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What is a Banarasi Jamawar Saree and how is it made?

Jamawar word has its origin in Urdu, ‘Jama’ meaning a cloak or shawl and ‘war’ referring to measuring unit of one yard. In the context of Indian subcontinent, this kind of fabric has its roots in Kashmir. Jamawar shawls are woven in Pashmina as well as cotton and silk (in more adulterated form). Jamawar fabrics and the skills associated with weaving it in India is believed to have arrived five centuries ago from Persia as a result of political conquests, trade and migration. During Mohmd. Tughlak’s reign in 14th century ‘ the subcontinent was in greater contact with Central Asia and it is believed that local weavers learnt the skill of brocading from Iranian craftsmen who arrived in the wake of political conquest by invaders from the region (Mohanty 1984:353). It is equally probable that some of these immigrant craftsmen settled in western and northern India as many weavers today describe themselves as descendants of these medieval immigrants, tracing their ancestry to Hazrat Khwaja Bahauddin. Bahauddin is believed to be the inventor of the naqsha, the key element in the creation of the Banarasi brocade and his mausoleum is in Bokhara (present-day Uzbekistan), which further provides support to the belief that the craft has Central Asian connections (Mohanty 1984:353).’( Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan in Sahapedia.org)

Historically, it took years to weave a Jamawar textiles and it was something that only the royalty could patronize. In the 18th century after the advent of Jacquard loom, the process became faster and thus affordable for more people to appreciate and adopt this beautiful woven fabric. Banarsi sarees in Jamawar technique came into practice in Banaras only in the 19th century.

Jamawar Banarsi saree weaving is a sophisticated satin weave technique where motifs are created using weft yarns unlike zari which uses extra weft or supplementary warp to create the motifs. The resulting fabric has no loose ends on the back of the fabric, thus not requiring any cutwork in the back. A smooth finish in the back and subtle embossed embroidered affect is achieved on the surface, shimmering with different colored silk threads. If you have sensitive skin then these cutwork threads in the back of the saree can feel rough and irritate the skin. Jamawar sarees are smooth to the touch and shimmer with intricate designs mainly featuring sinuous paisley motifs in addition to other curvilinear botanical themed motifs characteristic of the Persian design influence. The color schemes can range from traditional to contemporary pastels, Jamawar sarees are not only a delight to look at but a pleasure to wear and feel due to the smooth satin feel. Notice the smooth satin look and feel on the reverse side of the green saree shown in the above photo. Jamawar and Tanchoi both are satin weave techniques, what sets Jamawar Banarsi apart is the design language and Persian inspired densely woven motifs.
This technique of handweaving often involves two weavers working on one saree that may take upto a month or more to complete,depending on the complexity of the design.

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