A free guide to the sarees of the world
Every saree in the world, thread by thread.
Silk, cotton and wild silk; ikat, brocade, jamdani and bandhani: every weave and every drape, filed by region and weaving centre. What it is, who weaves it, how it is worn, and when.
- 161
- sarees so far
- 44
- drapes, step by step
- 67
- weaving centres
- 203
- on our list to write
Saree of the day, Sunday 15 NovemberPedana KalamkariVegetable-dyed, block-printed cloth from Pedana, near Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh🇮🇳 India
Dharmavaram silk sariBhagalpur sariKasaragod sareeBatikKitengeGarad sariTenunChikankariMaheshwari sareeLeheriyaAgrunNakshi kanthaResist dyeingPaithaniKasavuPatadyongKachchh shawlGajiShaluChendamangalam sareeKovai Cora cottonUppada Jamdani sariIkatSindhi embroideryArani silk sareePhanekDukulaKimkhwabBalinese textilesSurat zariShaphee LanpheeDhotiTarpayaWangkhei PheeSujini embroideryKangaKhitEri silkGeringsingKebayaPipili appliqué workPatola sariMelhfaDoreaComilla khadiPedana KalamkariLanga voniBhagalpuri silkBrocadeGamosaKhanduaMuslinUlosKalamkariMatkaMurshidabad silkKasta sariOsariyaSumba textilesPuttapaka sariTangail sareeKembenKhesAssam silkHimationHabaspuri sariKaunakesKhara DupattaLambada embroideryMalda silkDharmavaram silk sariBhagalpur sariKasaragod sareeBatikKitengeGarad sariTenunChikankariMaheshwari sareeLeheriyaAgrunNakshi kanthaResist dyeingPaithaniKasavuPatadyongKachchh shawlGajiShaluChendamangalam sareeKovai Cora cottonUppada Jamdani sariIkatSindhi embroideryArani silk sareePhanekDukulaKimkhwabBalinese textilesSurat zariShaphee LanpheeDhotiTarpayaWangkhei PheeSujini embroideryKangaKhitEri silkGeringsingKebayaPipili appliqué workPatola sariMelhfaDoreaComilla khadiPedana KalamkariLanga voniBhagalpuri silkBrocadeGamosaKhanduaMuslinUlosKalamkariMatkaMurshidabad silkKasta sariOsariyaSumba textilesPuttapaka sariTangail sareeKembenKhesAssam silkHimationHabaspuri sariKaunakesKhara DupattaLambada embroideryMalda silk
How it is wrapped
Six to nine yards of cloth, and a different way of wearing it in every region. Each drape is drawn here step by step.
🇮🇳 A mekhela of about 2 yards and a chador of 2.5 to 3 yardsThe Assamese mekhela chadorAssam's two-piece dress: a wraparound skirt, the mekhela, and a long cloth, the chador, with a blouse.🇮🇳 5.5 to 6 yards of cloth, cut and sewn into one garmentThe pre-stitched sareeA saree with the pleats and often the pallu sewn in place, so it is stepped into and fastened like a skirt instead of being wrapped.🇮🇳 5.5 to 6 yards, with a jacketThe jacket sareeA fashion style in which a short or long jacket is worn over the blouse and under the pallu of a Nivi drape.🇹🇭 a rectangle of cloth, about 2 to 3 metresThe Thai chong krabenA rectangular cloth wrapped round the hips with the ends pulled between the legs and tucked at the back, giving a trouser shape, worn with a chest cloth.🇮🇳 5.5 to 6 yardsThe butterfly drapeA fashion drape in which the pallu is pleated and spread across both shoulders like wings, over an otherwise Nivi lower half.🇮🇳 6 yardsThe Kodava drapeThe saree of the Kodava women of Kodagu, with pleats gathered at the back and the pallu pinned at the shoulder.🇮🇳 9 yardsThe Brahmin kashtaThe nine yard saree as worn by Marathi Brahmin women, with back pleats and a plain, formal arrangement of the pallu.🇮🇳 A mundu of about 2.5 yards and a neriyathu of about 2 yardsThe Kerala mundum neriyathumKerala's two-piece cream and gold dress: a wrapped lower cloth, the mundu, and a shoulder cloth, the neriyathu.
Live, Sunday 15 November
Worn now and next
Sarees follow the calendar: festivals, weddings and weaver days, with what is worn for each.
On now, about 13 to 16 Nov 2026Chhath PujaWomen of Bihar and Jharkhand keep the Chhath fast at the river in clean new sarees, with sindoor applied long along the parting.
On now, about 13 to 15 Nov 2026Wangala (Hundred Drums Festival)The Garo post harvest festival, danced to a hundred drums, with women in the wrapped dakmanda and feather headdress.
On now, about 15 Nov to 28 Feb 2027Winter, the silk and wedding seasonFrom mid November to the end of February, cool weather suits silk, brocade, wool shawls and the main run of weddings.
In 2 days, about 17 Nov to 16 Dec 2026Agrahayan, a Bengali wedding monthAgrahayan, from mid November to mid December, is one of the favoured months for Bengali weddings, with the red bridal saree and the yellow of gaye holud.By region
Six zones of India and the rest of South Asia, each with the motifs it is known for.
