Garad Silk saree is the purest form of silk saree originating from West Bengal, India. Garad silk saree is famous for its pristine quality. It is one of the most well-known sarees of Bengal, donned at religious events. They are often called the famous Lal-Par Sada saree due to the staple color combo of red and white.
Garad sarees are high-quality pure silk sarees, and their texture resembles tissue paper. These lightweight sarees are easy to carry.
Garad Silk Fabric
The literal meaning of Garad is white. Garad sarees generally have white or off-white bodies. The fabrics used in the production of Garad sarees are not coloured, preserving the purity factor.
White is the natural color of mulberry or tussar silk. It is left undyed to hold its regular hues. As the silk of the Garad saree is not dyed, it is considered the purest type of silk and has its sacred importance.
Due to its sacred quality, most women do not prefer to stitch a fall in the saree to safeguard their sacrosanct quality and wear it in their most flawless structure. Back in the day, Kings used to drape the unbleached Garad silk during the pivotal part of the festival.
Garad Saree Origin
Garad Saree’s origin is the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The Jiaganj-Azimganj area in Murshidabad is the center of Garad and korial sari weaving. The weavers from this area have expertise in weaving, crafting, and producing stunning Garad silk sarees.
This saree, however, is becoming extinct. This sort of saree is woven by a small number of weavers. These handwoven sarees are extremely difficult to weave. A saree takes about 7-10 days to weave.
The most challenging part is weaving the Paar. The unique feature of this saree is that the paar colour is the same on both sides.
Garad silk sarees are quite popular among Bengali women. Bengali women typically wear these traditional sarees on special occasions, such as Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja or other religious celebrations.
Durga Puja is incomplete without the Garad saree for ladies. They prefer to wear it during the Debi Boron ritual on Sasthi, offering pushpanjali on Ashtami as well as Sindoor Khela on Dashami.
It looks great with a brocade blouse and gold jewellery for any festive occasion.
Authentic Garad Saree
The traditional or the most authentic Garad saree has a base color of white or off-white, a wide red border, and red stripes plain palla. The border of red color and small paisley motifs on the Garad silk saree makes it distinguishable. There are little or no designs in the body of the authentic Garad saree.
The borders of these sarees are contrasted in colors and mostly red and maroon, but Garad sarees with borders of varying contrast colours are now available in the market.
Garad Saree Designs
Variations in the color of the border and pallav of the Garad saree are usually available in blue, orange, green, brown, black, gold, etc. The border and pallav of the Garad saree are frequently adorned with small paisley and floral motifs.
Nowadays, we also find designer sarees on Garad Silk. The popular designs on Garad saree are Jamdani Buti on Garad, Baluchari design on pure Garad, Sankhachur Garad- Sankha design on the whole saree, Minakari, Mahapar and threadwork in the border.
The crackling sound when you open the saree is the specialty of Garad saree. It is because the thread of the Garad saree is starched before being weaved.
Keep the saree open for a while to get rid of the crackling sound and crispiness. The saree will soften and the crispiness will fade over time.
Originally, the base colour of Garad was white with plain red borders, as per old weaving practise. Many different sorts of designs and borders are now woven. Even yet, Garad’s basic colour is usually white. The Garad saree in a deep base colour is only available in a few places.
Garad Saree Price
Garad sarees can be found in practically every saree shop in Kolkata. The price of a Garad Silk saree ranges from 3000 to 10000 rupees. Jamdani buti Garad sarees start at 4000 rupees, while Garad sarees with Baluchari designs start at 6000 rupees.
Garad has made a mark on both the fashion runways and Bollywood. During Durga Puja, Bollywood actors Sushmita Sen, Bipasha Basu, and Rani Mukherjee are frequently spotted wearing this saree. Garad has been beautifully presented on the runway by designers such as Neeta Lulla and Soumitra Mandal.
