Bomkai
Butidar Bomkai / Sonepur Sari
“A Bichitrapuri sari produced in the Bargarh district of Odisha showcases two large checkered blocks of pasapalli sandwiched between bands of ikat work.”
These ikat lines include a central band adorned with traditional motifs, such as flowers, fish, and swans, flanked by two red bands on either side featuring wave-like patterns (lahari bandha), adding depth and dimension to the overall design. The name pasapalli derives from the ancient game of chess, pasa, played since Mahabharat times.
This unique checkered pattern is crafted using the double ikat technique, where dyed and undyed silk yarns are interlaced to create a striking visual effect. In addition to the intricately woven double borders running lengthwise, the sari also features additional warp patterning on the main body and extra weft patterning on the pallu (end-piece).
The pallu itself is a masterpiece featuring rows of traditional motifs such as flowers, fish, deer, yalis, and elephants, separated by thin woven stripes, making this sari a timeless piece of art.
Abundance, prosperity, conjugal felicity. Identified across the body field of this object.
Open motif entryCosmic order; mathematical harmony in weave. Identified across the woven ground of this object.
Open motif entryIkat is among the most demanding of textile techniques — the resist-dye is applied not to finished cloth, but to the yarn itself, before a single thread reaches the loom. Bundles of warp (or weft, or both) are bound and dyed in successive colour baths; the pattern emerges as the loom finally aligns them. In India, three lineages dominate: the double-ikat patola of Patan in Gujarat, the bandha of Odisha, and the cotton and silk ikats of Pochampally and Puttapaka in Telangana.