For hundreds and thousands of years, India has developed its own identity when it comes to fashion and clothing. Women in India love to clad themselves in gorgeous sarees that not only helps them to enhance their personal beauty but also feel proud of the cultural heritage that they belong to. The various areas and regions of India have developed their own trends of creating stylish and beautiful sarees that carry the distinct imprint of their specific cultural trends and beliefs. Among the types of sarees that deserve special mention in this relation is the Bomkai saree from Odisha. The saree has been popularized by Kathak dancers in all parts of the world and bears true testament to the ideological beliefs and cultural concepts prevalent in Odisha.
Bomkai sarees, also referred locally as Sonepuri sarees, are woven on pit looms and renowned for being astonishingly beautiful fabrics that combine two very important elements well-liked in Orissa textile industry. Bomkai sarees are made by using a method of adding a further weft on the pit loom. Beautiful Bomkai sarees are made by interweaving Ikat and embroidery into each other. The sarees have borders that are often done in contrasting colors. The pallus also stand out because of their intricate threadwork. Motifs that are used on the Bomkai sarees are mainly inspired from the nature as well as the rich traditions of tribal art found in Odisha. Such elements give these sarees a fascinating and unique look which makes them ideal for aristocracy. To offer ample choices for women with a love for these garments, Bomkai sarees are made in both silk and cotton fabrics.
Compared to some of the other types of sarees that originate in this part of India, the Bomkai comes with a number of unique designs and motifs that make them different from others. These designs and motifs aptly portray various mythological traditions and folklores of the past. These folklores form the base of Odishan culture, which makes Bomkai sarees some of the most endearing garments in the textile manufacturing industry of South India. The inspirations that make up Bomkai sarees are seeped deeply in nature that makes them so special and different from other sarees. The designs are composed with the help of concepts taken from nature and perfectly compiled together. Some of the common elements include the atasi flower, karela, macchi, the kanthi phul, koincha, rui macchi, mayur, padma and charai. Other than these motifs, another aspect of Bomkai sarees that stand out from others is the pallavs or borders. Many sarees have border motifs and designs that are heavily inspired by traditional tribal art. Some examples include, Kumbha, Mitkta Panjia, Floral and Rudraksha patterns.
Like the motifs themselves, the colors of the Bomkai sarees also play a very important role to add to the beauty of these garments. The colors of these sarees are mainly inspired by a contrasting effect. Quite often a shade of bright green is combined with yellow and the same is done with colors like black and orange. In some cases, the pallav is double shaded which creates a rich sheen of royal luster. The artisans also use lattice work add more beauty to the Bomkai sarees. Various geometric shapes and patterns can be found around the borders of Bomkai sarees which make them elegant and classy. Such rich artistic elements make Bomkai sarees some of the most popular garments that are produced in the state of Odisha. Over the years, many different types of Bomkai sarees have evolved which naturally offers more good options for the fashion conscious women of today. These include Sonepuri, Barpali, Pasapali and Bapta saris.
Odisha is a part of the country India; here in this state Odisha many arts and crafts are present from ancient days. One of the famous things of Odisha is its beautiful textile products, here in this state Odisha there are many varieties of textile products like saris, kurta, dhoti and others are present. In sari also many varieties are available like Samabalpuri sari, Pattachitra sari, Soneupuri sari or Bomkai sari. Bomkai saris are very much famous among the women in Odisha, also women outside of Odisha, like in ithers parts of India and in also other countries like the Bomkai sari very much, So many of the Indian textile exportes, exporting the Bomkai saris to various countries in all over the world and earning a good amount of profit.
Let’s discuss a little, about Bomkai saris; this Bomkai sari is also famous in the name of Sonepuri Sari. The name of this sari is Sonepuri Sari is because of the place where it produced. In Odisha there is a district named Sonepur here this Sonepuri Sari are produced by very skilled full handloom weavers. Sonepuri Saris or Bomkai Saris are basically produced by a community known as “Bhulia”. This Bhulia community peoples are basically leave in sonepur district. So people called this sari as the name of the local place and the name of sari becomes Sonepuri Sari. But the name Bomkai sari is because of the village where also these saris are produced. The famous Bomkai sari designs are the traditional designs that were produced in Bomkai village (A village of Ganjam district of Orissa, India).
Skilled full weavers of Bomkai village of Gunjam district and Sonepur district are weave these beautiful saris by their hands or by using very simple tools only. So these saris are called handloom saris, each piece of sari are produced by hands so each piece of sari are unique. Women in all over the world like these saris very much and try to buy saris from markets and from online shopping stores etc.
The Bomkai saree is an ethnic variant named after a tribal village in southern Orissa. It stands out for its stich-patterns at the edges and the pallo (the wide band at the finish). Created in a little town called Bomkai in Odisha, these sarees evoke a feeling of the ikat effect similar to that of the famous Sambhalpuri sarees.
Known for its unique appeal and cultural significance, sarees from Orissa have long been coveted by women from across India as well as the globe. The ikat design, especially, has been an iconic style of the Oriya saree. This design consists of four colours and can be recognized easily for featuring creatures such as birds, conch shells and Konark temple motifs.
Both cotton and silk is used to make Bomkai sarees. For regular wear however cotton based Bomkai sarees are more popular. The Bomkai cotton saree holds high significant in cultural events in Oriya culture. Bomkai Silk Sarees on the other hand are worn in ceremonies and more glamorous events.
Design and Colors
The new age of Bomkai sarees are gradually appealing to the younger generation. The designs of these are being developed keeping in mind the tastes of fashionable young women.Modern designs in the segment include fishes towards the borders. Traditionally Bomkai sarees stand out for their conventional ethnic look, as well as their minimalist appeal and stylish color palette. Combination of ikat and the typical Bomkai texture also enhances its effect.
Bomkai’s have extremely intricate complementary thread effort round the edges and pallus, and frequently merge ikat work for beautiful texture that can often blow your mind.