Location

Nuapatna, Cuttack district (Eastern Odisha)

This region owes its origin and importance to the Jagannath temple, and is GI tagged for Khandua sarees and fabrics.

Weaving community

The community trace their roots to the Buddhist exodus from the east coast of Odisha in 12 CE. Some monks took shelter in these forests, and it is their weaving traditions that are thought to have endured. Today, members of every household are involved in the numerous specialised processes of creating Khandua textile.

Textile features

Bandha techniques

Khandua fabrics employ the ‘single ikat’ bandha resist dye technique. Threads on either the warp or weft of the handloom are tie-dyed prior to weaving, using astonishingly complex maths to incorporate patterns.

The word Khandua means ‘lower cloth’, derived from the fact that Khandua silks are traditionally used to cover the lower part of Jagannath’s deity. Khandua sarees are also worn as wedding sarees. Creating each one involves the time, effort and skill of 5-7 people.