A reference from the atelier
The Saree Glossary.
A working A–Z of the words our weavers and karigars actually use — the names of the weaves, the techniques, the motifs, and the bridal vocabulary that turns a length of cloth into a family heirloom. Compiled at the loom side, not the desk.
weaves
The weaves
Where a saree is born — the regional handloom traditions of India.
- Banarasi
- A pure silk saree handwoven in Varanasi (Banaras), Uttar Pradesh, known for dense gold and silver zari work, Mughal-influenced motifs, and weights ranging from feather-light organza to heavy bridal katan.See also: Kadwa · Cutwork · Tanchoi · Jangla · Katan silk
- Kanjivaram
- A heavy pure-silk saree handwoven in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, identified by its korvai contrast border, pitni pallu joint, and real gold-coated silver zari over a silk core.See also: Korvai · Pitni · Zari · Real zari burn test
- Patan Patola
- A double-ikat silk saree from Patan, Gujarat, where both warp and weft are tie-dyed before weaving — a single saree takes 4–6 months and is woven only by the Salvi family.See also: Ikat · Single ikat · Rajkot Patola
- Paithani
- A pure silk saree woven in Paithan and Yeola, Maharashtra, recognised by its tapestry-technique borders and signature peacock, parrot and lotus motifs in real zari.
- Chanderi
- A light, semi-transparent saree from Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, woven in a silk-cotton or pure silk blend, prized for its sheer fall and small buti motifs.
- Maheshwari
- A reversible-border saree from Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, traditionally woven in cotton and silk, with characteristic narrow striped pallu.
- Pochampally Ikat
- A geometric tie-dyed ikat saree from Pochampally, Telangana, woven in silk or cotton, where the pattern is dyed into the threads before weaving — recognised as a GI-tagged craft.
- Gadwal
- A Telangana saree with a pure cotton body and a separately-woven pure silk pallu and border interlocked with the korvai technique.
- Narayanpet
- A traditional checked-border saree from Narayanpet, Telangana, woven in pure silk or cotton, with simple temple motifs and a short pallu.
- Mangalagiri
- A pure cotton or silk-cotton saree from Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, identified by its plain body and distinctive Nizam border in zari.
- Uppada Jamdani
- A featherweight Jamdani-technique silk saree from Uppada, Andhra Pradesh, where motifs are interwoven into the body rather than printed or embroidered.
- Venkatagiri
- A delicate cotton or silk saree from Venkatagiri, Andhra Pradesh, known for fine count, gold zari motifs scattered on the body and a contrast border.
- Kalamkari
- A hand-painted or block-printed cotton or silk saree from Andhra Pradesh, made with vegetable dyes and pen-drawn (kalam = pen) narrative motifs.
- Bandhani
- A tie-dyed saree from Gujarat and Rajasthan, where thousands of tiny knots are tied by hand before dyeing to create the dotted pattern.
- Tussar
- A wild silk saree with a natural golden tone and a slubby texture, woven from the cocoons of forest-fed silkworms in Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal.
- Organza Banarasi
- A transparent, crisp Banarasi woven in organza silk, dramatically lighter than katan, popular for cocktail and reception wear.
- Tissue
- A saree woven with a fine metallic zari weft on a silk warp, giving the cloth a liquid, foil-like sheen.
- Kora
- Unbleached, untreated silk yarn — sarees woven in kora silk have a slightly stiff hand-feel and a natural ivory tone before dyeing.
- Katan silk
- Two-ply pure mulberry silk yarn, the heaviest and most prestigious base for bridal Banarasi sarees.
techniques
Techniques & motifs
The vocabulary the weavers themselves use.
- Korvai
- A South Indian weaving technique where the saree border is woven on a separate warp and interlocked thread-by-thread with the body — the hallmark of an authentic pure Kanjivaram.
- Pitni
- The traditional joint where a Kanjivaram pallu (woven separately) is attached to the body of the saree — visible as a fine zigzag line on the reverse, never a sewn seam.
- Kadwa
- A Banarasi technique where each motif is hand-woven individually using a small shuttle, leaving no float threads on the back — the most labour-intensive Banarasi style.
- Cutwork
- A Banarasi technique where extra weft threads float across the back of the motif and are cut by hand after weaving — lighter and faster than kadwa.
- Tanchoi
- A Banarasi weave originally borrowed from Chinese silk technique, with no float threads and densely-packed jacquard-like motifs that look identical on front and back.
- Jangla
- A Banarasi style with an all-over jungle (jangla) of trailing floral vines and creepers.
- Jamdani
- A discontinuous supplementary-weft technique (Bengal and Uppada) where each motif is interwoven by hand using individually loaded weft threads.
- Meenakari
- Colourful enamel-like detailing added to gold zari motifs using fine resham (silk thread) — common on Banarasi and Patola.
- Tilfi
- A three-shuttle Banarasi weave that uses three coloured wefts in a single motif, producing layered gold, silver and meenakari accents.
