Every craft has its own language, and Banaras is no exception. Here is a plain-English guide to the words you’ll meet when you choose a Banarasi, from kadwa to zari.
The Banarasi glossary
- Booti / Buti — a small, scattered motif, like a single flower or leaf repeated across the saree.
- Boota — a larger version of a booti, a bigger motif often used on the pallu or border.
- Brocade — cloth with raised, woven-in patterns made by adding extra (often gold or silver) threads during weaving.
- Cutwork (fekua) — a weave where design threads run across the back between motifs and are clipped away afterwards; faster and more affordable than kadwa.
- Jaal — an all-over pattern built on a net or trellis of motifs.
- Jangla — a dense, free-flowing all-over pattern of vines and flowers.
- Kadwa — a technique where each motif is woven in separately, with no loose threads behind; slow, fine and prized.
- Katan — pure silk yarn made of twisted filaments, the classic base of a fine Banarasi.
- Kinkhab / Kimkhab — the richest, most gold-laden brocade of all; the heavy cloth-of-gold tradition that lends Khinkhwab its name.
- Kora — unfinished, crisp silk with a stiff, organza-like hand.
- Meenakari — coloured silk worked into the motifs alongside the gold, like enamel on jewellery. Alfi uses two colours (gold + silver); tilfi uses three.
- Naksha — the grid of knotted strings that ‘programmes’ the loom; the ancestor of the Jacquard card.
- Naqshband — the designer who creates the naksha.
- Pallu — the decorative end of the saree, draped over the shoulder.
- Rangkat — a weave joining blocks of different-coloured silk within one cloth.
- Resham — coloured silk thread, as opposed to metallic zari.
- Shikargah — a pictorial weave of hunting and forest scenes.
- Tanchoi — a dense, satiny weave with no loose floats on the back.
- Tissue — a light, shimmering silk shot with zari so it gleams like gossamer.
- Zari — the metallic thread (gold or silver) that gives a Banarasi its shine; real zari uses genuine gold or silver.
Want the stories behind the words?
We explore many of these in depth across our journal — from how a Banarasi is woven to what kadwa weaving really means. Or simply browse our handwoven Banarasi sarees.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between katan and kora silk?
Katan is twisted pure-silk yarn with a soft, substantial feel; kora is unfinished, crisp silk with a stiffer, organza-like hand.
What does zari mean?
Zari is the metallic thread — traditionally real gold or silver — woven into a Banarasi to create its shine and gold motifs.
