Hello dear readers, Happy weekend! Well, I am sure you must have read my post on my latest trip to Odisha with my mom and elder sister, if you haven’t read it yet, then read it HERE. As you all know, Odisha is very famous for its handloom and handicraft industry. Pipli in Puri is famous for its appliqué handicrafts.
The day we reached Bhubaneshwar, it was quite late, we didn’t have much time to go for any sightseeing, and also we didn’t want to waste our time in the hotel rooms. We decided to explore the nearest market area and spend some time shopping.
I am a huge fan of handloom sarees, and the moment I reached here, I was waiting to buy a couple of handloom sarees from Odisha. We were quite lucky as there was a handloom expo going on in Bhubaneshwar, and it had stalls of some major saree shops of Bhubaneshwar. The expo had stalls of not only Odisha handloom but also Handloom items from all over India.
Sharing a picture which was displayed just at the entrance of the expo that showed our country’s map labelled with different kinds of handwoven fabrics that are specifically manufactured in various states of India.
The handloom and handicraft industry in India is famous for its uniqueness, styles, authenticity, tradition and ethnic values. It showcases the excellent craftsmanship of our weavers and artisans. Every state of India has its own pattern, style, technique, design, inventive weaving and printing trend.
Well, like any other state in our country, Odisha is famous for its handloom industry. Pochampally Ikat design, which is an intricate geometric design, makes the weave stand apart. Pohampally Ikat sarees are woven in Bhoodan, Pohampally, Telangana.
Not only sarees, the market is flooded with skirts, kurtis, palazzos, shirts, bags, and whatnot, all in the Ikat design. It’s available in both cotton and silk material, and trust me, they are unique in themselves. Odisha is also famous for the Sambalpuri Saree, which is a traditional handwoven saree produced in Bargarh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Balangir District, and Boudh District of Odisha.
For weaving the Sambalpuri fabrics, the threads are first dyed and then woven into fabrics. The Sambalpuri sarees incorporate traditional motifs like the shankha(shell), Chakra(wheel), sometimes the Wheel of the Konark Sun Temple and also Flower patterns, all of which have deep symbolism or are related to mythology.
Today, not only Odisha but also these sarees have gathered worldwide recognition, and people from all parts of our country love to adorn these drapes. Many of these weaves have received a GI tag, giving them their deserved recognition. Sambalpuri sarees also include Sonepuri, Pasapali, Bomkai, Barpali, and Bapta sarees, which are equally famous and in high demand.
I purchased three sarees, all three are ikat cotton sarees, from a stall named Boyanika. They also have a huge store within the city and have their website. You can Google. They have a huge stock of various kinds of Odisha handloom sarees, kurtis, shrugs, trousers, etc. Price range starts from Rs700- Rs800 approx and goes to sky-high range. They also give nice discounts.
The red and black combination is an ikat saree with unique geometric patters priced at Rs2225/- and the other two sarees with temple design on both the borders and intricate geometric patters on the pallu were priced at Rs915/- We also received discounts on all the three sarees, I don’t remember the exact percentage it was somewhat 10% to 15%. The ikkat silks were really expensive; the starting range was from approximately 7k. We were on a budget trip, so we excluded spending any more bucks on sarees.
We also purchased some cool decorative handmade home decor items like table mats, wall hangings, priced at around Rs330/-, etc., from a store in Pipli. Thus, not much, but yes, we bought tokens from Odisha, some for gifts and some for ourselves. Hoped you loved my haul post. Drop in your views and comments! Bye and take care.
Share this:
