Sambalpuri Ikat

The eastern state of Odisha is endowed with many silks and cotton weaves, but there is one weave that LOUDLY proclaims Odhisha - that is the ikat weave, more specifically from the Sambalpur region of Odhisha known as the Sambalpuri Saree. The other famous saree from Odhisha is the Bomkai.

The ikat is a tie and dye method just like the Bandhani of Gujarat, but there is a difference. In Bandhani, the yarn is woven first and then the resulting cloth is dyed whereas in the ikat, the yarn is dyed and then woven to create a beautiful piece of cloth.

But bandhani or ikat, the end product is unique and cannot be visualized until it has been created!

In the case of ikat, the master craftsman designs a pattern and the yarn is dyed for specific lengths so that when woven together it will create a pattern that was designed. Also, the dyeing pattern for the entire height of the saree has to be defined in full and the interval at which the motif is repeated is also decided. Then the dyeing has to be repeated.

For example, in the ikat shown below, 2 columns of checks for the entire height of the saree is a pattern and it keeps repeating. The close up also shows you how the imperfect dyeing can lead to jagged edges in the pattern.

Sambalpuri Ikat

Also notice that when it is dyeing of the yarn, the front and back have the same pattern in same colors. If it was printing of the design, then the reverse will not be the same as the front.

A lot of the ikats' close cousin from Telengana - the Pochampally - are prints as against weaves.

The above is a very coarse and cheap cotton saree picked up from Boyanika, Bhubaneswar for the typical Odisha colors!

Here is an elegant beauty which always gets me compliments when I wear it, in a lovely olive green with a purple border and pallu. This was thrice as expensive as the white and red above due to the intricacy of the pattern and the precise dyeing of the yarn. As you can see there are far fewer imperfections in the pattern edges!

The geometric pattern in the body is like waves and look closely - the pallu has FISH!!! This saree was purchased at a winter exhibition in Bhubaneswar where I got to see first hand weaving of an Ikat and the shuttles which had the dyed yarn (too bad, I do not have a picture - didn't think I would be a future saree blogger!).

Sambalpuri Ikat

 Both sarees have the same wheel inspired border - orange color in the first and deep purple in the second - which is so telling of the other landmark of Odisha, the Konark sun temple chariot wheels!

Bandhani or Bandhini

Bandhani is our own indigenous tie and dye method from the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Bhandhna ( बाँधना ) means 'to tie' and hence the name bandhani for this craft form. It is a simple craft form where in the areas that need to resist the dye are covered (by tying with strings) and the fabric then dyed. This results in spectacular patterns that are unique and cannot be replicated perfectly. Here is a crepe silk from Gujarat that has varying shades of blue due to the bleeding of colors in the washing process, but the inner patterns remain white. This was purchased at Pothys a decade ago.

Bandhani Crepe Silk

People from the Saurashtra region who migrated to the Madurai region during the Nayak period carried this craft form with them. The base color of the fabric is generally white or beige so as to let the pattern show through in the end product. The design is imprinted on the fabric and then the knots are tied (to resist the dye) as required to form a pattern and finally the cloth is dyed. Remove the threads and viola! You have a unique final product!!!

Bandhani - 1) Tied fabric 2) String removed 3) Fabric pressed to reveal pattern 4) Final product

I picked up this Bandhani cotton saree from Madurai. It has a chevron pattern pallu and a concentric circle pattern in the body with hand embroidery.

Bandhani Pallu of a Cotton Saree

 Body of the Cotton Saree which has Bandhani Pattern with embroidery done

 
As you can see, this is a labour intensive process as each knot has to be tied with hand. The more the number of knots, the more labour intensive it is and hence the price is also high. This has led to a decline in this craft form as patronage is low.The Crafts Council of India is working towards preserving this craft form.

A poor and cheap imitation of this art form is the local cousin Sungudi, for which Madurai is widely known.  This is created using screen printing method where in the pattern is created for the width of the saree and is printed repeatedly for the length of the saree. This is a Ranee Sungudi that I picked up from a recent Madurai trip - fell for the color combination!

Sungudi Saree

Wishing my (very few) readers a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2015!

Valkalam

Valkalam sarees are just like the Jamdani. They come with interwoven pallu and borders with exquisite thread work. They are created both in cotton and silk weaves, especially Benares sarees. Mine is a valkalam on Coimbatore cotton in a lovely grey with black thread work. I will let the pictures do all the talking ....

Valkalam Saree Pallu and Body/Border

Detail in the Valkalam Pallu

Narayanpet Saree

This is a saree from the town of Narayanpet in Andhra Pradesh (now Telengana), a state with a rich heritage of weaves. Though the Narayanpet saree is not as well known as the Pochampally or Gadwal, it is very unique and distinguished by certain special characteristics.


Generally, the border is of a different color than the body and the border has thread/jari work in a set pattern. It is a 2/3 line weave of ||*||*||*|| separated by a gap and a repeat of the same number of lines of work to form the border. Spilling into the body is always the temple design.

Narayanpet Cotton

Being in the Western part of the state and due to proximity to Karnataka and Maharashtra, the Narayanpet saree is widely available in those 2 states. Mine were picked up in Dadar (Mumbai) on a recent trip. This lovely powder blue and grey beauty is a cotton saree and has yet another trademark of the Narayanpet saree - the checks. The weave is smooth and the saree is light and carries very easily.

I also picked up this black and white checks - was love at first sight! Saw many other sarees and came back to this one :) It is very simple with the traditional Narayanpet border.

A more traditional Narayanpet is the green and mustard saree on the right that I picked up for my mother. Photographed is the pallu while the body is a full green.

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!

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

Light as a feather ... Kota

If there is a saree oh so suited for summer, it has to be the airy and feather light Kota saree. It's signature - the checkered weave - looks like little windows in a saree, which gives you that breezy feeling.

Just like many other sarees, this one is also named for the town which made it famous - Kota in Rajasthan.

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

I fell in love with mine @ Fabindia. 

Kota Saree

Trivia: Kota is also famous for the many IIT-JEE coaching institutes!

Kalamkari

Kalamkari, as the name means is art made with - 'Kalam' or कलम - pen. This is a product of Krishna district in Andra Pradesh. Only natural dyes are used and the process involves many washes before when the final product is ready.

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

Kalamkari Cotton

Mine is a tie and dye with a kalamkari pallu and blouse purchased at Kalakshetra. This 'sacred region of art' houses a craft unit which patronizes Kalamkari and handloom.

They also have a craft shop which is on my list of places to check out!

Negamam Cotton

A nice and simple cotton to wear - from Negamam, near Coimbatore. It gets softer with every wash and is a pleasure to wear. Generally comes with simple thread work patterns in the body, border and pallu.

Negamam Cotton

This was a gift from my mother-in-law.