Krishna R Sambalpuri Pure Cotton Sarees or ‘Bandha’ Sarees of Odisha do not come only from present-day Sambalpur, rather are woven in Bargarh, Sonepur, Barpalli all being parts of erstwhile undivided Sambalpur.One of the most popular weaves in Odisha is the ‘ikat’ or the ‘bandha’ style.
Sambalpuri fabrics reflect an original style of craft known as Baandha. Traditionally, craftsmen created Baandhas with images of flora or fauna or with geometrical patterns. More recentlynew types of Baandha depicting portrait, landscape and flower pods are being designed. Baandha fabric is created using a tie-dye technique. The yarns are tied according to the desired patterns to prevent absorption of dyes, and then dyed. The yarns or set of yarns so produced is called ‘Baandha’. The unique feature of this form of designing is that the designs are reflected almost identically on both side of the fabric .
