The very name Banaras conjures up a vision of silk-rich, rare and highly prized. Lustrous silk are embellished with gold and silver threads. For this reason it is customary for brides in many parts of India to wear a Banaras sari for wedding ceremony.

Banaras brocades are said to be the finest in India. The brocades are most gorgeous and highly ornamental of all Indian textiles. The designs are produced by warp and weft threads of different colours and materials, suitably woven. The most famous in legend and the history are the Kinkhabs - woven flowers, veritable cloths of gold. The gold wire was lavishly used in the ancient days to work out delicate patterns or the Kinkhabs which used to be manufactured mainly in Banaras. The design looks different in the front and back of the material. The designs and colours used are varied. Banaras brocade saris were once famous for Shikargarh brocades, which were considered to be master-pieces of weaver's art. The most traditional patterns are beldar. The art of brocade weaving has survived the ravages of times and even today various types of brocades are produced in large quantity.

In early days gold and silver was drawn into extremely fine wire which was used both for warp and weft and woven into fabric. The method of drawing out gold thread was interesting, though slow and laborious. After the gold is beaten out to the needed length and size, it is passed through eye holes of ever decreasing size till it becomes as fine as a cotton thread and then woven on a handloom. Though Banaras is the chief centre of brocades, this art spread to other places too, such as Surat, Aurangabad, Bhopal and Tanjore.