Different types of Indian saris

Saris from East India

1. Baluchari Sarees 

This saree from Murshidabad district of West Bengal, comes in bright colors like flame red, purple and occasionally in deep blue. These sarees are made of silk and woven on looms. These are about 200 year old. The sarees look similar to Banarasi sarees. There is only one difference between the two sarees, Baluchari sarees use only silk threads and Banarasi sarees do use zari threads. The borders of the sarees depict stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana. The field of the saree is covered with small butis and a beautiful floral design runs across the edges.

2. Tanta/Taant Cotton

The Tant sarees are another very popular types of saree not only famous in Bengal but across India. These sarees have a very unique appearance and colors. The word Taant literally means ‘Made On The Loom’. This is a traditional saree worn by Bangali Women. Taant sarees are popularly known as Bengal cotton and is hand-woven in various districts of West Bengal. These sarees come in a huge variety of colors with simple and beautiful designs. A must have for all cotton lover women.

3. Kantha Sari 

Kantha, the name is associated not with the fabric used in saree but with the embroidery. It is actually the name of the embroidery. Any saree embroidered with Kantha embroidery is a Kantha saree. The typical Kantha embroidery is the decorative motifs with running stitch. The cloth is entirely covered with running stitches and has beautiful folk, floral, animal and bird motifs. This art of Kantha is practiced by rural women in West Bengal in spare time and each Kantha sari is a result of hard work and labor.

Dhakai

A Dhakai is a type of sari (traditional cloth for women of South Asia) made with cotton. The name comes from the Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh, where this type of sari is usually made.

Patt silk (Mulberry) Mekhala Chadar from Assam