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Coastal Odisha, where curvilinear single Ikat Khandua silk is woven, is the ‘Gift of Six Rivers’, a hexadeltaic region where the fish is tied to spiritual beliefs and to everyday life. While the fish is, inescapably, a manifestation of wealth and fertility in a very literal sense given how much people in the region rely on it for sustenance, it also resonates far more deeply.  Scripture tells the tale of how Matsya, the first avataar of Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of life, saved the king, Satyavrata, from the great flood by directing him to build a ship which could carry the world's living beings. Matsya then guided the ship through turbulent waters to the Himalayas; Satyavrata returned only after the waters receded, coming to be known as Manu, the first man.  The great flood was a manifestation of the cycle of the destruction and the renewal of the universe while Matsya came to symbolise not just protection but also salvation and the triumph of life, the ability to navigate it...

Lord Balabhdra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath Photo by  Abani Kanta Biswal Khandua Ikat, which is primarily woven in Nuapatna in the Cuttack district of Orissa, is associated with Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the universe, for whom it was initially woven possibly as early as the 11 th century. This is believed to have been upon the orders of a king named Gajapati who is said to have paid weavers with land. Legend also has it that, in the 12 th century, a poet named Jaidev wanted to offer the Gita Govinda to the Lord, and chose to have its verses woven into silk using Khandua Ikat to accomplish this. More recently, in the 18 th century, Ramachandra, the ruler of Puri is believed to have revived the practice of having Khandua Ikat woven for Lord Jagannath and His siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. With the passage of time, products woven in Khandua Ikat have diversified considerably and now include sarees. The tying and dying of Khandua Ikat is, however, stil...

Sambalpuri Oriya Ikat Saree Photo by Nayansatya [ CC BY 3.0 ] Ikat sarees are made in several parts of India including Gujarat, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh although they can generally be differentiated by their colour schemes and designs; the colours used on Orissa Ikats (called Bandha) tend to be less saturated than those used in both Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Oriya Ikats are usually single Ikat sarees: either the warp or the weft is dyed before it is woven, although they may sometimes be double Ikat too with both warp and weft being dyed in various colours to form designs once they are woven. The sarees are made of cotton or silk (with silk sarees often having a silk body, and cotton borders and end-pieces). Their bodies may be plain, with butis, or with Ikat designs; their end-pieces generally have Ikat designs; and borders often have both thread-work and some Ikat. Pasapali Ikat Saree There are several types of Ikat sarees which derive their names from the places whe...