Varanasi · Things to do

Banarasi silk, at the loom

Working days, mornings are best

A handloom in a Varanasi weaving workshop, gold zari thread on the warp, the weaver's hands at the shuttle

A handloom in a Varanasi weaving workshop, gold zari thread on the warp, the weaver's hands at the shuttle

The weaving quarters — Madanpura, Lallapura and the lanes around them — are where Banarasi brocade is actually made, on handlooms, by families who have done it for generations. Silk brocade weaving took hold in Banaras around the seventeenth century and flourished through the eighteenth and nineteenth.

A Banarasi sari is known for its gold and silver zari, fine silk and intricate floral and foliate motifs: the kalga and bel, and the jhallar, a row of upright leaves along the border. A single sari takes from fifteen days to a month on the loom, and the most elaborate up to six months. Watching the zari go in explains the price in a way no shop can.

Go to a workshop rather than a showroom, and go with someone who knows which is which. The trade has a long history of visitors being taken to whichever emporium pays the commission; ask us and we will point you somewhere that weaves.

Things to do

More in Varanasi

All things to do
Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat — musicians and listeners on the steps at sunrise, mist on the riverSubah-e-Banaras at AssiChanting, yoga and classical music, at sunrise.Ganga aarti — priests on raised platforms swinging tiered brass lamps, the crowd behind themGanga aarti at DashashwamedhThe evening offering to the river, done in full.A wooden boat on the Ganga at first light, the ghats and their buildings catching the sunA boat at dawnThe only way to see the ghats as one thing.Sarnath — the giant seated Buddha statue among trees, one of the modern temples around the siteSarnathWhere the Buddha gave his first sermon.Ramnagar Fort from the river — sandstone walls and balconies above the far bank of the GangaRamnagar FortThe Maharaja's fort, and its magnificently odd museum.

Stays

Where to stay in Varanasi

All houses
Pratham, Varanasi: double bed with an ochre runner facing a leaded-glass window, wooden ceiling with a fan, air conditioning and a door open to the screened verandahPrathamOur first house: amber light, a wooden ceiling and a balcony full of flowersMinimilist, Varanasi: white bedroom with a double bed under a yellow-and-white block-print spread, saffron curtains at a barred window, two wall sconces and a marble floor with an inlaid borderMinimilistWhite walls, marigold accents and room to thinkBoutique, Varanasi: teal bedroom with gold wall mouldings, dark tufted headboard, blue cushions and runner, upholstered bench at the foot of the bedBoutiqueThree rooms, three moods: blue and gold, rose, and emeraldSantorini, Varanasi: white room with a teak bed, blue cushions and runner, blue shutters open to the balcony and a blue console table oppositeSantoriniWhitewash, cobalt and jali windows framing the Varanasi skyGardenia, Varanasi: double bed with a yellow headboard and bedspread, rolled towels laid out, mustard wardrobes either side of a white arched niche, marble floorGardeniaSunlit yellow rooms that open onto a shaded garden lawn