handloom sarees from, Tangail, Bangladesh are known for their finer count and intricate designs, with extra warp designs using coloured yarn. BD_Tangail_3

Baluchari saris

The designs on Baluchari saris feature

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

stories that can be seen in the temples of Bishnupur & Bankura of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. The pallus and borders showcase elaborate designs of flowers, animals and royal court scenes. Some feature scenes from the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

and

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...

a. The most popular colours of Baluchari saris are green, red, white and yellow. Kanchipuram silk sareer

A master weaver usually takes 20–25 days to complete weaving of a Baluchari sari.

Kanchipuram saris

The quality of

zari Zari () is an even thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver used in traditional Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani garments, especially as brocade in saris etc. This thread is woven into fabrics, primarily silk, to make intricate pat ...

used in weaving Kanchipuram saris in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

is viewed as high quality and attracts foreign visitors. The zaris used are generally gold and silver. Saree on display at Dilli Haat

Tussar saris

Tussar sari are soft to touch and are woven in areas of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

and

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur, historically known as Champapuri, Champa Nagari, is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern bank of the Ganges river. It is the Bihar#Government and administration, third largest city of Bihar by population and ...

. The bright colour combinations and the breathable nature of the

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

make it unique.

Banarasi saris

Banarasi saris have been a valuable possession for

brides A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is a newlywed. When marrying, if the bride's future spouse is a man, he is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, ...

. Woven by craftsmen of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, they feature intricately woven designs with golden and silver threads. These saris are usually heavy and are traditionally worn in

festivals A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

as well as at weddings. Banaras weavers from handloom looms Bharatsthali

Impact on the economy and weavers' cooperatives

The handloom sector plays a vital role in India's economy. It is responsible for nearly 22% of the cloth produced in the country. The handloom sector is the second largest economic activity after agriculture, employing nearly 30 lakh (three hundred thousand) weavers and 4.33 million people in all, according to the Handloom Census of 2009–2010. In the 2010 census, 4.4 million families were engaged in hand weaving. In December 2011, the handloom industry wove 6.9 billion square metres (74.3 billion square feet) of cloth. The economic policy in India aims to advance the handloom industry from the pre-independence period. The Textile Policy 1985 emphasized the promotion of handloom garments.

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

is said to be the home of 359,212 weaver families who work in primary cooperative handloom societies. Primary Handloom Weavers Cooperatives (PHWCS)"PHWCS"
/ref> includes weavers within certain specific geographical limits and provides production work to the members. The cooperatives also ensure that the weavers receive fair wages and conduct various welfare measures.