Peacock Blue Tussar Ghicha Silk Saree with Red Pallu – Bhagalpuri Handloom

Sagar

A vivid peacock blue through the body, gold breaking through wherever the ghicha runs, and then the whole thing turns — a broad brick-red pallu, banded across in gold zari.

About the weave

There is no print and no painting here. The blue is dyed over ghicha yarn that is naturally golden, so flecks of gold come through the colour along the whole length of the cloth. It is why the blue reads deep rather than flat, and why it shifts between peacock and sea-green as the drape moves.

The red pallu is woven in rather than joined on, with groups of fine gold zari stripes running across it and a narrow zari line closing both selvedges. Blue against red is a bold pairing and an old one — it works because the gold sits between them.

About the fabric

Tussar Ghicha silk, handwoven in Bhagalpur. Ghicha is the yarn drawn from the outer layers of the cocoon and spun by hand — hence the slubby, uneven texture and the soft matte lustre rather than a flat shine. It has more body than plain tussar and holds a pleat well.

Details

• Fabric: Pure handloom Ghicha Tussar silk
• Colour: Peacock blue with brick red and gold zari
• Border: Fine gold zari, both sides
• Pallu: Brick red with gold zari stripe bands
• Body: Plain peacock blue, with the natural gold striation of ghicha yarn
• Saree length: 5.5 m · Width: 1.10 m
• Blouse piece: 0.80 m, matching, unstitched
• Package contains: 1 saree with blouse piece
• Wash care: Dry clean only

On handloom

Handloom cloth is woven entirely by hand, without electric power — a rhythm of foot and shuttle that takes years to learn and cannot be hurried. Every weaving cluster has its own way of rendering a weave, particular to its region, its yarn and its craft, which is why two handloom sarees from different districts never quite look alike.

On tussar

Tussar is spun by forest-reared silkworms rather than farmed ones, which is where its natural gold tone and its coarser, more textured hand come from. It was first woven by tribal women in eastern India, and the slight roughness people sometimes mistake for a flaw is the whole character of the cloth.

On colour and variation

Each piece is woven individually and dyed in small batches, so slight unevenness in the slub, in the selvedge and in the depth of colour is inherent to the process rather than a defect. These variations are what make a hand-dyed, handwoven piece its own thing. Colour may vary slightly from your screen.