Tant sarees are the traditional cotton textile of West Bengal. They possess a lightweight and airy texture that makes them suitable for the Indian summers but that’s not what makes them distinct from the other Indian sarees! It is in fact the thick border along with the decorative pallav that is woven using a variety of creative and artistic motifs that characterizes them.
Traditional Tant Motifs
Traditionally, a tant saree is generally six yard long and each saree would include a border and a decorative pallav that is two to four inches thick. The motifs used when weaving the Tant sarees include a variety of floral, solar, paisley, and others. Throughout the vast history of development of Tant style of weaving, craftsmen have grown to use all sorts of motifs pertaining to the culture and tradition of the places they primarily originated from and settled later.
The most popular and well-recognized motifs among them include:
Name of the Motif | Meaning(English) |
| --- | --- |
Tabij | Amulet |
Bhomra | Bumble-bee |
Rajmahal | Royal palace |
Ardha-chandra | Half moon |
Chandmala | Garland of moon |
Ansh | Fish scales |
Hathi | Elephant |
Nilambari | Blue sky |
Ratan Chokh | Gem eyed |
Benki | Spiral |
Tara | Star |
Kalka | Paisley |
Phool | Flowers |
Various other patterns are painted by hand, embroidered, or printed to get a wider variety of motifs to be depicted. Even modern has been used at times to make these sarees more attractive to potential customers.
Significance of Tant Motifs
These motifs give one a glimpse into the traditional style of living of the common people before the colonisation of India by the British government. Although the manufacturing process has incorporated the modern trends into it, the motifs used when weaving these sarees remain the same. This has given the buyers of the Tant sarees an additional motive by giving a timeless look to them.
On the business aspects of things as well, “tantshilpa”, which means the art of weaving cotton handloom, is a significant source of livelihood for the local communities as well, second only to agriculture. And since the sales of Tant sarees is undoubtedly linked to the value of tradition that they carry, the importance of these traditional motifs is highlighted here. It becomes important, therefore, to preserve the motifs used when weaving these sarees as well.
