Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree And Joda #OdishaGI #AToZChallenge

Odisha has a variety of handlooms. As per records, handloom weaving in Odisha goes back to 600 BC. Some of the Odisha handlooms have earned the Geographical Indications (GI) tag.

You can read about them here- Handlooms of Odisha.

While many saree lovers know the name of Sambalpuri saree, the other names are not that well known.

Have you heard of "Berhampur Phoda Kumbha Patta and Joda"? 

Berhampur is my native place. It is called the silk city of Odisha. The silk sarees of Berhampur are much in demand, especially for marriage purposes.

According to the Orissa District Gazetteer, Ganjam 1995, the craft of silk-weaving was introduced in Berhampur in the 14th Century AD by the Mohuri Kings.

GI Application No.- 220 – Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree & Joda – Handicraft 

Berhampur Patta

The silk city of Odisha is "Brahmapur". As many refer to it as- Berhampur, the handoom GI of this city in Ganjam district of Odisha is known as "Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree & Joda". 

"Patta"  means silk. 

This saree is popularly called - Berhampuri Silk. 

Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree is a special weave with a traditional and typical temple pattern that is called the "Phoda Kumbha". One weaver and one assistant weaver are needed to weave the Phoda Kumbha design. Both the sides of the Kumbha are alike. The Phoda Kumbha is prominent as lower reed counts are maintained on the border in comparison to the body. The Kumbha size varies from saree to saree- ranging from quarter inch to more than one feet. This design makes this handloom product unique and thus, it has got the GI tag. 

Tie and dye Ikat designs are also woven on the anchal of some sarees. 

Women wear sarees, while there are jodas for men.

Source

.#Odisha Odyssey 5:
distinguishing warp from weft

Berhampur’s handloom weavers dye and weave mulberry silk into
sarees of local designs.

Thread here:
shiny 3 ply warp (length) left
rougher 6 ply weft (width) right.#bestkeptsecret
. pic.twitter.com/Bnhl5EMXgj

— Bruce Bucknell (@Bruce_Bucknell) September 15, 2019

.#Odisha Odyssey 6:
the Berhampur weavers

There are 117 weavers in
the town organised into
cooperatives to source,
market and sell the best
Oriya sarees.
Painstaking work to produce garments of beauty.#bestkeptsecret
. pic.twitter.com/5m9WTysjYE

— Bruce Bucknell (@Bruce_Bucknell) September 15, 2019

The weavers are facing difficulties, low income, and they need support. They had hardly recovered from Cyclone Fani and now they have to face COVID-19.
The younger generation is not interested to learn the craft. Thus, the weaver numbers are dwindling. As fewer weavers are weaving, stock availability is a concern. Now, there is terrible gap between demand and supply.
Post-GI initiatives like training and market linkages are needed.

My Theme for this year's April #AToZChallenge is - the Geographical Indications (GIs) of Odisha #OdishaGI.

This is my sincere attempt to share information about the GI-Tags of Odisha.
GIs are linked with the culture, traditions, history, reputation etc of a geographical location.

How can we learn or know more about them? When information is shared, people can be aware.

However, we must refer to reliable sources and not be a party to misinformation.

Do follow my posts to learn more about the GIs of Odisha.

Linking with IndiSpire#318.
You can check out my #AToZChallenge posts here.

Are you aware of Geographical Indications? Do share in the comments below.