Tanchoi sarees are another famous type of sarees of North India. Like the banarasi sarees, these sarees are also produced by Varanasi weavers. These sarees are not heavy like Banarasi sarees but can be worn for all types of occasion.

Fabric in Tanchois Saree

Employing a technique similar to that of brocade, weavers of Benaras make sarees using colorful extra weft silk yarn for their unique patterns. This variety is known as Tanchoi. Tanchoi weaving is based on the weaving technique brought from China by three brothers, called Choi (tan-three, Choi-brothers). The tanchoi weavers wove silk saris and yardage, which was mostly used by the Parsi community initially. Today, tanchoi fabric has remarkable fame in India and the world over.

Design
Tanchoi saree resembles a fine miniature. In tanchoi sarees, the designs are alway floral with interspersing of birds. Figures of flying birds, paired cocks amidst floral sprays are worked on them. The usual ground is bright blue, purple, green or red with areas patterned in tabby weave.

Sometimes the pallu is done more solidly with peacocks, baskets or bunches of flowers or hunting scenes. Tanchoi silk sarees are also in dazzling floral, geometrical and paisley designs. The weavers also use tone-on-tone colors as well as multiple color combinations in jacquard weaving.

Tanchoi from Gujarat creates an extra weft layer to produce the effect of embossing on silk. There are also combination of brocaded gold butis and borders in a background of self patterned tanchoi. Some tanchoi sarees have a rich gold border and two gold bands on the pallav. The more exclusive ones have gold checks with lotus roundels all over which are known as butis.