Khandua

What is Khandua?

Khandua is an ikat silk saree produced in Odisha, also known as Maniabandi or Kataki. Crafted with the regional resist-dye technique known as bandha, this cloth is traditionally referred to as pata. It is distinguished by its warm palette of red and orange, unadorned solid borders, and figurative motifs. Brides wear it for marriage rituals, and customized ceremonial lengths featuring stanzas and pictures from the Gita Govinda are woven as sacred clothing for the deity Jagannath.

Where does Khandua come from?

The textile originated in the Cuttack district of Odisha, where weaving settlements in Maniabandha and Nuapatana established its production. Its alternative titles, Kataki and Maniabandhi, point directly to these locations. Historical records connect the weave to the era of the Gajapati rulers, when sarees were routinely woven and sent to the Jagannath Temple. In another historical instance, King Nilakantha Deva of Badakhemundi received a single-piece silk garment named caukandika. In the Odia language, the term khandua denotes a cloth worn around the lower body.

How is Khandua made?

Khandua is woven from silk yarns using the traditional bandha resist-dyeing method. Artisans dye the yarns before setting them on the loom, aligning the patterns to create text and illustrations. The primary red dye is derived naturally from the bark of the sal tree, Shorea robusta. Unlike other regional ikat styles that integrate decorative patterning into the selvedges, weavers deliberately keep the side borders of Khandua completely plain.

Colours, motifs and borders

The design of Khandua is rooted in orange and red tones. Its field contains various symbolic figures, such as an auspicious elephant representing Buddha, trailing vines populated with peacocks, a large multi-petalled flower, and the deula kumbha pattern. It also displays the Nabagunjara, a composite beast unique to Odisha folklore. The elephant figures woven by Nuapatana artisans carry a distinct form that differs from the elephant motifs found in Sambalpuri sarees.

How Khandua is worn

The name of the garment stems from the Odia word for cloth draped across the lower body. As a saree, it is worn by women for marriage ceremonies. In temple ritual, a specific twelve-foot variation called Kenduli Khandua is draped around the deity Jagannath as a ceremonial lower wrap.

When Khandua is worn

Khandua serves two main purposes: holy worship and matrimonial rites. Women wear these silk sarees during wedding ceremonies. In religious observance, devotees offer specialized versions adorned with Gita Govinda verses directly to Lord Jagannath.

Styles of Khandua

A prominent variety is Kenduli Khandua, a twelve-foot, two-kani piece (a kani being the span of a hand) created specifically for Lord Jagannath and inscribed with Gita Govinda stanzas. Another historical single-piece silk form is known as caukandika. Regional styles also vary in their motifs; Nuapatana weavers render the elephant figure differently from how it appears in Sambalpuri ikat.

What Khandua means

Khandua holds deep spiritual significance in Odisha through its continuous link to the Jagannath Temple in Puri. The textile represents a confluence of regional literature, Gajapati history, and religious iconography, including Buddhist symbolism through its elephant motif. It holds official recognition as a Geographical Indication in India.

Questions people ask about Khandua

Good reading and sources

• Khandua on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data