Bomkai Sonepuri Cotton Saree Gray Kalamkari Floral

A handwoven Bomkai Sonepuri cotton saree with an all over kalamkari style floral jaal across a light grey body finished with a wide multi band border and a deep crimson end piece The body carries rosettes leaves and vines in maroon mustard yellow deep green and navy The pallu border layers a row of chakra medallions a paisley running line and a chevron temple band transitioning into a solid crimson plain weave end How to tell this is handloom Bomkai Sonepuri examine the chakra medallions on the border Each wheel has fine extra weft thread floats strands of coloured yarn that sit on top of the base weave and form the motif A powerloom or print imitation lays the design on the surface in true Bomkai work you can feel the raised motif by touch and see the floats clearly on the reverse of the border The body kalamkari is hand block printed using natural dyes so the petal edges have a soft bleed into the surrounding yarn rather than crisp surface lines The cotton body itself has small warp slubs and a soft drape from low tension pit loom weaving Sonepur and Bargarh districts in western Odisha are the home of Bomkai weaving a centuries old extra weft tradition that combines plain weave cotton bodies with intricate brocaded borders The kalamkari floral body on this piece is a contemporary fusion that the cluster has adopted in the last two decades Wear it to office days cultural events family functions and afternoon weddings Pair with a maroon mustard or crimson blouse oxidised silver jhumkas and a small gajra