Baluchari Saree

Baluchari Saree originated in East India in the small village of Murshidabad. Its origins, however, both technically and decoratively is from the western state of Gujarat. The production was greatly helped by the colonial East India Company, starting in the 18th century through the 19th century.

The production process of Baluchari can be divided into several parts. The cultivation of cocoons for producing raw silk.  Processing of yarns to make the silk soft and crisper. Then comes the motif making which is in itself an intricate process. Then comes the weaving which could take several days with two weavers working in alternating shifts. Baluchari thus prepared becomes a sign of aristocracy and status. The maintenance of quality control of Baluchari saree was exact and tightly supervised from the stage of dying the yarn to packaging the saree.

The decoration of Baluchari sarees, mainly in the pallu, could include mythological creatures but mostly feature scenes with Indian and western folks engaged in everyday activities. They usually frame the pallu center which has paisley motifs.