- Bhuttis / Butis
- Small, scattered motifs across the body of the saree — a single buti can be a leaf, a flower, a paisley or a geometric shape.
- Pallu
- The decorative end-piece of the saree that drapes over the shoulder.
- Anchal
- Synonym for pallu in Bengali, Hindi and several regional traditions.
- Selvedge
- The finished lengthwise edge of the saree, woven by the loom itself, that prevents the cloth from fraying.
materials
Materials & threads
What the saree is actually made of — and how to tell.
- Zari
- Metallic thread used in weaving — traditionally real zari is silver wire flattened, gilded with gold, and twisted around a silk core.
- Real zari
- Pure gold-plated silver wire wound on a silk core. It burns to a reddish copper residue and is heavier than imitation zari.
- Tested zari
- Zari of a known silver content, sold with a hallmark tag — used in Kanjivarams to certify the value of the metal.
- Imitation / electroplated zari
- A copper or polyester thread coated with metallic colour. Cheaper, lighter and curls into black ash when burnt.
- Mulberry silk
- The highest grade of cultivated silk, fed on mulberry leaves — soft, lustrous and the standard for Kanjivaram and Banarasi katan.
- Resham
- Pure silk thread used for embroidery and supplementary motifs.
- Silk Mark
- A hologram tag issued by the Silk Mark Organisation of India certifying that a saree is woven from pure silk.
- GI tag
- Geographical Indication — a legal certification that a craft (Patola, Kanjivaram, Banarasi, etc.) is genuinely from its origin region.
- Power-loom
- A mechanised loom that weaves faster and cheaper than a handloom. Power-loom sarees lack the subtle irregularities and float threads of true handloom.
draping
Draping & styling
The grammar of how a saree is worn.
- Nivi drape
- The modern Indian saree drape — pleats tucked at the navel, pallu over the left shoulder. The default in most of India.
- Madisar
- A traditional nine-yard Tamil Brahmin saree drape, worn for weddings and religious ceremonies.
- Kappulu / Andhra drape
- A traditional Andhra drape with the pallu pleated and pinned at the right shoulder.
- Bengali drape
- A two-pleat drape with the pallu carried over the right shoulder and back over the left — typically with a key-ring (chabi) at the corner.
- Lehenga drape
- A modern drape where the pleats are spread and pinned to fall like a lehenga skirt — popular for bridal couture sarees.
- Fall
- A cotton or satin strip stitched to the inner hem of the saree to give it weight and protect the silk from wear.
- Pico
- The fine rolled-edge stitch applied to the open lengthwise edges of the saree to finish them.
- Pre-pleated saree
- A saree pre-stitched with the pleats and pallu set in place — for ease and consistency, especially for first-time wearers and NRI brides.
bridal
Bridal & trousseau
The vocabulary of an Indian bridal wardrobe.
- Trousseau
- The full curated wardrobe a bride takes into her new home — at Trisha Silks, typically 7–15 sarees spanning muhurtam, reception, sangeet, post-wedding and travel pieces.
- Muhurtam saree
- The saree worn at the exact auspicious hour of the wedding ceremony — traditionally a heavy red, maroon or arakku-mango pure Kanjivaram.
- Reception saree
- A lighter, more contemporary saree — typically organza Banarasi, tissue or a soft Kanjivaram in pastels.
- Sangeet saree
- A festive saree worn for the pre-wedding music night — usually Patola, Bandhani or a hand-embroidered designer saree.
- Arakku
- A deep oxblood / brick red — the most traditional muhurtam Kanjivaram colour for South Indian brides.
- Mayilkan
- A peacock-throat colour — a deep blue-green Kanjivaram shade, sacred in South Indian bridal tradition.
- Heirloom restyling
- A bespoke service where a mother's or grandmother's saree is re-falled, re-pallu-ed, re-zari-ed or re-cut into a wearable couture piece for the next generation.
care
Care & storage
How a pure silk saree stays wearable for fifty years.
- Dry-cleaning
- Pure silk and zari sarees should be dry-cleaned by a saree specialist — never machine-washed or even hand-washed at home, which dulls the zari.
- Muslin wrap
- The traditional storage method — wrap each silk saree in a clean cotton muslin square; never directly in plastic, which traps moisture and corrodes zari.
- Re-fold
- Refold a stored silk saree every 3–4 months along a different line, to prevent permanent crease damage and zari breakage at the fold.
- Zari blackening
- When real zari oxidises and darkens over years — restorable by a karigar with a gold-paste rub or a partial re-zari of the affected motifs.
- Naphthalene-free storage
- Pure silk should be stored with neem leaves, cloves, or silica — naphthalene balls leave permanent oily marks on silk.
Continue at the atelier
Read on, in our journal.
Each of these words has a longer story. Step into the journal for the full guides — how to spot a real Kanjivaram in sixty seconds, how to choose a bridal weight, how to care for the saree your daughter will one day inherit.