Bomkai
Butidar Bomkai / Sonepur Sari
“This Sambalpuri Bomkai sari, a fusion of Odisha’s renowned yarn resist dyeing and extra weft weaving techniques, is woven on a pit loom using a combination of ikat weaving and supplementary thread work (kapta jala, referring to the dobby mechanism (jala)) on its pallu (end-piece) and border.”
The sari features small fish motifs woven into the border, and the pallu symbolizing prosperity and good health. The body of the sari is predominantly plain, adorned with small fish motifs placed vertically in opposite directions.
The detailed pallu showcases bands of thread work and ikat-woven patterns such as elephants, fish, flowers, yalis, and swans, drawing inspiration from tribal art, mythology, and nature. These motifs are rendered in the region’s celebrated single ikat technique.
The transition of the design in the lengthwise border where the pallu begins enhances the visual appeal, making the sari even more interesting and unique. The colour palette featuring hues of beige, black, and maroon exudes understated elegance, while the border boasts regal temple spires.
Abundance, prosperity, conjugal felicity. Identified across the body field of this object.
Open motif entryGateway; sacred geometry of the south. Identified across the border and pallu 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.