Types of Sarees in India

India has one of the richest country when it comes to culture and tradition in the world. We celebrate all the festivals in the grandest way possible. We believe in the saying “Bigger and Grander the Better” Don’t we all know how grand our wedding are??

Be it Northern part of India or the Southern part, East or the West each state has unique traditions and something spectacular to offer. Rich culture and rituals, different mouth watering cuisines and different kind of clothes as well.

But saree binds us all together through it weaves and thread of elegance and our eternal love for this outfit. Be it a 9 yard or a 6 yard beauty, this outfit is something all women hold very close to their heart. In a lot of families the traditional saree are even passed down through generations. Especially the one like Patan patola or a pure silk with gold weaves.

Sarees are not just a fabric that is draped around our waist but we have a deeper emotional connect with the saree as the first saree that any girl wears always comes from her moms wardrobe.

If you think this 9 yard beauty is the most elegant thing you have come across and want to expand your wardrobe then do check this blog out.

Below are the different types of sarees you can invest in originated from different states of India.

Kasavu for Kerala

This saree is also called a Sattu saree. This saree traditionally was only suppose to be a Mundu which is a traditional name for dhoti, a blouse and a stole that goes above the blouse across the shoulder. A lot of old traditional ladies in Kerala still wear the saree in this style only and have a 3 piece saree at home.

Kasavu is the modern version of Mundu. This saree has a thick border of Gold on a background of white or cream and this border is woven with real threads of gold. However keeping up with the changing trends and the requirements of the customers, the weavers have started including different colours and artificial threads as well.

Taant from West Bengal

This is traditional saree of West Bengal. These handloom sarees are made of cotton and are very popular as a daily wear outfit amongst a lot of women staying there. These sarees are equally popular in Bangladesh as well.

Taant sarees have a thick border, a decorative pallav and beautifully woven floral, paisley, leaf and other artistic motif. These sarees are very light and easy to wear and is distinguished by the transparency and lightness of the woven cotton threads. It is a perfect outfit to be worn in the hot and humid climate of Indian subcontinent.

All the above factors combined makes this saree a must buy.

Kanjeevaram from Tamil Nadu

This is known to be the queen of all saree. The saree is originated from the region Kanjeevaram in Tamil Nadu. These sarees are hand woven with pure Mulberry silk threads. The zari and pure mulberry silk used in making of this saree comes from south India.

The borders and the pallav are usually of different colour than the body. Due to its zari weaves and the rich colour and texture, they look elegant and graceful. These sarees are used as bridal and special occasion sarees by most women in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Konrad from Tamil Nadu

This is one of the South India’s most well know saris. This type of sari is very popular due to usage of excellent fabric and traditional affluence. Konrad saree are also known as the Mubbhagam sari or Temple sari. Originally woven for temple deities a hand woven Konrad sari is pretty expensive.

The main attraction of a Konrad saris is its border which is designed exclusively wide and has motif of animals and natural elements with a royal touch. Even though these motif are not mythological in nature, they pay homage to the natural flora and fauna like trees, creepers, flowers, vine and animals like peacock, elephant, parrots, double headed eagle etc. The body of the sari usually has stripes or checks with a 10-40 cm wide border.

These saris are famous for their wide use in marriages and wedding trousseau.

Bomkai from Odisha

These sarees are also know as Sonepuri saree. These handloom sarees first originated in the village of Bomkai in Ganjam district of Odisha and are primarily produced by Bhulia community of Subarnapur district.

Bomkai saree looks like a piece of art with beautiful Ikat embroidery and intricate thread work all hand woven into a stunning 9 yard saree. These sarees are available in fabrics like silk and cotton and they surely make a good festive wear.

Sambhalpuri from Odisha

Sambhalpuri sari is a traditional handwoven ikkat saree which is locally called Sadhi. The saree has delicate weaves using different techniques and the warp and weft of this saree are tied and dyed before weaving, which gives the saree its rich color which never fades. 

These saris are produced in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh and Sonepur district of Odisha. These saris are know for the incorporation of traditional motif like chakra (wheel) Shanka (shell) and Phula (flower) in red white and black colors which represents true Odia colors.

The late Prime minister Of India Indira Gandhi use to wear this saree very often.

Bandhani from Gujarat

The name of this saree is derived from the Sanskrit word “Bandhan” which means to bind or to tie.

Most of the Bandhini making factories are situated in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Sindh and Tamil Nadu regions. In Tamil Nadu Bandhani is know as Sungudi.

The art of making a Bandhani is a highly skilled process, it involves tying a fabric at various places with a rubber band or threads and then dyeing that fabric in different vibrant colors. The main colors that are used in Bandhani are Red, Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green and black. The tied knots form a exclusively designed once opened after the dying process.

