Woven in the Sambalpur district of Odisha, Bapta saris are named after the handloom fabric from which they are made. The body of the saris is woven with tussar or kosa silk, while the borders and the pallu are made of cotton. These saris are typically worn only on special occasions and are not meant for daily wear.
These saris, woven on a three-shuttle loom, are also often embellished with gold threads in the weave and patterned using the ikat or bandha tie-dyeing technique and is woven on a three-shuttle loom that is worked by two weavers. Intricate motifs are woven on the body of the sari and along its border and throw. The Phoda Kumbha, or temple motif is usually woven along the borders, giving it the appearance of a jagged edge. The entire production process can take upto two weeks.
The laborious weaving process, coupled with low demand in the market, has dissuaded many weavers from making traditional Bapta saris, leading to a steady decline in their production in recent years.
Phoda Kumbha border, is unique to Odisha handlooms, where kumbha means temple. The temples are very clear and with sharp edges. Phoda Kumbha is weaved using a 3-shuttle technique ... In this technique 2 weavers weave from the two ends to meet at the centre. This is done using a 'cut shuttle technique', in which shuttles interlock with one another to form Phoda Kumbha in the weft direction. The paddling technique for weaving these textures is quite challenging. The sari pallus usually have bandha or ikat woven in it.
