Hello folks !! As you would be knowing, saree is the traditional outfit for an Indian women. It is the clear representation of our culture and tradition and is the most oldest attire ever invented in India. Apart form being such a beautiful and gorgeous attire, it is also very comfortable for which it is preferred by almost all the Indian women to wear.
Odisha, known for it’s rich heritage and culture, has a huge recognition in the traditional textiles and weaving art. More importantly, all the styles of fabric dying and weaving in Odisha is inspired from old religious texts and tradition. Every saree has it’s own dignity and ancient recognition. This textile Industry of the state has been also a huge factor for employment for massive number of workers.
Basically, there are 7 types of traditional sarees of Odisha. Every saree is prepared in it’s own way, beautiful in it’s own way and recognized in it’s own way. Let’s get to know each of them.
1. Kotpad from Koraput
Kotpad sarees are very popular as the handloom fabric was the first item from Odisha that received the Geographical Indication of India tag in 2005. These are basically cotton sarees that have solid borders and are dyed organically which ultimately gives richness to the texture and appearance of the cloth.
It has nice shades and is completely eco-friendly which are the main reasons for the demand of these sarees. No doubt, it’s preparation takes a lots of time but the final product is very hard to ignore for which it is worth the time. These sarees are woven by the tribal weavers of the Mirgan community of Kotpad village in Koraput district.
Trusted online source for shopping – Indiamart.com
Price range – Rs.2000 – 4000
2. Ikat from Sonepur
Ikat sarees are also called the sambalpuri ikat. It is prepared by a popular process called “tie-dying” and the weft threads are used to create designs, especially on the loom before it takes place. The designs on the ikat are mostly of birds, animals, rudraksh beads, geometric designs, dice, temple towers and pinnacles.
The preparation of these sarees not only undergoes perfect fabric but also perfect pattern and designs. In the Western Odisha, it is woven in Barapalli, Remunda, Jhiliminda, Mahalakata, Singhapali, Sonepur, Patabhadi, Sagarpali, Tarabha, Biramaharajpur, Subalaya, Kendupali, Jaganathpali, and Kamalapur of Bargarh district and Sonepur district.
Trusted online source for shopping – Indiamart.com
Price Range – Casual (Rs.1500-5000) and Part wear(beyond Rs.10,000)
3. Bomkai from Ganjam
Bomkai sarees are believed to be a treasure to own. They are hugely inspired by tribal art and represents themes similar to that. The colours of this attire revolves around black, red, yellow, orange, and blue. Also the designs made in these sarees are mostly of fish because it is believed to be the sign of success and affluence.
These sarees are mostly accepted as a habitual wear in contrast to the silk sarees that are mostly wore in big ceremonies and sacred occasions. These are elegant yet simple sarees preferred by most of the women and the cotton edition of these sarees are mostly woven in the Ganjam district of Odisha.
Trusted online source for shopping – adimohinimohankanjilal.com
Price Range – Every saree at Rs.1024
4. Khandua from Nuapatna
Khandua sarees were originated back to the 12th century, in devotion to Lord Jagannath of Puri, a sacred Hindu Pilgrimage of Odisha. These sarees are a perfect example of hand-weaving as the traditional wooden looms are used to create these artistic pieces out of the cotton yarn.
These sarees are also popular for it’s light weight. All the sarees weigh roughly around 300 gram. This is a huge reason why Odia women mostly prefer these sarees to wear as they do not feel heavy and uncomfortable. Over all this saree is believed to be a perfect attire representing both elegance and modernity.
Trusted online source for shopping – orisshandloom.com
Price Range – Casual(Rs.6000-9000) and Party wear(beyond Rs.13000)
5. Saktapur from Bargarh
From the image, you can clearly get to know that the idea or the design of Saktapur sarees is inspired from the checkerboard or in local language called “passa”. These are woven from silk thread, cotton thread, tussar, mix of silk & tussar. This piece of art became popular when Lt. Indira Gandhi started wearing it, and till then it’s charm is still there.
The colours of these sarees are always bright and attractive. All it’s borders are braced and overall the result gives a very sophisticated look. It is believed by the Odia families that having Saktapur saree in your closet is a matter of pride. These sarees are woven in Sonepur, Barpali and Baunsri of Western Odisha.
Trusted online source for shopping – indiamart.com
Price Range – Casual(Rs.4000 – 5000) and Party wear(beyond Rs.12000)
6. Dhalapathar from Dhalapathar
Dhalapathar sarees is one of the finest saree you will get in the collection. There is a community called the “Rangani” who have been weaving these sarees from more than a century and every elder member of each family has the proper knowledge on the techniques of dying and weaving. It’s specialty is the weft ribbed cloth, which is woven without the use of dobby or also called the “Jala”.
The color significance of the design is due to this weft ribbed effect and it can also produce multicolour effect. The other names of these sarees are Kusumi Kapta, Kankana Pedi, Muktapunji, Nahati and Akata. These sarees are woven in the Dhalapathar in Khurda district of Odissa.
Trusted online source for shopping – priyaodisha.com
Price Range – Rs.6000
7. Habaspuri from Kalahandi
Habaspuri sarees are another collection of sarees which are known for hand weaving. The preparation is done at the Chicheguda village of Odisha. These are particularly based in cotton and the hardwork and creativity of the Chicheguda workers make this piece a masterpiece. It’s designs are inspired from Kumbha(temple), fish and flowers.
These sarees are named after the Habaspur of Kalahandi district of Odisha and is believed to be a very old and traditional handloom of Odisha. That is the reason these sarees are weaved by the old age groups of this community to keep the ancient art alive.
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Price Range – Casual(Rs.5000 – 8000) and special(beyond Rs.11000)
Surely, it will be not wrong to say that with time the Western culture has captured the fashion of all the youngsters of this current generation. But more surely, it will be also not wrong to say that the most beautiful gift a mother could give to her daughter is believed to be passing her saree to her daughter to wear. During functions like marriages, It looks absolutely amazing when women of all the age groups come with wearing an attire of gorgeous sarees.
In the above article, we discussed the 7 traditional sarees of Odisha that you will get to see in almost all the Odia families. Since centuries these sarees are being worn by the Odia women which makes them look so elegant and gives them a feeling of staying connected to their ancient roots.
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