BOMKAI SARIS OF ORISSA

1. HISTORY OF
DESIGN AND
FASHION

2. BOMKAI SARIS OF
ORISSA

3. Orissa is known for its cotton saris in single and double- ikat. The tie-dye technique
for dyeing yarns is locally called bandha. These saris have unusual colour schemes
and graphic characters. Commonly used colours are indigo blue, yellow, white,
deepred, andblack. Sambhalpur, Bargarh, Sonepur and Nuapatna in Cuttack are
the best –known weaving centres in Orissa. The mostwell-known cotton saris
from Orissa are sambhalpuri, bichitrapuri, saktapar andbomkai. Tie-dyeing of yarn
as per the design is a tedious and time-consuming process. Oncethe warp is ready,
the weaving is carriedout on a pitloom. Thetraditional jala, dobby orjacquard
attatchment can beused to suit the design requirements.

5. •The example ofbomkai,a single village inganjamdistrict is worth takin
note of as it has kept alive a range of coarse cotton saris such as the
muhajorhanakshosaarhi. These are distinct intheir use of only heavily
plied cotton, withstylized floral and geometrical patternin the borders
andmuhajorha.These were wovenbythe patra andnayakweaving
communities for the local Sadhaba(mercantile community), nowsettled
inthe area as landlords.The weavers remember saris such as ramchandra
pediandkuthiramchandra pedi, oneplainandthe other with the kuthi
(check)in the bodyand various forms of stylized kalera phulia(flower) in
the endpiece.

6. Maa
santhal
saarhi
Sada
patta
santhal
saarhi
Dega
phutta
santhal
pata
Phuta
kaunti
chowkda
Phuta kaunti
chawkda saarhi

8. Bonda
ringa
Rekti kapda
ganda
Kobari pata
Mae lugda
tarap pata
kotapad

9. Bomkai sari….
 A traditional figured sarifrom the southern Orissan coastal plains in the
Bomkoi sari, so named after the village where it was discovered in the
early 1980’s. only a few weavers were still creatimg it at that time, but it
was originally made for the local maharaja,aristocracyand brahmins of
the chikititahsilin the Ganjam district a few kilometres from the Andhra
Pradesh border. Although woven in heavy, often coarse, low count
cotton, these saris were alwaysdyed bright colours, usuallywith black,
red or white grounds and multicoloured supplementary-weft and warp
endpieces and borders. The field warp threads were cut and retied to
different-coloured warps for the endpiece. This creates a dense layer of
colour for the usuallylarge endpiece. Such a time-consuming technique,
which is known locally as muhajorbi ( literally,‘endpiece with joined
threads’) wasonce much more common throughout India.

10. The ground
fabric of the sari
is usually in
black, red or
white. It has
multicoloured
extra warp and
weft patterns in
the borders and
on the pallav.
Originally meant for religious ceremonies.
Sometimes
the whole
sari could
be replete
with
elaborate
motifs. The
contrast in
the borders
is achieved
through
three
shuttles.
Traditionally these were woven on pitlooms with the jala
attachment. However, the jala is now replaced with jacquard.

11.  Todayitisonlyfoundina fewtraditionalsarisinTamilNadu,Bastar andin
theexpensivePaithanisari ofthewesterndeccan.Theendpiecealsocontains
angular discontinuoussupplementary-weftpatterns wovenincontrasting
colours.Theyhavesuchnamesas rukha( pestel,stick),dombaru(small
hourglass-shapeddrum) ,kanthiphoola( smallflowers) andkarela (bitter
gourd),peacockandfish.UnlikemanyeasternDeccansaris ,the
supplementarybandsare notwoveninprogressiveorder fromlargetosmall,
or viceversa,butare wovenas theweaverseesfit.Yetdespiteallthework in
theendpiece,itisthesupplementary-warppatternsofthebordersthatgive
thesesaris theirnames. Abroadbandofthesupplementary-warppatterning
(themuktapanji)forminga latticework ofsmalldiamondshapesistheusual
design.Thesizeandshapeofthelozengesdetermineitsname,suchas
dalimba(literally,‘pomegranateseed’,thedesignhasa dotinsidethe
diamondshape).

13.  Orissa is a treasure trove of fabrics, each incorporating a
special techniqueused to create a uniqueset of weaves, witha
distinctive palette of colours and designs.Bomkaiis woven in
a number of places includingthe GanjamDistrict and in towns
of Barpalli and Attabira inBaragarh District in Orissa. Bomkai
derives its name from thetown where it originated.
 The Bomkai cotton saris from Ganjam district (southern
Orissa), namedaftera tribal village, have beeninfluencedby
tribal art

14. Kans bandhi lugga/three part end piece sari, material:
cotton, 20’s, length 7m, width 1.05 m, weight : 980 gm,
origin : kotapad, koraput district.
Mae lugda
tarap
pata/brid
e’s mother
‘s sari :
material
cotton,
20’s,
length:
7m, width
1.05m,
weight
980gm,
origin :
kotapad,
koraput
district

16. • It has an embroidery-like work on the border and pallo (the
broad band at the end).
 Bomkai threadwork featuresornate borders and heavily
embroidered drapes withtouches of Ikat work .
 Popular with tourists and locals for theirethnicfeel and tribal
look
 “The speciality of Bomkaiis thecontrast borders and heavy
designs on the sari pallavs, whilethe blouses are in contrast
colours.”

18. Beauty of bomkai sari
 Bomkai combines thetie and dye techniqueand extra weft
weaving. The double shades of thesari, the border and the
pallav are worked on thebasis of colour combinations. Once
the dyed yarn is fitted in, thepatternis worked usingextra weft
technique.This gives a sari an almost woven, carpet likeeffect.
 Orissa stilluses thetraditional jalas for weavingBomkai.
Wooden jalas are used and are tiedthe traditional way by jala
bandhaks (weavers)

20.  Jala system is thepredecessor to the jacquard looms. The
design is tied by specialists called jala bandhaks keepingin
mind thedesign to be followed in thepallav and the sari. If it is
an intricatedesign,theprocedure is repeated. Otherwise
smaller designs such as bootis and floralsare worked through
the extra weft.
 whencomplicated designs have to be woven, a second set of
jalas are used where motifsakin to the pallav are carried on the
rest of the sari or in case of salwar kameez’s, the designs of the
dupattaor yolk in thefabric are woven in theentirefabric.
Simpledesigns such as bootis and smallflorals are woven in
the entirefabric.”

21. Bomkai
silk saris
have
enjoyed
the
patronage
of royal
families.

22.  Bomkaipatterns arehand woven from gold or silver
coloredsilk threads. They embellishthe borders and pallu
(fallingedge) of a sari.
 Orissa's Bomkai threadwork featuresornate borders and
heavilyembroidered drapes withtouches of Ikat work in some
instancesand are popular withtourists and locals for their
ethnicfeel and tribal look.
 With motifsdrawn from the Shakticultpredominant in
Orissa's tribal and rural culture for centuries and colored in the
subtle huespredominate innature, Bomkaifabrics are a must
buy on your tour to Orissa withTourism of Orissa tour
packages.

23. Bomkai sari

24.  Bomkaisaris have a close association withLord Jagannath,the
presiding deity of the JagannathTempleinPuri.
 Orissa saris have extensive usageof black, white, red and
yellow colour, which are the colours foundon theJagannath's
idol.
 The motifsfound inthesesaris such as lotus, conch, wheel, etc.
share a close similarity with theidolof Jagannath.

26.  Orissa's bomkai come in earthy patternsof the famous Ikat style
of weaving. TheIkat handloomand textilesorigin can be traced
back to Orissa's rich maritimepast whenseafaring traders
ventured forth on journeys to the islands of Indonesia primarily
Bali.
 Drawing heavilyfrom themotifs replete in tribal cultureand its
association with natureand Orissa's famous templearchitectural
style, the textilesand handloomsof Orissa have entered theliving
rooms of people from as far as US and Poland.

28. Fabric in Bomkai Sari
 Bomkaisare woven in cotton,silkand tussar.The
cottonused is usuallyof higher qualitybeing 100
counts and120 counts.“Even lower counts of 80 are
woven. These are coarse witha rough finish.
Bomkai sariswere originallydyed in bright colours like
black,red or white grounds.

29. For regular wear, cotton bomkaiis favored.
 A Bomkai CottonSariisalsoan excellentchoice for any
religiousfunction.
Bomkai SilkSarisare
generally worn in formal
and semi formal occasions.

