Since the times of Rig Ved, we hear about several kinds of textiles, among which the Hiranya cloth of gold features distinctively. This gold is represented in many of the Indian Gods and warriors from mythology, as they adorn it with grandeur driving their stately chariots. The Hiranya cloth has been usually interpreted as the earliest equivalent for the present day Zari work or the Kimkhab (brocades) which also finds references in the Vedic literature. Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and with or without gold and silver threads.
It is typically woven on a draw loom. Ornamental features in brocade are emphasized and wrought as additions to the main fabric, sometimes stiffening it, though more frequently producing on its face the effect of low relief. Through the Jataka tales and other early Pali texts, some more history of the weavers is revealed, including their guilds and other interesting details about their techniques. At this early stage of recorded Indian culture, it is known that Banaras and its surrounding areas had great cotton-growing regions. This may have spurred the textile industry in the city, which during the early period, was the capital of an important province or sometimes of a sovereign state. Banaras is known in the Pali literature as a reputed centre of textile manufacture, famous for its Kasikuttama and Kasiya. The Majjhimanikaya refers to the Varaaseyyaka, which is known for its fine texture. The Kasika Suchivastra, which is believed to be a type of embroidery, is also mentioned in early texts.
Banaras grew as a regional capital under the Nandas, the Mauryas and the Sungas and the tradition of the textile industry continued unhinged during those glorious periods. Patanjali, the famous writer of 2nd century BC, described Banarasi textile (also sometimes referred to as Kasika during the Sunga period), saying that it was more expensive and of better quality than similar material from Mathura. Similarly, the glory of textile manufacture in the city is reaffirmed by the Divyavadana, a Buddhist Sanskrit text of the same period, which made references to such fabrics known as Kasika Vastra and Kasi Kasikamsu. The city continued to flourish during the period of Lord Buddha. In the Sutras, it is mentioned that before becoming the Buddha, Prince Siddhartha took off luxurious silk clothes of courtly taste of Kashi and wore instead earth-cikiyred robe namely kasayani vastrani. In those days, monks could only wear cloths woven of waste silk fibres from wild silkworms, which was called 'bark fibre', and those of hemp. There is also a story in the Sutras of a person who, to embrace Buddhist faith, made an offering to the Buddha of cloths interwoven with golden threads.
In the Jataka, the Kashi Kingdom is mentioned as a principal centre of manufacturing cotton and silk in the 6th 5th century BC. Cotton cloths of Kashi were exquisitely woven, smooth, bleached completely white, and their fibres were fine and soft. A myth says that when the Buddha passed away, his remains were purified with balm and wrapped with brand new cotton cloths from Kashi. In his book 'Banaras seen from within', Richard Lanmoy wrote that the Buddhist Jatakas (3rd 2nd century B.C) are a mine of information about life in ancient India, where it was mentioned that Banaras was a cotton growing region and famous for producing thread of a fine and soft texture.
It is believed that the patterns carved on the Sarnath Stupa (near Banaras) were transferred from the textile designs of the Gupta period, as depicted in the Ajanta frescoes of the same date. These bold geometrical patterns, interspersed with birds and animals, seemed to be were the most favoured from all of the ancient designs. The fabrics were calendared according to the Divyavadana. This process, called 'Ahata' in Sanskrit, is used for the garments belonging to the people of high ranks and royalty. It appears in the Amarakosa, which was a famous Sanskrit lexicon of the Gupta period, and was distinguishes it from the andhata (un-calendared) cloth. It is curious to note that the same process continues to be used in Banaras manufacturing even in the present day in localities in the city such as Kundigar Zola where several artisans earn their living through this trade. Describing Banaras in its full glory, Damodara Gupta (9th century AD), in his Kuttanimatam, wrote about a wealthy Banarasi, portrayed donning a lower garment which was shot with gold thread (kanakagarbhita). Even in that period, Banaras was one of the centres of popular zari manufacture, where such fabrics were enjoyed by the city's upper classes.
Similarly, the 'Uktivyaktiprakarana' clearly states that the Banaras merchants were rich and prosperous, making an abundance of riches through the zari trade. The Uktivyaktiprakarana specifically mentions the thriving textile industry of Banaras.
