Bomkai Cotton

Bomkai is a famous weave from Odisha, just like its sibling - the Sambhalpuri Ikat. Unlike the ikat where the yarns are dyed in multiple colors to form a pattern after weaving, the bomkai is a traditional weave with the body and border/pallu woven in single color threads. Also, the body and border/pallu generally have thread work designs on them.

Bomkai Pallu

This is a lovely bomkai cotton purchased at Boyanika in Bhubaneshwar as a gift for my mom. Just like how painters are influenced by their environment, it is interesting to see weavers also include local elements in their design.

Puri Jagannath Temple

The Puri Jagannath temple tower seen above (Trivia: known as white pagoda, while the Konark temple is the black pagoda) has the Sudarshan chakra as its crown, which is in one hand of Jagannath. The other hand of Jagannath holds the conch, and this motif is used in this beautiful Bomkai cotton saree.

Patterns in the Bomkai - conch and a typical Odhisha design

Kanchi Cotton

Just as Kancheepuram is famous for its temples and silk, it is also famous for its cotton sarees which go by the name 'Kanchi Cotton'. Three shuttles are used in the weaving and the end product is a fine close weave with generally a contrast border. The cotton sarees are made on the same loom used to make silk sarees.

Kanchi Cotton

Mine is a gift from my mother-in-law and comes with a unique border pattern which is very indicative of Tamilnadu - the temple tower or 'gopuram' (கோபுரம்). So traditional yet versatile the Dravidian temple tower design is, that it has lasted for decades of craftsmanship and creativity.

Kanchi Cotton Temple Border

Trivia - The temple tower of the Srivilliputtur Andal temple is the insignia of the Government of Tamilnadu!

Pipili Patch Work

Pipili is a small town en route to Puri from Bhubaneswar. It is very famous for its patch or applique work. Applique is a French technique of sewing over the base material with a small cloth in a different color (initially it was done to cover torn clothes!). The small cloth was made to resemble an object so as to not look like covering a torn base. Artisans generally use their imagination and elements from day to day life to create the appliques.

The famous Jagannath temple of Puri known worldwide for its Ratha Yathra, gets its chariot covers as well as the 'chhathths' or umbrellas made from Pipili. They are exclusively made by Muslim master tailors every year specially for The Lord of the Universe, his brother and sister.

Lanterns in different shapes, sizes and colors!

We stopped by at Pipili on the way back from Puri - the village is a riot of colors!!! As you can see, the applique technique has been improvised and used in many day to day items. And here are some souvenirs we picked up :) The fish on a plate applique is the cutest!!

 

Trinkets from Pipili

Jamdani

Of the many weaves from Bengal, Jamdani is one of the most elegant. 'Jamdani'  is Persian in origin where 'Jam' means flower and 'dani' means vase. They are generally woven in the finest of material, owing to the tedious loom process and elaborate designs, which are mostly floral. The finished product is intricate in design, often done in pleasant colors and is a pleasure to wear.

Jamdani Weave

There are both Jamdani silks and cottons. Mine is a very fine cotton saree with mostly flowers and geometric patterns.

Jamdani Pallu

This double shade pink and purple beauty was a gift from my husband on a trip to Kolkata. It was picked up at the Tantuja in New Market. This cotton jamdani has a jari border and geometric patterns in the pallu. Once again woven in fine muslin, the butti's (smaller motifs) of the body are visible through the pallu in this picture!

Jamdani Pallu

More can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamdani

Ilkal Saree with Kasuti Embroidery

Kasuti embroidery is traditionally done on a Ilkal saree, both (kasuti and ilkal) belonging to the state of Karnataka. In an Ilkal saree, the border and pallu are generally of a different material than the body. Mine was a gift from my mother-in-law and has a spun silk body and an art silk border/pallu.

What is so unique about the saree is the lovely hand embroidery. The Kasuti fits neatly on to a grid if you can imagine it!

Ilkal saree with Kasuti embroidery

This is a closeup of one of the elements in the pallu.

From wikipedia: "Different varieties of stitches are employed to obtain the desired pattern. Some of the stitches employed are Ganti, Murgi, Neyge and Menthe. Ganti is a double running stitch used for marking vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines, Murgi is a zig-zag stitch, Neyge is a running stitch and Menthe is a cross stitch resembling fenugreek seeds."

It is interesting to note how all the stitches mentioned have been used in my saree including the Ganti seen below.

The thread work is done so beautifully that it is hard to differentiate the front from the back!

I also found a nice write-up on Ilkal sarees here.