Tant sarees of West Bengal
Tant sarees are another form of handloom sarees from West Bengal. These don’t have intricate thread work like Dhakai Jamdani or beuatiful embroideries like Kantha Sarees. But these sarees are very popular because of the bright colors used and unique color combination.
“Tant”, means thread. Tant sarees are hand loom sarees. These are manufactured in West – Bengal of India, especially in Hoogly and Mushirabad area in West Bengal and Tangail region of Bangladesh .
Tant sarees are woven to create some stripes or motifs. The borders are woven with zari or simple threads.Here are some Tant sarees.
 |
| Traditional Tant saree |
 |
| Traditional Tant saree |
History:
The industry of manufacturing Tant sarees flourished during Mughal era. The Tant weavers started weaving Mughal designs and motifs in the sarees, which termed as Tant Jamdani. The motif weaving gave richness to the saree.But during the British rule, Tant saree manufacturing was almost destroyed.
 |
| Tant saree with motifs |
 |
| Zari woven border of Tant saree |
 |
| Zari woven Tant saree |
Now the Tant sarees are woven by power-looms. Still the sarees have not lost the beauty and charm.Now the weavers are using different techniques like embroidery , patchwork , hand painting etc to make it more beautiful. Here is a tant saree with applique work:
 |
| Tant saree with Applique work |
As I know, almost all Bengali women own Tant sarees. Tant sarees are worn during on special occasions in West Bengal. These sarees are very economical and the fabric is comfortable. These factors make Tant sarees very popular.
Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,
-Ranjana
Hello Ranjana,
Do you happen to know of anyone who does short lessons / workshops on Indian embroidery techniques around the Kochi area please? I am visiting India in October and would love to have a lesson while I'm there. I wondered if you have heard of anyone in that area.
Thank you,
Kind regards,
Jane
Beautiful and artistic sarees,
Tant sarees areclassy and good in summers.
Lovely sarees, they will make any woman graceful!
My mom has a few of these sarees!!
Thanks for a post on it! 🙂
Fashion Panache Blog