From the Founder
Sarees
Every Danyah saree begins on a pit loom in Madanpura, Varanasi — a half-sunken wooden frame that the weaver climbs into at dawn and does not leave until the light fails. The looms are old. The youngest of them is forty years; the oldest in our circle is closer to ninety, passed from grandfather to grandson, still strung with the same handmade reed.
We work with sixteen master weavers across four neighbourhoods. Each piece in this room was made by a single pair of hands, on a single loom, in a process that takes between two and twelve months. We do not group-weave; we do not power-loom; we do not finish elsewhere. From the moment the warp is dressed to the moment the pallu is cut, the saree never leaves its weaver's bench.
At our Mumbai atelier, every saree is laid flat, photographed under daylight, checked against the weaver's own swatch, and paired with an authenticity passport — the weaver's name, the loom number, the silk-and-zari composition, and a private serial that lives on our blockchain log.
What you choose from here is one of one. The next saree to come off that loom will be its cousin, not its replica.
By Danyah Banaras
Danyah Banaras Fine Mashru Silk With Checkered Design Predraped Saree
Rs. 8,999.00
Know What You're Wearing
A short course in this cloth
Three things every Danyah buyer should know before they fold this saree into a trousseau.
The Weave
What makes a Banarasi a Banarasi?
A true Banarasi is hand-woven on a pit loom in or around Varanasi, in one of four traditional weaves — kadhwa (motif-by-motif brocade), kadiyal (interlocked colour borders), jangla (continuous floral net), or tanchoi (silk-on-silk satin weave). It must use real silk and real metallic zari — silver thread, gilded in gold — and it must be made by hand from warp to pallu by a single weaver.
Power-loom imitations sold as Banarasi exist; they are bright, light, and finished in hours rather than months. A real Banarasi has weight, a faint cool-to-warm shift against the skin, and a small irregularity at the back of the weave where the weaver tied off his weft. That irregularity is the proof of the hand.
Authenticate
How to identify an authentic piece
- The reverse test. Turn the saree over. On a true Banarasi the back of the brocade shows clean, individually tied weft threads at the edge of each motif. A power-loom print shows a smooth, machine-finished underside or long floating threads.
- The burn test (on a 2cm tassel only). Real silk burns to a fine ash, smells like burnt hair, and self-extinguishes. Art silk melts into a hard plastic bead and smells acrid.
- The zari test. Scrape a small section of zari with a fingernail. Real metallic zari reveals a silver core under the gilt. Plastic zari peels back to a coloured polyester thread.
- The passport. Every Danyah saree ships with an authenticity card listing the weaver's name, loom number, silk and zari composition, and a blockchain-logged serial.
Care
Care & longevity
- Dry clean only, sparingly. A Banarasi does not need cleaning after every wear. Air it inside-out in shade for a full day after wearing; clean only after every three to four uses.
- Fold along the loom line. Refold the saree every two months along a different crease to prevent the zari from cracking along a permanent fold. Store flat where possible.
- Wrap in undyed muslin. Never store directly in plastic or in a sealed bag — silk needs to breathe. A clean cotton mulmul wrap protects against moisture and oxidation of the zari.
- Tuck in a clove or two. Whole cloves and dried neem leaves keep silverfish and moths away without staining the cloth. Refresh every six months.
- If a thread pulls, do not cut it. Send it to us — we maintain a free lifetime mending service at our Mumbai atelier for any saree purchased from Danyah Banaras.
Handwoven Banarasi sarees, sourced direct from Varanasi
Our Banarasi sarees are woven on traditional pit-looms in the bylanes of Madanpura, Varanasi — by master weavers whose families have been weaving for four to six generations. Each piece is hand-checked at our Mumbai atelier, finished, and paired with an authenticity certificate that lists the weaver's name, the loom number, and the exact silk and zari composition.
Whether you are shopping for a bridal Banarasi, a festive Katan silk, or a ready-to-wear pre-draped piece, every saree on Danyah Banaras carries the same promise: real silk, real zari, real craft.
ANSWERED, KINDLY
The questions our patrons ask most
Slow answers to the questions our patrons write in about most often.
Every saree is woven on a pit-loom in Madanpura, Varanasi, by a named master weaver, and ships with an authenticity certificate that records the weaver's name, the loom number, and the exact silk and zari composition. Turn the saree over — a hand-woven piece shows individually cut and re-anchored zari floats on the reverse, like braille; a power-loom shows long, uniform floats.
Prices reflect the loom-hours, the silver content of the zari, and the silk grade. A light Banarasi or Tanchoi begins at ₹45,000; a mid-weight festive piece sits between ₹65,000 and ₹1,20,000; a kadhwa bridal saree in pure Katan silk with a sona-rupa pallu ranges from ₹1,40,000 to ₹2,80,000. The wage paid to the weaver is printed on every certificate.
In-stock sarees ship within 3–5 working days from our Mumbai atelier, with insured express delivery across India and to the UK, US, Singapore, UAE, Canada and Australia. International orders typically arrive in 5–9 days. Bridal commissions are made-to-loom and take four to seven months — book early to confirm a loom slot.
Dry-clean only, by a specialist who knows real zari. Between wears, wrap the saree in unbleached muslin — never plastic — and refold along a different crease every three months so the zari does not fatigue at a single line. Store away from direct sunlight and naphthalene. With this care, a kadhwa Katan silk Banarasi lasts a hundred years.
Yes. We accept colour, motif and zari-weight commissions on every weave we offer; a 30 percent deposit confirms the loom slot. Blouse stitching, fall-and-pico, and pre-draping are available on every saree at the Mumbai atelier. Write to atelier@danyahbanaras.com or book a video consultation from the Atelier Appointment page.
In-stock sarees may be returned or exchanged within 7 days of delivery, provided the saree is unworn, unwashed, and ships back with its original certificate and tags. Bridal commissions and made-to-order pieces are non-returnable but carry a lifetime re-weave guarantee on the zari. Full terms are on our Care and Promise page.