Kadhwa. Cutwork. Jamdani. Rangkaat. If you have ever shopped for a Banarasi, you have met these words — usually with no explanation attached. Yet the weave name is the single most important thing on the label: it tells you how the saree was made, how long it took, and why it costs what it costs. Here is the vocabulary of Banaras, explained the way a weaver would.
First, understand the question every weave answers
Every Banarasi has motifs — the buti, the flowers, the jaal. The weave name answers one question: how did those motifs get into the fabric? That single difference — the technique — separates a saree that took four days from one that took four months.
Kadhwa — the crown of Banaras
What it means: from “kadha hua” — embroidered. Except nothing is embroidered: each motif is woven individually, one at a time, on the loom itself. The weaver works every buti separately, as if painting each flower by hand.
How to recognise it: turn the saree over. A kadhwa has no long floating threads on the reverse — the back is nearly as clean as the front, because every motif is complete in itself. The motifs sit slightly raised, with a dense, embroidered feel.
What it costs in time: the most of any technique — weeks to months depending on how many motifs the design carries. This is why kadhwa commands the highest prices, and why it is the technique of bridal and heirloom pieces like our Anaar and Neelkanth.
Cutwork — the clever middle path
What it means: the weaver lets the pattern threads float across the full width of the fabric while weaving, and afterwards the extra floating threads between motifs are cut away by hand.
How to recognise it: on the reverse, look closely near the motifs — you will find the tiny trimmed ends of the cut threads, like a neat stubble. The front looks beautifully similar to kadhwa at a glance.
What it costs in time: considerably less than kadhwa — which makes cutwork the honest, accessible face of real handloom. It is genuinely handwoven, genuinely Banarasi, and genuinely more affordable. Our Naqsh and Sholay show how striking cutwork can be.
An honest seller will always tell you whether a piece is kadhwa or cutwork — and price them differently. If both carry the same price, ask why.
Jamdani — the painter's technique
What it means: the oldest and most painterly method — motifs are inlaid by hand into the fabric as it grows on the loom, using small spindles of coloured thread, almost like tapestry. Nothing floats, nothing is cut; the motif is part of the cloth's very body.
How to recognise it: jamdani motifs look soft and slightly translucent, melting into the fabric rather than sitting on it. The reverse shows small, discontinuous threads only where the motifs are.
What it costs in time: enormous patience — each motif is counted and placed by hand. Banaras weaves jamdani on fine cottons and sheer kora, producing feather-light sarees like our Gulfam and Gul-e-Sehra.
Rangkaat — the rarest of them all
What it means: “rang” (colour) + “kaat” (cut) — a technique where the colours themselves change along the saree, in both warp and weft, woven in by hand so that bands of different colours interlock without printing or dyeing tricks. Only a handful of master weavers still practise it.
How to recognise it: the colour shifts are structural — hold it to light and you will see the colours are woven, not printed, meeting each other in crisp, deliberate junctions.
What it costs in time: among the most labour-intensive weaves of Banaras. If you ever find a genuine rangkaat — like our Gulzar or Mauj — you are looking at a collector's piece.
The one-minute cheat sheet
- Kadhwa — each motif woven individually; clean back; the premium technique; heirloom pricing
- Cutwork — floats woven then hand-cut; trimmed ends on the back; real handloom at friendlier prices
- Jamdani — motifs inlaid by hand as the cloth grows; soft, translucent, feather-light
- Rangkaat — the colours themselves are woven to change; rare, collectable
Once you know these four words, no seller can confuse you again — and every price tag starts making sense. For the fuller buyer's checklist — zari, certification, the reverse-side test — read our guide on how to identify a real Banarasi saree.
Every Karghaa piece names its technique openly on the product page — kadhwa, cutwork, jamdani or rangkaat — because we believe you should always know exactly what your hands are holding. One loom. One weaver. One of a kind.