North IndiaBanaras brocade, Lucknow chikankari, Punjab phulkari and Kashmir embroidery: the saree of the Gangetic plain and the hills.10 sareesWest IndiaPatan patola, bandhani, Rajasthani block print and leheriya, Paithani and the nine-yard nauvari of Maharashtra.14 sareesCentral IndiaChanderi and Maheshwari, light cotton-silks with gold borders, and the Kosa silk of Chhattisgarh.3 sareesEast IndiaBengal jamdani, tant and baluchari, Odisha ikat and Bomkai, Bhagalpur silk and Madhubani painting.23 sareesNorth-East IndiaAssam muga, eri and pat silk, mekhela chador, and the backstrap-loom textiles of the hill states.16 sareesSouth IndiaKanchipuram silk, Kerala kasavu, Mysore silk, Pochampally ikat, Gadwal and Kalamkari: temple borders and heavy gold.33 sareesRest of South AsiaDhaka jamdani, the Kandyan osariya, the Nepali haku patasi and the sari-like cloths of its neighbours.27 sareesBeyond South AsiaThe saree in Fiji, the Caribbean, East Africa, Britain and North America, and the wrapped cloths of Southeast Asia.28 sarees
See a few
A different handful every few minutes.
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMadras
A light handwoven cotton cloth of bright checks, named after the city of ChennaiCotton · Checks and stripes · Embroidery
🇮🇳 IndiaPochampally sari
A Telangana handloom saree whose geometric motifs come from dyed-then-woven ikat yarnsSilk · Ikat
🇮🇳 IndiaLambada embroidery
Mirror-and-cowrie hand embroidery by Banjara women of Karnataka and TelanganaAppliqué · Embroidery
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreBatikꦧꦛꦶꦏ꧀
A wax-resist dyeing technique from Java, used for patterned cloth.Silk · Batik · Hand painting
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBlock printing
Printing patterns on cotton, silk and linen with carved wooden blocksCotton · Block print
🇮🇳 IndiaJamawar
A brocaded Kashmiri shawl, sold by the yard and once worn as a noble's gownWool · Brocade
🇮🇳 IndiaChanderi sari
A fine silk or cotton sari woven in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, with zari motifsSilk · Brocade · Zari work
🇮🇹 ItalyToga
A heavy woollen cloth draped over the shoulders in ancient RomeWool
Cloth
The fibre decides how a saree falls and feels.
Craft
How the pattern gets into the cloth.
Why it is worn
For a wedding, a festival, a day at work, a god, a stage.
Wedding sareesFor the bride, the families and the guests: the heavy silks, gold borders and auspicious reds.50Festival wearWorn for Diwali, Pongal, Onam, Durga Puja and the other days of the calendar.37Everyday wearThe cottons and light weaves women wear to work, to market and at home.50Formal and office wearPlain, crisp and quiet: for the workplace, the courtroom and the classroom.34Worship and ritualWorn for pujas, vratas, rites of passage and temple visits, often in a prescribed colour.52Party and evening wearSheer, sequinned and embroidered: made for an evening out.1
Textile news
- Gujarat: Centre looks to expand global market access for Kutch artisans and traditional craftsThe Hans India, Weavers
- Swadesh collaborates with Mayyur Girotra to celebrate India's rich textile traditionsIndulgExpress, Exhibitions
- The Grand Handloom Fair 2026 (Nov 14–23): Insider Guide to Free Entry, Weaves & Survival Tipstheoptimist.news, Weaves
- Protecting intellectual property in Bangladesh with a special focus on JamdaniThe Business Standard, Bangladesh
- Karigar Bazaar JLN Stadium 2026: Dates, Free Entry & Guidetheoptimist.news, Heritage
- How Aikyatha is Connecting Kanchipuram Silk Weavers With a New Generation Of Saree BuyersLocal Samosa, Handloom
- The saree that came with a family legacy: Sonia Gandhi's wedding drape came with a Nehru connectionThe Times of India, Fashion
The words
182 terms in plain language.
The map
The weaving centres and states, drawn on South Asia.
Newly added
🇵🇰 PakistanSaraiki ajrakسرائیکی اجرک
A block-printed geometric shawl worn across southern Punjab in PakistanBlock print
🇮🇳 IndiaGaji
A coarse handloom cloth of cotton or silk, wrapped as a sari and used for winter clothingCotton
🇮🇳 IndiaOnnara
A cotton undergarment tied tightly at the waist by Hindu women in KeralaCotton
🇧🇹 BhutanDumdyam
An ankle-length Lepcha wrap of one smooth cloth, solid in colour, held by a waistbandCotton
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chanderi sari: India Untravelled, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pedana Kalamkari: Sathishkagitha, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Madras: Shweta Venkateswaran, CC0, source
- Toga: Anonymous ( Category:Roman Empire ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Pochampally sari: Hermann Linde, Public domain, source
- Batik: Fpangestuphotographer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lambada embroidery: Daderot, CC0, source
- Block printing: William Morris, Public domain, source
- Chhath Puja Bihar: Steffen Gauger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source