Mesmerising Tanchoi Sarees

The mesmerising tanchoi sarees with their complex weaving techniques in multiple hues & shades creating mystical look.... now at Artisan Saga...

Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Ashtami and now finally Dussera, the day of Vijayadashmi... time for struggle is over, Victory is achieved, the war has been won... So it's time to celebrate big time... the new beginnings bring with it the advent of new month too and today I want to start with a beautiful tanchoi saree also featured in the article published on Artisan Saga, on the victory day itself, titled, 'Unfolding the Nine Yards, Artisan Saga's Way'

Interested Readers can find the article on our FB page as well as in the news section.

Tanchois are beautiful, graceful, delicate & royal, and moreover are Banarasis…. A Banarasi with all its richness & opulence is always coveted by all saree lovers, as there’s a wide & varied range of banarasi weaves, the choice to pick one becomes difficult. Inevitably we land up buying more n more and sometimes in ignorance we accumulate a lot of unwanted stuff. In today’s time when cheap imitations are available all around, powerloom being sold in the name of handloom, mixed fabric being passed off as pure, tested zari being called real zari and so on…. It then becomes imperative to make an informed decision so that we can truly cherish our coveted possession.

Here at Artisan Saga, I say with great pride that we source authentic handlooms, in pure fabric from the best of weavers. These really are the best from the finest hand.

To move on with beautiful Tanchois, let's get to know a bit more about them...

Tanchoi Weaving is an age-old craft brought to India from China by 3 Parsi brothers in 19th century to Gujrat. The weavers once trained in the technique adapted it later to suit Indian style. In 1940s, Banaras took over the technique & incorporated zari work into Tanchoi sarees, which has further evolved different varieties over the decades. The Tanchoi weaver initially wove sarees & yardage of use to Parsi women but as Banaras evolved the technique and introduced variety, it gained popularity & now as we all know, these are considered as special due to their complex weaving.

Tanchoi Sarees are famed for their intricate and small weaving pattern over the fabric, involving a single or double warp with 2-5 colors on the weft which are often of the same shade on Silk fabric. This indeed is it's unique feature & moreover it's fabric texture background has a satin finish. An extra weft, as in brocade, is added to give the saree an appearance of it being embroidered. The motifs used are those of flowers, small birds in flight, peacock and parrot. Tancoi sarees are not as heavy as other Banarasi zari sarees as these are more universal, meant for all kinds of occasions, all age groups.

Banarasi Tanchoi has different varieties:

1. Satin Tanchoi – Here, the base fabric is Satin with warp in single colour & weft in 2 or more colours with extra weft for patterning.
2. Satin Jari Tanchoi – Here, the zari thread is used along with the silk thread in the weft.
3. Atlas or Gilt – it is heavier silk, pure satin, full with zari making it shine more than others.
4. Mushabbar – Depicting nature & greenery, Mushabbar is scenic, like a net of bushes & branches, reflecting a jungle, the weave is that dense.

5. Jamavar - weave is more dense, silk heavier,  full jaal woven like a net of jungle, big paisley pattern, especially an ambi with multiple colours in weft, bigger the motif & more the colours, the price goes up...

To view our curation of Tanchoi Sarees click on –

https://www.artisansaga.com/collections/banarasi-sarees/tanchoi