Historical evidence shows that the Banaras weaving industry reached its peak during the Mughal period, due to the patronage of mighty Mughal emperors such as Akbar. It is significant to note that there was an abrupt end to the old motif designs in the 16th century, in the sixteenth century. Contemporary paintings that wholesaled personalized motifs were introduced to the public, but were slightly modified for the Indian taste. More emphasis was given to floral designs, and the ancient animal and bird motifs were given up for good. There was an influx of Persian motifs due to the influence and importance of Persian masters in the court of Emperor Akbar. Amongst these masters, Ghias Naqshaband is remembered as one of the most legendary. European visitors to India in the Mughal period visited Banaras and recorded their impressions of the city's textile industry in their work. Ralph Fitch (1583-91) described Banaras as a thriving centre of the cotton textile industry. He also added that the city was known for manufacturing turbans in great numbers for the Mughals. From contemporary paintings, it can be see that the Mughals usually preferred zari material for their turbans, which hence became a benchmark for the city's thriving silk industry. Peter Mundy, who came to Banaras (1632) recorded that he found a silk canopy hanging over the Siva-lingam in the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, which might have been a work of Banaras zari or brocade. Another visitor by the name of Tavernier came to Varanasi in the year 1665 and gave references to the Banaras zari and brocade work of the Saris made here. He also noticed a caravan sarai in Banaras where the weavers directly sold clusters to their manufactures without the use of any middleman in their trade. In describing the Bindumadhava temple of Banaras, Tavernier wrote about how he noticed brocades and other silks over the temple's holy platform.
During Emperor Shahjahan's time, Varanasi continued to be famous for the production of cummer bonds, turbans and garments. Women's garments such as odhinis or dupattas (veils or long scarves) were the specialty of Varanasi up to the 18th and 19th centuries. Manucci, who wrote a famous travel-book called “Storia Do Mogor” during the second half of the 17th century, recorded that gold and silver zari textiles from Banaras were exported all over the world, which were “of the best quality”. The Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh, work or 1720 AD describes two other types of Banarasi fabrics the 'Jhuna' and the 'Mihrgula'.
During the British Raj in India, many well recorded descriptions of Banaras zari and brocades were made by British travellers to Banaras. George Viscount Valentia, in his travelogue, detailed some interesting information about Banaras textiles in early 19th century. Valentia held a Durbar in Banaras which was attended by textile traders who displayed some very good examples of zari and brocades. In his log, Valentia remarks that the brocades showed close patterns and were quite expensive, and were thus only worn on important occasions. He rightly observed that the prosperity of the people in the city mainly rested on its brocades and zari manufacture and trade these textiles were popular items of export to Europe. Valentia's description not only provided the historical existence of the silk industry of Banaras but also explained how the socio-economic aspect of the people is influenced by textiles industry during that period.
The then collector of Banaras Dweance recorded a considerable number (580 houses) of several types of artisans of the city when he made a census report during those times, amongst who were Muslim carpet weavers and Rajput weavers who produced several types of zari and brocades. Bishop Heber had described that “[Banaras] had a very considerable silk, cotton and woollen manufacture of its own”. Colin Masckenzie, a traveller to Banaras in 1847, recorded some interesting information about the zari and brocade textiles she wrote about an Indian prince who visited their party, and wore “wide trousers of cloth of gold” or brocade. This seemed to have been popular amongst the gentry of Banaras, which is corroborated by her later account and also by the surviving examples of that period.
Brocade designs from Banaras have traveled far and wide. It is needless to mention here that the art style and its intricacies of the Banarasi art form have been refined graciously by assimilating the cultures of many religious and cultural sects to its already rich art forms so as to cater to the needs of all sections of the people of the world; but without loosing its basic structural instincts. It has been unique in the time immemorial and so also now.
Though the handlooms and craft designs has drawn the strength from its quality, reputation and art style, it is difficult for any user and artist to understand the vicissitude of art forms it generates on thousands of end used products produced by the skillful weavers of Varanasi. In order to bring these unique products to the knowledge domain of the larger users and patrons of these great products, a humble effort has sincerely been taken by the Human Welfare Association (HWA) to capture some of the selected unique products in this catalogue. Explanations to each of them have been extended in a very brief and holistic which may not explain the product elaborately. Of course, it is not in our strength to explain the product in language. The readers and the beholder therefore may imagine the uniqueness of the product largely in their own way. We also created this catalogue with a great feeling that a sincere visualization of the catalogue by the beholder will cosmically support the skillful weavers who have been creating these immortal art forms.
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