Bawan Buti

Baavanbuti is an extra-weft weaving craft from the Nalanda region of Bihar. Traditionally, Baavanbuti saris were "Dein ki sari" used for special occasions such as feasts and festivals and were considered a must-have at marriages.

The Baavanbuti motifs were influenced by Buddhist iconography like the bodhi tree, dharma chakra, golden fish, conch and other local floral and vegetal motifs, cosmological motifs, etc. These motifs were created using the extra-weft technique, where 8–12 skeins of contrasting yarns were manually inserted by the weaver between selected raised warp yarns according to the motif design. Once the motifs were formed on a particular pick, the base weft was passed and beaten firmly to secure the motifs in place. This intricate hand insertion process requires precision, rhythm, and continuous manual intervention, making Baavanbuti a uniquely handcrafted technique that cannot be replicated on powerlooms.