BHUBANESWAR: Western Odisha weavers are known across the globe for their creativity and perfection with ‘Bandha Kala’ (tie and dye).With Ram Mandir consecration ceremony nearing, a Bandha Kala master craftsman Iswar Meher of Katapali village, 8 km from Bargarh town, is planning to showcase a 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. “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 shows the bridge made of stones with Ram written on them,” said the 59-year-old weaver. In the ‘anchal’, 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.
The saree was woven by Ishwar, his wife Rebati and son Manas Meher in 2022. It was not woven with Ram Mandir in mind, he admitted. “Since I have worked on many mythological themes in the past, I decided to work on the construction of Ram Setu that year,” said Ishwar. 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 Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration on January 22, Ishwar and his relative Dushyant Meher, also a weaver, are now trying to get the saree exhibited in New Delhi. “We are trying to find handloom exhibitions where it can be exhibited and sold but if that is not possible, we will exhibit it in the Jagannath temple at New Delhi,” said the 2019 Sant Kabir Handloom (Ministry of Textiles) awardee.