Not every embroidered sari worn by a Parsi lady is a Garaa. Garaas, generally called ‘old Parsi Saris’ are special hand embroidered 5 yards of Chinese Silk, brought from China to India by the Parsi traders and worn as Saris.
These embroidery motifs were often representations of either Chinese village scenes or the emblems of good luck in the Chinese culture or simply floral.
A few pictures of some of the more stunning embroideries copied from the original Garaas on more modern cloth tell the whole story:
FLORAL EMBROIDERY :
Multicolour
red again.
in blue.
FLORAL WITH GRAPHIC MOTIFS:
graphic leaves
with doves and border with Pheasants.
STORKS:
with the Phoenix
PHEASANTS in EMBROIDERY:
Pheasants and floral vines on Black in fine, multicolored embroidery.Perhaps the most envied possession.
Roosters and hens (Parsi women had nicknamed this design “Marga-Batka”).
The pictures above are of copies of the original Garaas on modern day cloth and machine embroidered.