Bhujodi gets its name from its place of origin. The Bhujodi sari is made in the traditional extra weft technique in manually operated looms. Bhujodi is a small town in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India. Originally, the Rabari community of the Kutch region used to weave shawls that have now been converted into saris.
It takes around 10 to 12 days to weave a single shawl and around 5 to 6 shawls of the same model are woven each time. The craftsmen work by hand on patterns and intricate designs, which can take months to complete. There are many awards and accolades to their credit. Vishram Valji, a seasoned weaver in Bhujodi won the President’s award in 1974, for an elaborately patterned shawl created by him. This beautiful piece of art took him an entire year to complete. The ‘Kutchhi’ shawls have also received the ‘GI (Geographical Indication) tag’. Men sit at the looms, while the women do the yarn making and ready the looms. The intricate patterns are worked by hand, as they go between the threads of warp and weft. This unique technique of weaving motifs, by lifting the warp with fingers without a ‘Dobby’ or ‘Jacquard’ and the ‘Athh tako’ technique (with four peddles in the loom) is unique.
Bhujodi weaving is a craft practiced by almost 200 weavers of the village. The nomadic tribes that were on the move needed warm clothing to bear the harsh winters. Traditionally, weavers would use hand spun yarn provided by the ‘Rabaris’, a nomadic community of sheep and goat herders. Among them ‘Meghwals’ and ‘Marwadas’ developed a unique style of weaving, that provided the Kutchhi community with blankets, cloth and traditional dress fabric. They came to be known as the ‘Vankars‘ or the weaver community. The ‘Vankars’ slowly developed designs that suited the requirements of the ‘Rabari’ community, and so the designs became characteristic of this clan.
Traditionally, the shawls were made from wool but the craftsmen now explore other materials like silk and cotton. The shawls are usually adorned with several borders on the shorter length side. They are made in natural colours of wool or dyed to suit requirements. Some of the popular colours are indigo blue, red, green, off white, black etc. The most popular embellishing styles from Kutch are ‘Batik’ work, ‘Bandhani’ (Tie Dye) patterns, ‘Ahir’, ‘Rabari’, ‘Mutwa’, ‘Abla’ embroideries (mirror), ‘Aari’ or ‘Mochi’ embroideries (chain stitch) and ‘Sindhi’ embroideries (Kutch work). Many designs have linear patterns interspersed with motifs running throughout the body. Sometimes even tie-and-dye technique is incorporated to add value to it.
The border sizes differ from shawl to shawl. The common sizes are 3, 9 or 18 inches. The borders of 18 inches are mostly used in shawls for males. The finishing of the shawls or stoles is done using colourful tassels, which is a characteristic feature of the Kutchhi weaving.
Motifs found commonly:
- Jhar – This motif is said to resemble a tree.
- Chaumukh – This is a four-sided motif made by lifting warp threads. This is a distinct feature of the Kutchhi weaving style. It has a religious connotation and represents the Mandala.
- Sachchi kor – This is a warp-based design having a pointed temple-like figure with a thick base. This is done on a black and white weave.
- Sathkhani – This is a pattern that requires seven steps in its making.
- Dholki – This is a drum shaped motif.
- Khungri –This motif resembles a crooked or ‘zig-zag’ line. The inspiration for this is said to be the pattern created by a cow as it walks on soil.
- In addition, there are motifs such as Lath, Macchhar, Hathi, Vakiyo, which are inspired by village scenery.
