Banaras
sarees are woven by the ‘karigars’or artists of Banaras or
Varanasi in
Uttar Pradesh. ‘Kalabuttum’, finely drawn gold and silver or base metal threads wound round as silk thread, is used for weaving Banaras sarees. Jandhuri, Banaks, Mukta and Sandal are the major varieties of silk used in the sarees. Even now the textiles of Banaras are woven using the traditional naksha dran looms.