Odisha’s Sambalpuri ‘Bandha Kala’ Saree Depicting ‘Ram Setu’ To Mark Ayodhya Consecration Ceremony

Bhubaneswar: Amid hectic preparations for Ram Temple consecration ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, a weaver family from Odisha’s Bargarh has also woven a saree using the famous ‘Bandha Kala’ art style for the grand event.

Bandha Kala master craftsman Ishwar Meher of Katapali village near Bargarh town is reportedly planning to showcase the saree that he had woven on the theme of Ram Setu, in Delhi.

The saree named ‘Ram Setu’ is woven with Tassar silk and Khadi cotton in natural blue and black colours.

Explaining the concept behind the style, 59-year-old Ishwar says that the blue body of the saree shows the ocean with motifs of fishes and turtles on it. In the middle of the saree, there is a black pattern that presents the bridge made of stones with Ram written on them.

Similarly, he has woven images of Lord Hanuman and his Vanara Sena (an army of monkeys) Sugriva, Angada, Nala, Nila and even squirrels working on building the Ram Setu in the anchal.

Stating that the saree was woven by him, his wife Rebati and son Manas Meher in 2022, Ishwar said it was not woven with Ram Mandir in mind.

Ishwar, who has worked on many mythological themes in the past, decided to work on the construction of Ram Setu that year. It took the family of three, all experts in Bandha Kala, five months to weave the saree.

The colours used in the saree are natural dyes generated from iron rust, harada, besan, jaggery and indigo. The exquisite saree, he said, is priced at Rs 1.10 lakh. He has woven just one piece of the saree.

With Ram Temple consecration ceremony nearing, Ishwar and his relative Dushyant Meher, also a weaver, are trying to get the saree exhibited in New Delhi. They are trying to display it at some exhibition or in the Jagannath temple at New Delhi.