COSTUMES
India: Uttar Pradesh, Banaras, Varanasi (Banaras)
Sari, wedding (woman's)
1952
Plain weave; Supplementary weft patterning; Painted warp
Silk; Metallic thread
5 yds. 28 1/2 in. x 1 yd. 10 in. (5.29 x 1.16 m)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-15

This is a wedding sari that also celebrates India's independence. The pallu motifs combine symbols of independence with traditional motifs reserved for auspicious occasions. Shown are parrots, elephants, dancing girls on lotus pedestals, and the Ashoka column, the symbol of New India. -- Label copy for University Collection '83 exhibit, June 13 to July 17, 1983.

This sari is an example of the famed silk brocade weaving of Banares, the spiritual center for Hinduism in India and one of the oldest cities on earth. The pallav (end piece) is woven with metallic thread consisting of finely drawn gold, silver or base metal thread wound around another thread. The motifs are the auspicious parrot and elephant, dancing girls on lotus petals and the Ashoka column, one of India's national emblems, which also appears on the Indian flag. -- Label copy for Unpacking the Collection, April 13, 1997, to June 12, 1998.