Bomkai Saris: A Tale of Weaving Tradition of Odisha

Introduction 

Bomkai is a special handloom sari originated in the village of Bomkai in Ganjam district of Odisha. Coarse cotton, vivid colours, and high -contrast borders and pallus are the main features of these saris.  The essence of the traditional Bomkai sari lies in the stepping and shaft formula of weaving, and regular motifs remain the same in any composition. The Uniqueness of this sari is that there is no fixed layout for the anchal, extra wefts bring out panels in various colours. These saris combine Ikat and embroidery interweave with each other, the borders are normally in contrasting colours, with intricate thread work marking the pallus. Now bomkai saris are available in cotton as well as in silk fabrics. Bomkai cotton saris are mostly used for casual wear and the silk saris are for weddings and special occasions. The Bomkai sari and its fabrics received a Geographical Indications tag in 2010.

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Traditional Bomkai Saris

The Bomkai sari originates from a village called “Bomkai” woven by the Patra and Nayak communities in the Ganjam district of Odisha, and that is why the brand is popularly known as “Bomkai sari.” The stepping and shaft formula to weave regular patterns remains the same in any composition; it is a distinctive trait of traditional Bomkai weaving. The main motifs are Kanthiphula, the bitter gourd blossom, the Atasi flower (linumusitatissimum), flies, birds, fish, and lotus. The looms were narrow, and the weavers wove 12-foot-long and 36-inch-wide cotton saris. Another feature is that the anchal panels have no set arrangement, so even his work cannot be replicated by a weaver from memory unless it is copied. The yarn with 10 to 40 counts was available in the market at that time, and the weavers purchased yarn for weaving with the money they received from selling their handmade saris at the local market. Yarn was mostly dyed using vegetable dye since chemical dyes were not available. The colour spectrum of vegetable dye was restricted to very few colours such as yellow (derived from turmeric), maroon (derived from the bark of Aal trees/ Morindacitrifolia), blue (derived from nile), and black (derived from hakda and hirakasi.) 

Modern Day Bomkai

The Sonepur handloom industry had several developments in the middle of the 1960s. To embrace the innovation, weavers received training, loom widths were increased to 48 to 50 inches, and finer-quality mercerized yarns (60 counts) were introduced. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the making of these saris declined severely. Chemical dyes were also introduced by the well-known weaver in the region, Shri Kruthartha Acharya. As a result, there was a revolutionary change in Bomkai tradition, and a paradigm shift from Ganjam district to Sonepur district took place.

 The Vishwakarma series and the Festival of India exhibitions helped to revive the textile and expand its production to the Sonepur (now Subarnapur) – Bargarh region in western Odisha, which is well known for Ikat weaving, and many weavers were ready and trained to adopt the change. The availability of chemical dyes expanded the colour spectrum, enabling weavers to create a wider choice of designs for their textiles. Dr.Kruthartha Acharya, for the promotion of Sonepur products, encourages the weavers to explore wider markets in other States through participation in fairs and exhibitions organized by the State and central Government, and the handloom department of the Government of India. In addition to this, he used to buy woven saris from weavers and provide them with raw materials and designs. This made it easier for the weavers to focus only on manufacturing the product, rather than marketing and product promotion. The other significant improvement is the introduction of silk yarn in the early 1980s.  In these clusters, ikat is often combined with the traditional Bomkai design and is woven using finer cotton and silks. The jaala is parallel to the jacquard    and dobby attachment in the production process. The design of Bomkai was created at the Sonepur cluster at the beginning of the 1990s, and since then, has been experimenting the permutation and combination of designs incorporating with Bomkai, Jala, tie-dye, etc. Now the weavers are using zari, and the body designs are also enhanced to make the saris more appealing to the consumers. Besides the traditional bandha pattern of the Anchal, recently the weavers started producing Jala designs, as the flower patterns and animal characters are more prominent, and appealing in this Jala design process.  The weavers use the graph to guide them while working on the loom to create this pattern. These stylish saris are embodied with captivating colours to give a gracious look. 

