Joydeb Sarkar2003: Made A Post W/ Sources

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Made A Post W/ Sources

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{{Short description|Traditional hand-woven cotton saree of Bangladesh}}{{infobox Sharee
| name = Tangail saree
| image = BD Tangail 3.JPG
| image_size =
| caption = Colored cotton threads hung to dry during production of Tangail saree in [[Tangail district]], [[Bangladesh]]
| country = {{flag|Bangladesh}}
| state =
| location = Tangail
| origin_place = [[Tangail]]
| origin‌‌_date =
| created_by =
| creation_date =
| ingredients = Cotton and silk
| cotton_thread_count =
| length =
| breadth =
| anchal =
| style of anchal =
| colour =
| style = Bengal tradition
| borders =
| style of borders =
| usage = Everyday
| variants =
| related_saree =
| manufacturer =
| distributor =
| gi_status =
| file_no =
| website =
}}{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH = Traditional saree weaving art of Tangail
| Country = Bangladesh
| ID = 02322
| Region = APA
| Year = 2025
| Session = 20th
| List = Representative
}}
'''Tangail saree''' is a traditional handwoven [[sari]] of [[Bangladesh]]. It originated in the [[Tangail district]] of the country. The traditional weaving art of Tangail saree was recognized as [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2025.<ref>{{cite web|first=Sheikh Saifur|last=Rahman|title=ইউনেসকোর সাংস্কৃতিক ঐতিহ্যের তালিকায় এবার উঠে এল টাঙ্গাইল শাড়ির বুননশিল্প|url=https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/56ziflgwlx|website=[[Prothom Alo]]|date=9 December 2025|language=bn}}</ref>

== History ==
{{main| Handloom industry in Tangail}}
At the end of the 19th century, the [[handloom industry in Tangail|handloom industry of Tangail]] in Bengal flourished. Tangail [[sari]] weavers of Bangladesh are descendants of traditional [[muslin]] weavers. Dhamrai and Chauhatta of Dhaka district were the original residence of Tangail Saree weavers of Bangladesh. Later settled in Tangail and in the beginning they made cloth without designs.<ref>{{cite news |title=টাঙ্গাইল শাড়ি নিজেদের দাবি করে সমালোচনার মুখে ভারত |url=https://www.somoynews.tv/news/2024-02-02/uTMvQ5DF |access-date=3 February 2024}}</ref>

At one time, cotton weaving was a very important industry in [[Nadia district]]. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, [[Shantipur]] was the center of a large and prosperous [[weaving]] industry. In 1898 AD, almost all the villages in this district had a few weavers. The weaving industry of Shantipur faced a major threat in the late nineteenth century due to the introduction of cloth from England. The weavers found the trade unprofitable and switched to other professions, resulting in a gradual decline in the number of weavers in the industry. However, according to a survey conducted in 1940 by the Department of Industries, [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]], 10,000 out of a total of 27,000 people in Shantipur were reported to be members of weaving families.<ref name="ipindia2">{{cite web |title=G.I. Application Number – 702 |url=https://archive.org/details/702-gi-journal-copy-31-08-2023 |publisher=[[Intellectual property in India]] |access-date=3 February 2024 |location=Chennai |date=31 August 2023}}</ref>

Every member of the weaver's family was involved in the weaving of Tangail sarees produced in [[Bengal Presidency|undivided Bengal]] i.e. East-Bengal of [[British India]]. No weavers or laborers were hired, which was the practice of not letting the weaving technique go outside the weaver's family. The Basak families were the original saree weaving families of [[Tangail District|Tangail]]. These weavers were mainly from the [[Hindus|Hindu]] "Basak" community. After the partition of the country in 1947, most of the traditional weavers, including most of the Basak weavers community, of this region started migrated to [[West Bengal]] from [[East Pakistan]] (now Bangladesh). The process of migration intensified in 1965, and reached its peak in 1971 during the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1971|Indo-Pak War]] and the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref name="ipindia2"/><ref name="anandabazar1">{{cite news |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Kedarnath |title=সুদিন কি আদৌ ফিরবে, 'জিআই' তকমা পাওয়ার পরে প্রশ্ন তাঁতশিল্পীদের |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bardhaman/artisans-hopes-better-income-after-district-received-the-gi-tag-of-tangail-saree/cid/1486695 |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=www.anandabazar.com |agency=ABP |date=6 January 2024 |location=Purbasthali |language=bn}}</ref> Due to the fear of [[Persecution of Hindus#Bangladesh|communal violence]], cost of raw materials increasing several times, non-availability of loans from the government, crisis in transportation of goods, lack of business security Hindu weavers gradually migrated from Bangladesh to India, which was mentioned in a research paper published in a journal in 2014.<ref name="Prothomalo2">{{cite news |last1=Ghalib |first1=Rafsan |title=টাঙ্গাইল শাড়ি কীভাবে ভারতের হয় |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/opinion/column/acpgtfam03 |access-date=4 February 2024 |work=Prothomalo |date=4 February 2024 |language=bn}}</ref>

