Berhampuri Silk Weaving
The phoda kumbha temple border on lustrous Odia silk.
Berhampur (Brahmapur) in Ganjam district, Odisha, weaves lustrous mulberry-silk sarees and the traditional joda — a matched dhoti and shawl set — distinguished by the phoda kumbha border, a series of interlocked temple-spire triangles. The silk is used for weddings and ceremony across southern Odisha, and Berhampuri joda is among the cloths traditionally offered to dress the deities at the Jagannath temple in Puri. It carries a Geographical Indication.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Berhampur, Odisha
Also Known As
Berhampur patta, Brahmapur silk, Ganjam silk
Craft Type
Handloom silk saree and joda weaving
Practising Community
Bhulia (Meher) and Patara weaver communities, organised through cooperative societies
Materials
Mulberry silk for warp, body and pattern wefts; contrast-dyed silk for borders and pallu; zari for embellished versions; acid and metal-complex dyes for the deep colours.
Known For
Berhampuri patta sarees and dhoti-and-chaddar sets with the phoda kumbha border
Where It's Made
Berhampur (Brahmapur), and the weaving belt of Ganjam and Gajapati districts, Odisha
Time to Create
Four to seven days per saree or joda
GI Status
Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree and Joda is a registered GI of Odisha
Process Steps
Degumming and dyeing
Raw silk hanks are boiled to remove the gum and dyed separately for the body, the borders and the pallu.
Warping
Warp for the saree or joda is prepared with the heavy border colours placed at the selvedges.
Sizing and beaming
The warp is lightly sized, dried and wound onto the loom's back beam.
Loom setting
The warp is drawn through healds and reed, and a jacquard is rigged for the phoda kumbha border and any figured pallu.
Weaving the body
The lustrous plain or striped body is woven on a pit or frame loom.
Weaving the phoda kumbha border
The interlocked temple-spire triangles and decorative bands are woven with supplementary and interlocked wefts along the edges.
Weaving the pallu and finishing the joda
The pallu is woven with its bands and motifs; for a joda, the dhoti and chaddar are woven with matching borders.
Technique Glossary
Phoda kumbha
A border pattern of interlocking temple-tower triangles, the signature of Ganjam silk.
Joda
A matched dhoti-and-chaddar set worn by Odia men for rituals and ceremonies.
Patta
The Odia term for silk cloth.
Interlocked weft
A method of joining a contrast border to the body so the two wefts loop around each other and cannot separate.
Bhulia (Meher)
The weaver community of western and southern Odisha who carry the silk and ikat traditions.
Supplementary weft
An extra patterning thread worked in to build the border triangles and pallu bands.
Anchal
The decorated end-piece of the saree.
A Craft Through Time
Pre-colonial
Silk for courts and temples
Ganjam weavers supply the Gajapati rulers and Odia temples with ceremonial silk.
19th–20th century
Berhampur as centre
The town concentrates the district's silk weaving and joda production.
20th century
Cooperative organisation
Weavers' societies pool yarn purchase and marketing for the silk cluster.
Late 20th century
Power-loom imitation
Machine-made copies of the phoda kumbha border prompt weavers to seek protection for the name.
2009
Geographical Indication
Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree and Joda is registered as a GI of Odisha.
Present
Ritual and occasion silk
Berhampuri silk remains central to Odia weddings and temple ritual, its GI cloth carrying an authenticity label.
Did You Know?
Berhampuri silk joda is among the cloths traditionally offered to Lord Jagannath at Puri, tying a small Ganjam weaving town to one of India's largest temple rituals.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.