Bomkai Sarees

BOMKAI

One of the oldest textiles of Odisha, Bomkai Silk, also known as Sonepuri silk, is uniquely woven saree which hails from the western part of Orissa. The original and traditional weaving of this fabric was made in a low-count cotton yarn which is usually, coarse, heavy and dyed in intense colours. In an easy way, it can be explained as an extra weft technique on a pit loom.

The very interesting thing about fabric is the borders which are often in contrasting colours and the pallus marked by intricate threadwork.

Origin of Bomkai:

The origin of Bomkai emerges from the fact that this interesting weave showcases the adept works of an artisan. Locally known as “Bandha”, the Bomkai concept is an integral part of Orissa culture since 600 B.C. As an outcome of Ikat and embroidery weaved together, this was a magnificent innovation which takes over the textile industry.
This fabric was traditionally worn as auspicious attire by the Brahmins of the South during rituals. Sonepuri today is counted amongst one of the most highly thought of attires in the state of Odisha and an illustrious one in other parts of the country.

Woven with a low count of cotton yarn, Bomkai saree is a weaving industry which makes use of both the weft and warp techniques.

Varieties:

Various varieties of Bomkai have been introduced till date. Some of the most popular ones though include Sonepuri, Pasapalli, Barpali, and Bapta sarees. The intricate designs and beautiful colour make it a mesmerizing piece of fabric.

Woven by the adept artisans of Sonepur district, Bomkai is handloom fabric that has an attached GI tag and is also called the ‘Sonepuri’ fabric. Bomkai sarees are quite popular among fashion connoisseurs and are must-haves for an enviable saree collection.

Technique used:

Fly shuttle pit looms as well as frame looms are used. 3 shuttle techniques are used to get solid border effect, locally called as “Muhojorha saree”. Extra warp design in border and extra weft design in body and pallu are woven with the help of dobby/jacquard/jala.

In early times sambalpuri sarees were dyed using naturally extracted colours such as leafs, fruits, stems, roots, muds and outer cover of tree. They were using the following elements to get the respective colours as mentioned below mud – Brown colour, Teak wood- Red colour and mango nut for Black colour. But after the synthetic dyes became available to them they abandoned the usage of natural material and adopted the synthetic dyes which are available in market.

Sources of Inspiration:

Unlike most of the common forms of designs that are painted on the face of various fabrics, Bomkai dares to be different. The motifs and designs portray mythology and well-kept secrets of the past. Inspired by folklore that spring from the roots of the Odisha culture, Bomkai is the heart of the textile industry of Southern India. However, Bomkai doesn’t ignore the inspirations that nature offers to everyone completely free of cost.

Motifs:

The main motifs were used originally are bitter guard, Atasi flower, fish, bird, peacock, tortoise, lotus, temple, wooden lamp stand, dambaru or small drum used by lord ‘Shiva’, tooth, horizontal half diamond or horizontal full diamond. Some of the sarees feature border motifs that are inspired by tribal art. A few examples include MitktaPanjia, Kumbha, Rudraksha and Floral.Now-a-days, 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 stylized floral and geometrical patterns in the borders and contrast colour border and pallu (Muhojorha). 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. Body and pallu warp are joined to get contrast colour effect.

These sarees are very versatile, giving the person wearing it the complete freedom to style it up or down as per the occasion or the place. Shop the most authentic and newest varieties of Bomkai sarees exclusively at Suumayaweaves!