Bengal has been famous for its weaves since ancient times. Bengali style sarees and its silk weaving have been mentioned in the Arthashastra. The cultivation of mulberry silk and its weaving is done in the plains of West Bengal. The districts where silk yarn is made are Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Maldha and Purulia. The district of Maldah on the north bank of the Ganga is the most important centre for silk rearing in West Bengal.

Baluchar silks has a long history,  it was originally used by the Nawabs and Muslim aristocrats of the Murshidabad. The Hindu noblemen used the raw silk. Baluchar silk was woven into sarees. These sarees had very wide pallu with a panel of mango or paisley motifs at the centre. It was surrounded by smaller rectangles depicting different scenes. The sari borders were narrow with floral and foliage motifs. The fall of the sari was covered with small paisley and other floral designs. These sarees had bright colour schemes. Another familiar motif for the body of the saree was diagonal butis. Even today similar sarees with smaller pallus are being woven at Murshidabad and Varanasi to match contemporary tastes.

The  Balucahari saree design has a history. Bishnupur a small district in West Bengal is famous for its terracotta temples built by the Malla rulers …the temples have motifs from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata on its walls. The local weavers weaved these themes in sarees pallus and boarders thus it gave birth to the baluchari saris. The unique feature of Baluchari sarees is the combination of animal and bird motifs incorporated in floral and paisley decorations. Other motifs include hunters on horses and elephants, scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and scenes from the Nawab’s

court. The silk yarn used for Baluchari sarees are not twisted. This makes the texture soft and heavy . Earth colours are used which are permanent in nature and retain their freshness even after so many years.