Colours in Bomkai

The Bomkai weavers use conventional foundation colours like jet black, blood red, orange, yellow, and green. Traditionally, yarn was mostly dyed using colours derived from natural sources, since there were no chemical dyes available, and the weavers’ ancestors, are responsible for their keen sense of colour. So the colours of natural dye were restricted to very few colours. Yellow is derived from turmeric, blood red/ maroon from the bark of the Aal tree or lac, and black is derived from hakda and hirakasi seeds, acacia skin for chrome orange.  For them, the colour red represents life and blood. Green is a symbol of agriculture, which gives life. Yellow comes from mustard blossoms, and orange from the arid, reddish ground.  Earlier even  in the  Sonepur and Bargarh regions yarn was  dyed by  using naturally extracted colours from leaves, fruits, stems, roots, mud, the  and outer cover of the tree, and a few examples are, mud for Brown colour, Teak wood- Red colour, and mango nut for Black colour. But after the synthetic dyes became available to them in the market, they adopted the synthetic dyes.

 With the introduction of synthetic dyes, the colour spectrum of the textile expanded.  However, in the past few decades, weavers have bought dyed yarn, which is commonly chemical dyed.

Motifs in Bomkai Weaving

In the bomkai saris, the weavers create panels of contrasting motifs in the anchal or pallu, on a bright background. Motifs drew inspiration from the surroundings, religious themes, and natural elements. The common motifs are karela (bitter gourd), the atasi flower, the kanthi phula (small flower), macha, (carp-fish), koincha (tortoise), padma (lotus), mayura (peacock), and charai (bird). The background was common black, red, or white and included motifs such as butas are freely composed. With the expansion of production clusters, new products such as dress materials and furnishings have also been introduced, in cotton and silk in the Bomkai style. 

However, today you will find the sari in several designs and multiple colours while retaining their originality. The warps are suitably woven to produce multi-coloured fabrics. Some of the designs especially include- Lotus, Temple (Mandir), Square type of patterns, Tortoise, etc.

The main motifs used originally are the bitter guard, Atasi flower, fish, bird, peacock, tortoise, lotus, temple, wooden lamp stand, and dambaru (instrument of lord Shiva). Some of the saris’ border motifs are inspired by tribal art. Nowadays, this is woven in both silk and cotton with a very fine texture associated with modern ikat and extra weft motifs. Traditionally, these are distinct in their use of heavily plied cotton, with floral and geometrical patterns in the borders and contrast colour border and pallu. Generally, colours are very bright like red, black, dark green, dark blue, white, etc. Designs have small dots within, which is not seen in other textiles. The body and pallu warp are joined to get a contrasting colour effect.

Conclusions

One of the oldest textiles of Odisha, “Bomkai” represents the rich tradition and innovation. The most striking features of the Bomkai sari are vibrant colours, the borders are often in contrast colours, and the pallus are marked by intricate thread work design. From their vibrant colors to intricate weaving techniques, each sari depicts a story of cultural heritage and craftsmanship. However, Bomkai doesn’t ignore the inspirations that nature offers to everyone completely free of cost. Despite challenges, Bomkai Saris continues to adapt to modern markets with changing consumer preferences while preserving its roots. Bomkai saris are not just garments but symbols of artistic excellence and the cultural heritage and tradition of Odisha.

Few Lines about Bomkai Saris

• The most beautiful part is its threadwork in the designs of the border and the pallu.
• In most of the saris fish motif is seen on the border as it is believed to be a sign of success and affluence.    
• Three shuttle techniques are used to get a solid border effect.
• Extra warp design in border and extra weft design in body and pallu are woven with the help of dobby/jacquard/jala.
•  The designs are limited to geometric shapes and sizes, the design can also be flowery, ornate, and visually appealing.
• Only a few traditional Bomkai sari-weaving families remain in the Ganjam district.
• The “Bhulia” or “Meher” community’s primary activity was weaving in the Sonepur district.

Reference

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sonepuri_sari
2. http://madanneha.hubpages.com/hub/traditional-weaves-of-orissa-sari
3. http://www.craftrevival.org 
4. http://www.indiansilk.kar.nic.in 
5. http://www.indianfibre.com 
6. Dr. Sasmita Behera homesciencejournal.com (ISSN: 2395-7476, IJHS 2024; 10(1): 219-224, © 2024 IJHS)
7. Mitali dalai & kullolIi (e ISSN-0976-8351, www.researchjournal.co.inAsian Journal of Home Science Volume 12 | Issue 1 | June, 2017 | 193-200)