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!

Pattachitra

We move to the heritage and craft rich state of Odisha for this post. Wonderful weaves (ikat, bomkai), silks (Berhampur) and crafts (pipli patch work) dot this region. Yet another handicraft that Odisha is famous for is the Pattachitra - literally translating to drawing (chitra) on a canvas (patta).

Made originally on canvas using naturally obtained dyes and brushes, this has slowly moved to other mediums also such as palm leaf and cloth. On a green palm frond, the art work is generally done with a nail. When it dries, the exposed portion become black and looks like ink work on palm leaf. This is known as Tala-Chitra or palm leaf paintings. Generally the paintings conveyed mythological stories like the Ramayana or the zodiac calendar or the Puri deities - Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra.

Image Courtesy - gaatha.com

Slowly from canvas, it also moved to other forms of textile to spread the craft and for sustenance. The dyes used continue to be made from natural substances and hence there isn't much variety in color. Prominently used colors are red, black and white. The cloth has to be light so as to not absorb too much of the paint as well as to aid in the free movement of the brushes. So pattachitra work is generally done on Tussar silk. The only downside to this is that it creases very easily (as can be seen in some pictures :()!!

Mine is a lovely pistachio green tussar with tribal art pattachitra. It was purchased in Bhubaneshwar. While the borders are lined with huts and humans, the body has an interesting array of every day activities! This reminded me so much of the Warli art which is predominantly done in white color, once again depicting scenes from everyday life.

The pallu is a grand depiction of life in a village and a few pictures are required to showcase the vibrant pictures that have been hand painted so elegantly in just 2 colors - black and red.

The lovely pallu

Here is a closeup of some of the elements of the left and right panels.

This is the middle panel and if you look closely you will see the concentric circles that have been drawn to make sure that the paintings form a pattern perfectly!!!

Paintings derived from village scenes

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

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