The Banarsi Fabric Making tradition started from the city of Banaras in India. Banaras is generally believed to be about 3000 years old and it was a commercial and industrial center just as Mohen-jo-Daro in Pakistan almost the same as the city of Varansi or Banaras was. This ancient city was noted for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory and sculpture.

In the most sacred city of Banaras, there thrives an equally pristine tradition. Thousands of weavers are engaged in weaving Banaras fabrics which makes the city of Banaras another name for silk Fabrics. The Banarsi sari in particular, has gained popularity during the legendary Mughal era in which all art was interfused to create a spectrum of aesthetics. Persian Motifs and Indian designs on silk studded with gold and silver remained the hallmark of Mughal auspice. Today Banarsi fabrics are being exported worldwide infatuating millions of women in almost all parts of the globe.

In Pakistan Banarsi fabric making is normally carried out as a home industry in one of the most underdeveloped areas of Karachi, Orangi Town, a lower class settlement. Banaras Town in Orangi Town that was established in 1964 is the place where the original weavers and their families were first settled with an innate skill of making banarsi fabrics as adept artisans. Today these devoted craftsmen practice their traditional business, weave the fabric and supply to an ever growing yet selective market in Karachi. Some daring and enterprising people in this trade have opened their outlets in the Banaras Town area, craving to make it big with mere hard work and a bit of luck.

Pakistani government have traditionally been oblivious of their own country’s skilled potential and economic prospects, so they habitually over look the fundamental requirements of forsaken weavers of Orangi Town in Karachi, who always strive to sustain their trade even in the most pathetic of situations of their own economic survival. Even some foreign governments identified their existence and have rise their support for this significant trade in Pakistan.

Weavers of Banarsi fabric were acknowledged by the Saudi Government while honoring and assigning them with a task of making a cover of Khana-e-Kaa’bah. Weavers of Banaras Town were also asked by the Saudi Government to conduct a workshop for the weavers of the cover of the Holy Kaa’bah.

It has been learned that with each passing day the ratio of profit is decreasing because of surging cost of production, heavy taxes and lack of governmental subsidies not forgetting dreadful outages of electricity on hourly basis. The people in this industry deserve a great applause for their staunch dedication to continue their work and to earn their livelihood no matter what the trails of hardship may be.

Banarsi fabrics produced in Banaras Town vary according to quality of fabric, design, use of quality silk and work of zari to make the finished product a splendor of human imagination and creativity. In every alley of Banaras Town there is not only the work of Banarsi fabric manufacturing but there is also a Banarsi Cloth Market where around 200 shops readymade silk fabrics. These shops also supply the silk products including Banarsi fabrics and saris throughout the country.