Bandhani work is exclusively carried out with Khatri community of Saurashtra and Kutch and known to be the pioneers of this art.

Leheriya from Rajasthan

Leheriya is a traditional style of tie and dye practiced in Rajasthan. Rajasthani word for wave is leheriya, this is where the fabric gets its name from as the dyeing technique often produces complex wave patterns. Leheriya is another for of Bandhani only but there is a different technique of tying the fabric while it is going through the dying process. A Leheriya fabric is always made in vibrant colours and often the fabric is multi colored as well.

Leheriya dying is done for a saree, turban or a dupatta in cotton, chiffon, georgette or silk fabrics. This fabric is still produced in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Nathdwara. It is put up for sale with the tie on fabric still intact to show the authenticity of the fabric.

Paithani from Maharashtra

Paithani saree is a type of saree named after the Paithan town of Aurangabad. This saree has borders with an oblique square design and its pallav has peacock motif. Plain or dotted varieties along with single or Kaleidoscope colored designs which is achieved by one color of weaving lengthwise and other color being weaved width wise, are available in this saris.

Traditionally this hand woven saree is made of gold and silk.

Muga from Assam

Assam is well known for production of high quality silk from ancient times. It has three major types of silk that is Golden Muga, White Pat and Eri Silk. Muga silk sarees are made from a special kind of silk which made by the larve after feeding on these 4 trees. (Likucha, Vakula, Vata, Naga-Vriksa) The resulting silk that is formed from this larve is known to be the best silk. The threads are glossy and very durable. You can find gold silk threads only in Assam. The lustrous of these saree increases with every time you hand wash them.

Banarasi silk from Varansi

The Banarasi saree are elegant saris made in the city of Varanasi which is also know as Banaras. This is one of the finest saris of India and are popular for the silver and gold brocade and zari opulent embroidery.

These saris are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate designs. These engravings of the motif on the sari makes them comparatively heavy.

Originally this saree was made with real gold and silver thread and hence it was only woven for royalty. The detailing of this saree is so intricate that back then they would take at least a year to finish one saree.

Today also one Banarasi saree is often part of a brides Trousseau

There are 4 main kinds of Banarasi sari which include – Pure Silk (Katan), Organza (kora) with zari, georgette and Shattir. 

Pochampally from Telangana

Pochampally Ikat saree is made in a town named Bhoodan Pochampally in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana state. Traditionally they geometric pattern in Ikat and intricate designs find their way into dress materials and saris.

The uniqueness about Pochampally Ikat is that they transfer the intricate designs and the color on to the warp and weft thread and then weave them together. Globally this know as double Ikat. The colors used in the dyeing are all natural and organic sources and their blends and the fabrics they use are silk, cotton and Silco which is a perfect combination of silk and cotton.

Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh

The tradition of Chanderi saree began in 13^th century, initially the weaver for this sari were Muslim but later Koshti weaver from Jhansi migrated to Madhya Pradesh and settled there. The textile business of Chanderi reached its peak during the Mughal period.

Chanderi sari are made from 3 kind of fabrics, Chanderi cotton, Pure Silk and silk cotton. The final fabric is made by weaving silk zari and cotton together. This fabric turns out to be lighter than feather, is very comfortable to wear and has a royal sheen to it.

Traditionally different motif like floral pattern, coin art, geometric and peacock designs were woven into different chanderi patterns.

These saris are one of the finest in India and are well know for their silver and gold zari or brocade, opulent embroidery and fine silk.

Phulkari from Punjab

This is a folk embroidery of Punjab. Even though Phulkari means floral the embroidery designs not only includes flower but also covers geometric shapes and motif.

The main characteristic of Phulkari fabric is the embroidery is use of Darn stitch with silken threads on the wrong side of coarse cotton fabric.

Punjabi women are well trained in the darn stitch and they create intricate, beautiful and alluring patterns with their skillful manipulation of this stitch.

Phulkari made its appearance in the legendary Heer Ranjha story and has been a part of Indian culture ever since.

Traditionally this embroidery is done on Khadi or cotton blends is more popular as a dupatta.

Chikankari from Lucknow

This is my literal favorite. Chikankari is an artfully done delicate hand embroidery on a variety of fabrics like silk, chiffon, muslin, net, organza etc. Traditionally this embroidery lacks any kind of ornamentation or color or even any kind of embellishment. But keep up with the modern fashion trends this embroidery can now also be done in colored or silk threads which definitely gives this whole embroidery a new stunning look.

Lucknow is exclusively know for its chikankari work. Ace Indian designers like Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla use this work in the collection extensively.

Doesn’t this want you buy them all and have then in your wardrobe?