Odisha Ikat

What is Odisha Ikat?

Odisha Ikat is a way of making pattern that begins before the loom: yarns are tied tightly at chosen points, then dyed, so colour settles only where the covering was removed. Locals call the craft Bandha or Bandhakala. Both the lengthwise warp and the crosswise weft may be tied, using yarns of fine quality. The finished cloth shows flowing curved lines and feathered, hazy edges, and each motif appears identically on front and back without extra yarn. Communities such as the Bhulia, Kostha Asani and Patara practise it in villages across western and eastern Odisha. The silk becomes saris with brocade bands at the border and the anchal, the decorated end, and is also made into dupattas, bed linens and tablecloths. Since 2007 the name carries a Geographical Indication tag.

Where does Odisha Ikat come from?

The craft comes from Odisha, and its history is tied to the worship of Lord Jagannath. Each colour on the cloth carries meaning in that tradition: the four primary shades are white, black, yellow and red, with green joining later. These colours are said to stand for past, present and future, for the Vedas and for the Gods. Some also infer that the art took shape by copying temple architecture that stood much earlier. Weaving clusters listed today include Mankedia in Balasore or Mayurbhanj district, Barpali, Remunda, Sonepur and Tarabha in the west, and Badamba, Nuapatna and Tigiria in Cuttack district. In 2007 the Government of India listed Odisha Ikat as a Geographical Indication.

How is Odisha Ikat made?

The maker fixes other cloth around fine yarns at chosen spots so the dye cannot reach the covered parts; a single round of dyeing leaves the yarn spotty, so detailed patterns call for an eight-stage cycle of tying and dyeing that demands skill and time. Weavers usually tie the weft and sometimes the warp, repeating the process on coloured stretches to build bright, distinctive shades. No pattern is drawn in advance; the design evolves as the craftsman works, from his own imagination. Motifs appear on both faces of the cloth with no extra yarn. A hand-woven sari passes through 14 stages, needs two craftspeople and takes about seven months. The ikat of the Bhulia weavers of western Odisha, which includes double ikat, is rated finer than the eastern work.

Colours, motifs and borders

The cloth reads as a flow of curving lines, its forms deliberately feathered so the edges look hazy and fragile. Motifs range from temple towers and pinnacles to birds, animals, dice, rudraksh beads and geometric figures. Saris carry bands of brocade along the border and again on the anchal, the decorated end also called the pallu. The palette follows Jagannath worship: the primary colours are white, black, yellow and red, with green coming later. At Nuapatna in Cuttack district, weavers work hymns from the Gitagovinda into the ikat yarn, and this cloth dresses the idols of the Jagannath Temple every day.

How Odisha Ikat is worn

The sari is the main garment made from this cloth. Its decorated end, called anchal or pallu, carries bands of brocade, so the richest pattern sits at the part of the drape that shows most. Because every motif appears identically on front and back, the cloth has no wrong side. The same fabric also becomes dupatta scarves, bolts of cloth, bed linens and tablecloths.

When Odisha Ikat is worn

The craft is bound to the worship of Lord Jagannath in Odisha. Cloth from Nuapatna, woven with ikat yarn carrying hymns from the Gitagovinda, dresses the idols at the Jagannath Temple every day. The colours themselves carry sacred meaning, standing for past, present and future, the Vedas and the Gods. Beyond temple use, bandha saris are woven in named kinds across the state, including Khandua, Sambalpuri, Pasapali, Kataki and Manibandhi.

Styles of Odisha Ikat

Several named kinds of bandha sari come from Odisha: Khandua, Sambalpuri, Pasapali, Kataki and Manibandhi. Ikat from western Odisha, much of it by Bhulia weavers, is considered superior in both fabric and pattern, and includes double ikat, in which both warp and weft threads are tied. The eastern product is rated below it. The same technique also yields cloth by the bolt, dupattas, bed linens and tablecloths. Related resist-dyed traditions elsewhere in India include Patola of Gujarat and Pochampally and Puttapaka of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

What Odisha Ikat means

In 2007 the Government of India registered Odisha Ikat under the GI Act 1999, with the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks confirming the entry under classes for tied and dyed yarn, textile goods and clothing, application number 22, within the TRIPS framework. Writers have described the design process as "poetry on the loom". For weaving households such as the Bhulia, Kostha Asani and Patara, the seven months a single sari demands shows how much labour each length of cloth holds.

Questions people ask about Odisha Ikat

Good reading and sources

• Odisha Ikat on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data