Sambalpuri Soiree
Ikkat,Pata, Patoli or Sambalpuri, many are its names but this wonder silk saree from sambalpur, a small town in Odisha is one of the most celebrated silk sarees of the country. Known to be pure and immaculate, these sambalpuri silk sarees have cleared the tests of times for fashion from the times of royalty in India to Mughal times and now the current fashion times. In fact these Sambalpuri sarees began to be recognized as power dress after the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the news readers of Doordarshan promoted them in 1980’s. It was also at this time that Sambalpuri sarees got international recognition as well as many weaver cooperatives were formed. A saree of substance, Sambalpuri saree was granted a Geographical Indication (GI) status as ‘OdishaIkat’ in the Government of India’s GI registry.
Background of Sambalpuri Sarees
Sambalpuri silk sarees are said to have originated from the ancient craft of Baandha. Baandha meaning ‘to bind’ is a traditional technique of tie and dye where the yarns are tied as per desired patterns to resist absorption of dyes before they are dyed. The uniqueness of this kind of dyeing is that the designs formed appear identical on both sides of the saree. This kind of art form empowers craftsmen to inspire a thought and convey a message through colourful designs, patterns and images as their medium. Historian believe that the Bhulia community brought in this form of art to western odisha, when they moved here in 1192 AD from northern India after the fall of the Chouhan empire at the hands of the Mughals. Here it flourished as an art form with limited designs and vegetable colours and mainly consisted of saris that were used by the womenfolk of Odisha. These sambalpuri saris were then refered to as 'Bhulia-Kapta'. Traditionally, their designs comprised of flora or fauna or basic geometrical patterns. However in the current times, the new types of Baandha depicting portrait, landscape and flower pods are in demand.
Speciality of Sambalpuri Sarees
What makes Sambalpuri sarees so special one may ask? The answer is there is no one reason. For one, the sambalpuri silk saree collections are entirely the creation of its weaver right from conceptualization, design and colour combination. Two, the colours of Sambalpuri silk sarees never fade, even after the saree has worn out! This unique feature of Sambalpuri sarees is described beautifully in the folk lingual of Odisha where they compare the color and fabric of a sambalpuri saree to the soul and body of a human being respectively. Just like how even if the body of the human ends, the soul continues to live, similarly the color of the Sambalpuri silk saree never fades away though the fabric wares off. In fact interestingly, the colors of these sarees come out alive after every wash!
The Sambalpuri sarees that are hand-woven using the warp and weft in traditional tie and dye technique, come in a variety of designs. These designs generally comprise of Indian symbols of local vegetables, local flowers, insects, birds and animals. The most common ones being lotus, peacock, house fly, elephant, deer, fish and tortoise. The other common symbols are that of temple spires that are generally lined around the border of the saree. However the most important symbol of Sambalpuri sarees is the Pasapali print. Deriving its name from ‘Pasa’, the traditional dice that was used in the ancient chess of India that was prevalent in parts of Odisha, the pasa print comprises of check patterns bearing contrast colours placed across the sambalpuri saree or the pallu of the saree. The other pattern that’s popular in sambalpuri sarees collection is the Barapali print and the Bapta print.
Sambalpuri silk sarees at Shatika
Sambalpuri sarees have caught up the interest of Indian women especially office goers because of their traditional yet smart looks. Shatika boasts of a great collection of these sambalpuri sarees online in varied color combinations. Considering the superior quality of silk and their authenticity, the sambalpuri silk saree priceat Shatika is very economical making it the first choice for all women considering sambalpuri silk saree online shopping.
