From the Founder
Silk Sarees
Silk in Banaras is older than the city's modern map. Long before the Mughals codified its motifs, weavers in Madanpura were already drawing thread through warp at three in the morning — when the air is cool enough that the silk does not stretch, and the zari, real silver dipped in gold, will not tarnish from the heat of a working palm.
Every Katan silk here begins as two-ply, twisted yarn — the kind that catches light along the rib of the weave rather than reflecting it flat. We refuse art-silk substitutes. We refuse zari that is merely coated. The pieces in this room are kadhwa, woven motif by motif, the discontinuous brocade where each butti is its own small landscape, lifted and tied off by hand before the next is begun.
A standard kadhwa Katan saree takes between four hundred and twelve hundred hours on the loom, depending on the density of the work. There is no way to hurry it. There is no machine version of this. There is only the weaver — Mohammed-ji, Aslam bhai, Rizwan — and the silence of a courtyard in Madanpura, broken only by the soft strike of the comb.
What you are seeing is not fabric. It is time, made visible.
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 is Katan Silk?
Katan refers to the two-ply, twisted silk yarn that forms the warp and weft of a true Banarasi. Twisting two single threads together — by hand, on a charkha — gives the yarn its characteristic strength and the woven cloth its faint, almost imperceptible rib, the surface that catches light along the body of the saree rather than reflecting it flat.
The silk itself is mulberry, sourced from Karnataka and Murshidabad and reeled into yarn in Bhagalpur and Banaras. It is then dyed in small lots — five to twelve sarees at a time — using acid dyes for jewel tones and natural dyes for our earth palette. Real Katan silk has weight in the hand, a cool initial touch that warms to the body, and a quiet rustle when the pallu falls. Art-silk substitutes are bright, slippery, and silent.
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.