Baluchari Sari of West Bengal

Geographical Background Bishnupur is an earthy town, 110 kilometers from Kolkata and situated in Bankura district. The town is well connected with cities like Kolkata, Durgapur, Burdawan by train and bus. The climate here is hot and dry. Not enough rainfall takes place here during monsoons. Places around Bishnupur are mostly barren and the plateau ofBengal falls in this region. Temperature during summer goes up to 38 degree c, and in winter it drops to 10 deg c`. The town has atleast 12 water resources (Bandh) of different sizes. The colour of the soil is red here, which is very unique to this place. Historical Background Silk is an English word and the synonym of it is Resham which is used in French also. Though researchers say that China was the inventor of silk, but the use of pattavastra (silk) was age old in India. Another name of it is Kousaya which is mentioned by Koutilya in his book ‘ Arthashastra’. In the history of textile in Bengal, Baluchari came much after muslin. Two hundred years ago Baluchari used to be practiced in a small village called Baluchar, situated in Murshidabad district. From the name of the village the sari was named Baluchari. In 18th century, Nawab of Bengal, MurshidKuli Khan shifted his capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad. He was the person who patronized the rich weaving tradition and Baluchari flourished from that time onwards. From its birth period itself Baluchari was the adornment of the elite class. During the period of Delhi-Bengal political intimacy, it ...