30. Bomkai + ikat
Bomkai sari

31.  Bomkai sariscome with elegant designs, enchanting
colorsfor the exclusive women. Some Bomkaisari have
smallfisheswoven onto the border.
EastIndianladieslove to wear Bomkaisarisfor their
traditionaltriballook,as well as their understatedand
elegant colorpallette.
A combinationof ikat andBomkai is very unique.

33. Tribal influence in bomkai
sari
TheBomkaiikatshavemotifs drawn from
the ShaktiCult. Theweaversof Orissa are
classby themselves.They havebeenknown
far and widefor the intricateand painstaking
skillexhibitedintheir fabrics.

35. Motifs used
 Fish motifis a very common motiffound in bomkaisaris. Fish
symbolizes prosperity and good health.
 The dominantmotifs in thiscraft includeanimals and birds,
withthe traditionaldesigns beingconch shellas well as
bolmala, chandankora, and sachipar.
 The patterns found are: rukha(Pestle, stick)
Dombaru(small hour glass shaped drum), kanthiphoola (small
flower), karela(bitter gourd)
Peacock and fish.

37. Flowers, creepers, birds, animalsare abundantlywoven in
myriad colours, alllending a distinctfeature to the nine
yards of wovenwonder
The temple borders, geometric figures and
subtlereferences to
nature are blurry edged
giving the fabricsa
genuine ethnicfeel.

38. Temple border in bomkai
sari
oThe typical temple border is created by eye and handand
years of experience.
oTwo weavers working in sync, each create the templeborder
on their side, interlacingthe black and red threads, and tossing
the red shuttlewithlightningspeed betweenthemselves.
oTwo sets of bamboo sticks criss-crossed and tied functionlike
a stretcher bar to maintainthe uniformwidth of thecloth.

39. Weaving process
 In no other colour techniqueof textiledecoration does the
dyeing process play such a prominent role.
 The patternis not formed by weaving togetheryarns of
differentcolour nor it is printed on thefabric :itis made by
dyeing the warp and weft before weaving.
 Following theprecise plan , pieces of anothermaterialare
tied with the hanks of yarn at certain points. This material
absorbs the dye stuffand is removed after completion of
dyeing, leaving theyarn dyed only where it was exposed to
the dye liquor

41. weaving process

42.  The Bomkai design both the warp and weft is dyed according to the
requirement. For border design, warp alone is processed, while for
Palavasand anchalof saris, weft is processed and overall sari designs,
both the warp and weft are processed.
• The simplest method in which threads or yarns are tied irregularly and
dyed once ,yields speckled yarn, whereas eight fold tying and dyeing in
different vats produces yarn for weaving the most elaborate patterns.
Needles to say such acomplicated process callsfor a high measure of
skilland expenditure and of considerable time so it is quite unsuitable
for industrialapplication and that is why it is unique.

43. The splendid weaving
 The remarkable speed and skillof the weavers creates a peaceful and
serene atmosphere.
 The work progresses slowly, it takestwo people about a week to weave
a sariand afew days of dying and preparation of this simple style.
 The jagged edges are achievedby arrangingthe yarns with not to
precise a position. These yarns of threads were first died according to
the colors required to complete the pattern, usuallycolors derived from
nature itself.

45.  The Orissa bomkai sari have undergonevast changesas
weavers try to adapt thedesigns to popular taste.Vegetable
dyes have been replaced by chemicaldyes, thoughthe former
is stillavailable,but the prices are significantlyhigher. New
shades and patterns have also been added.
 This is a very complicated process and it is rather amazingto
find thatthe traditionalweavers do not use any graphic
designs on paper. The common motifsare borrowed from
nature.

46. Nowwiththemarket demandfornewcolourcombinations, newcolourslike
rust,dark green,deepyellow,brightorange,redandnavybluehavebegunto
beused,unliketheusualcolourslikeblack,redor white.
Orissa’sclassicbomkaisariwasrecentlyacknowledgedinChennaifashion
weekinTamannaandShreya’scollection.

48. •THE SARI
- LINDA LYNTON
• SARIS OF INDIA
-RTA KAPUR CHISHTI
•INDIAN SARIS
- VIJAI SINGH KATIYAR

49. THANK YOU…..