Run your hand over a Tanchoi and you'll feel it before you understand it: a Banarasi with no rough floats on the back, woven so the pattern seems to rise from within the silk itself.
✨ Fun fact: The name Tanchoi is said to come from three Parsi brothers — tan, an old word for three, and Chhoi, the name of the Chinese master who taught them.
A weave with no wasted thread
What sets a Tanchoi apart is its structure. In most brocade, extra weft threads carrying the design float loose across the back and are later cut, which is why a brocade reverse can feel rough. A Tanchoi instead binds those colour threads into the body of the cloth, so the back is smooth and the design is dense, satiny and finished-looking. The result is a saree that feels supple and substantial at once, with motifs that glow rather than glitter.
The story of the three brothers
The tale that gives the weave its name travels from China to Gujarat to Banaras. In the nineteenth century, the story goes, three brothers from a Parsi weaving family of Surat — remembered as the Joshis, though some tellings record the name as Jokhi — were sent to China, under the patronage of the merchant Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, to learn its silk-weaving secrets. They returned with the technique and the name of their teacher, Chhoi — tan-Chhoi, the three of Chhoi. When the craft later found its way to Banaras, the city's weavers made it their own, marrying the smooth weave to Mughal and Persian motifs. As with many such origin stories, it is best enjoyed as cherished legend rather than documented fact.
How to spot a Tanchoi
Look at the back: a true Tanchoi has no long cut floats, just a neat, closely-woven reverse. The patterns — often small repeating birds, flowers or paisleys (buti) — sit in tone-on-tone or softly contrasting colours, giving that signature jewel-like depth.
Tanchoi at Khinkhwab
We love the Tanchoi for everyday luxury: rich enough for a celebration, soft enough to drape and re-drape with ease. Explore our Tanchoi Banarasi sarees.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Tanchoi saree?
A Banarasi silk woven so the extra colour threads are bound into the cloth rather than floating loose on the back, giving a dense, smooth, satiny fabric with no rough reverse.
Where does the name Tanchoi come from?
By tradition, from three Parsi brothers of a Surat weaving family (remembered as the Joshis, or Jokhis in some tellings) who learned the weave in China and took the name of their teacher, Chhoi — tan (three) Chhoi.
How is a Tanchoi different from ordinary brocade?
Ordinary brocade has loose weft floats cut away on the back; a Tanchoi binds them in, so it is smoother, heavier and looks finished on both sides.
Sources & further reading
General histories of Banarasi weaving and the Parsi Tanchoi tradition; Khinkhwab weavers' accounts. See also our looms of Banaras.