At present, Muslim weavers also weave this saree along with the weavers of the "Basak" community in Tangail.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hasan |first=Kamrul |title=টাঙ্গাইল শাড়ি: শেকড় ফিরে দেখা |url=https://egiyecholo.com/article/tangail-saree |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=egiyecholo.com |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203163610/https://egiyecholo.com/article/tangail-saree |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 February 2024 |title=গর্বের ধন ‌'টাঙ্গাইল শাড়ি' বেহাত হলো কার দোষে |url=https://www.samakal.com/opinion/article/221154/%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%A7%E0%A6%A8-%E2%80%8C%E2%80%98%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9C%E0%A6%BF%E2%80%99-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8B-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%87 |work=[[Samakal]]}}</ref>

=== West Bengal saree ===
Traditionally, [[Shantipur]] of [[Nadia district|Nadia]] and [[Kalna City]] of [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]] districts are famous centers for handwoven fabrics, hence basak weavers settled in these places and surrounding areas. However, the Basak community maintained their weaving technique through many adversities. Most of the weavers with the help of looms brought with them from [[East Pakistan]] ([[East Bengal]], now [[Bangladesh]]) and Others with the help of looms provided by the [[Government of India]] and [[Government of West Bengal]] continued to weave sarees even in [[East Bengali refugees|refugee camps]]; many weavers joined the weaving industry of West Bengal as workers in looms owned by local weavers in santipur, Dhatrigram and Samudragarh.<ref name="ipindia2"/>
[[File:Weaving Tant Saree by Handloom - 2 Natun Phulia - Nadia 2016-11-12 1802.JPG|thumb|right|A weaver weaves a saree in [[Phulia]].]]
With government encouragement and assistance, weavers from East Bengal soon revived their ancestral profession and the weaving industry flourished again. The weavers of the Basak community of East-Bengal mastered the technique of weaving and designing the [[Shantipuri sari|Shantipuri loom saree]] while employed as laborers in the weaving centers of the local weavers of West Bengal and with the help of the local weavers. Later, the weavers of the Basak community were able to mixing the Dhaka-Tangail style with the Shantipuri loom sari. In this mixing a new sari is produced; this new saree produced in West Bengal came to be known as "Tangail saree", which was different from the Tangail saree produced in East-Bengal. Like the Bangladeshi Tangail saree, it is also a simplified version of the famous [[Jamdani|Jamdani technique]].<ref name="ipindia2"/>

Tangail sarees in West Bengal are traditionally woven on fly shuttle pit looms using 100S cotton [[yarn]], silk yarn of various counts (14/16-20/22 denier), [[tasar]] yarn and also synthetic filament yarn. Sarees are woven using two or more shuttles. The sarees have a variety of border features including plain border or extra warp jacquard designs, with simple traditional color patterns on the ''anchal'' (আঁচাল) or colorful cross borders with extra weft designs. The body of the fabric (saree) may be plain or decorated with booties using additional warp/weft with or without Jacquard. In this Tangail saree (Jamdani variety), extra weft threads are inserted to create an extra-weft design, maintaining a ratio of 1:2 between extra weft and ground weft. The specialty of the design is that the edges of the design are like steps, which is similar to the graphical design.<ref name="ipindia22">{{cite web |date=31 August 2023 |title=G.I. APPLICATION NUMBER – 702 |url=https://archive.org/details/702-gi-journal-copy-31-08-2023 |access-date=3 February 2024 |publisher=[[Intellectual property in India]] |location=Chennai}}</ref>

The traditionally produced Tangail saree in [[West Bengal]] is characterized by a special physical finish, which makes it free from "reed mark" (''jorebhanga'') giving it a special look and feel. Also characterized by the stiff finish.<ref name="ipindia22" />

