The gold and silver zari-brocade silk weaving of Varanasi — among the most recognized handloom traditions in the country, still worked on pit looms passed through weaving families.
वाराणसी, उत्तर प्रदेश · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Banarasi weaving works silk thread against zari, fine gold or silver-wrapped thread, in patterns believed to draw on Mughal-era floral and paisley motifs, with a single sari sometimes taking weeks to a few months on the loom depending on the complexity of its brocade.
The craft is traditionally organized around family workshops in and around Varanasi, already covered in this site's Tirtha & Devalaya chapter, with distinct roles, weaving, dyeing, and zari preparation, often kept within different specialist households across a single finished piece's production.