The "Basak" weaver community was the first to start making this saree. In 2024, 20,000 weavers are involved in Tangail saree weaving in Nadia and [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]] districts of [[West Bengal]].<ref name="timesofindia1">{{cite news |last1=G |first1=Sarthak |date=5 January 2024 |title=Honey, Tangail, Garad among 5 more West Bengal products to get GI tag |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/honey-tangail-garad-among-5-more-state-products-to-get-gi-tag/articleshow/106557464.cms |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=The Times of India |location=Kolkata}}</ref><ref name="thestatesman1">{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Arundhati |date=30 January 2024 |title=Bengal weaves beautiful handloom stories |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/evolve/bengal-weaves-beautiful-handloom-stories-1503264820.html |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=The Statesman |language=en}}</ref> This saree is folded in ''Guti Bhanj''.<ref name="ipindia1">{{cite web |title=Application details of the Tangail Saree of Bengal – Geographical Indications |url=https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GIRPublic/Application/Details/702 |access-date=21 January 2024 |publisher=Intellectual Property India}}</ref>

==== Criticism ====
''West Bengal State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Limited'' applied for [[Geographical indication]] or GI tag for West Bengal's Tangail saree in 2020. On 2 January 2024, Geographical indication or GI tag under the title "Tangail Saree of Bengal" or ''Banglar Tangail Sari'' was issued from the office in [[Chennai]], India. According to the certificate received, the registration of the product will be valid till 7 September 2030.<ref name="ipindia12">{{cite web |title=Application details of the Tangail Saree of Bengal – Geographical Indications |url=https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GIRPublic/Application/Details/702 |access-date=21 January 2024 |publisher=Intellectual Property India}}</ref><ref name="timesofindia12">{{cite news |last1=G |first1=Sarthak |date=5 January 2024 |title=Honey, Tangail, Garad among 5 more West Bengal products to get GI tag |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/honey-tangail-garad-among-5-more-state-products-to-get-gi-tag/articleshow/106557464.cms |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=The Times of India |location=Kolkata}}</ref><ref name="newindianexpress1">{{cite news |date=4 January 2024 |title=Three varieties of handloom sarees in West Bengal get GI tag |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Jan/04/three-varieties-of-handloom-sarees-in-west-bengal-get-gi-tag-2647857.html |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=The New Indian Express |location=Kolkata}}</ref><ref name="thestatesman12">{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Arundhati |date=30 January 2024 |title=Bengal weaves beautiful handloom stories |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/evolve/bengal-weaves-beautiful-handloom-stories-1503264820.html |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=The Statesman |language=en}}</ref>

Criticism started in Bangladesh, when West Bengal's Tangail saree was given a Geographical Indication or GI tag.<ref name="BBC1">{{cite news |last1=Soumitra |first1=Shubhra |date=3 February 2024 |title='টাঙ্গাইল শাড়ির' উৎপত্তি ভারতে দাবি করায় বাংলাদেশে বিস্ময় ও বিতর্ক |url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/articles/cjqj77872eko |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=BBC News Bangla |location=Dhaka |language=bn |agency=BBC}}</ref><ref name="Prothomalo1">{{cite news |date=3 February 2024 |title=ভারত যেভাবে টাঙ্গাইলের শাড়ি নিজেদের বলে নিবন্ধন করল, আমাদের এখন যা করতে হবে |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/lifestyle/fashion/mcsabcuf6w |access-date=3 February 2024 |work=Prothomalo |language=bn}}</ref> As per Bangladeshi media, [[Biswa Bangla|Biswa Bangla Biponi]] of Kolkata is selling Tangail sarees as [[Phulia]] products by taking advantage of the GI tag.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 December 2022 |title=Whose Tangail saree are you? Bangladesh or West Bengal? |url=https://www.banglatribune.com/foreign/india/779086/%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9C%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%82%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B6-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0%C2%A0 |website=Bangla Tribune |language=en}}</ref> On the other hand, according to Journal No. 178 published by the Chennai-based office of Geographical Indication, the West Bengal's Tangail saree – basically a fusion of East Bengal and West Bengal handwoven sarees – is a different saree from the Bangladeshi [[Tangail Saree (Bangladesh)|Tangail saree]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Sari}}
{{UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity/APA}}

[[Category:Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]]
[[Category:Geographical indications in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi clothing]]
[[Category:Woven fabrics]]
[[Category:Saris]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi handicrafts]]
[[Category:Textile arts of Bangladesh]]

Tangail saree - Revision history

Joydeb Sarkar2003: Made A Post W/ Sources