Saura Art Cotton Saree Beige Purple Mandala Medallion

A handloom cotton saree from Odisha in warm beige patterned in deep plum purple with motifs drawn from Saura art the ritual wall painting tradition of the Saura community of southern Odisha Slender figures dance and carry water pots across the body as scattered butis large circular mandala style medallions anchor the edge and conifer line borders run along both selvedges Hand knotted cream tassels finish the pallu Look closely at how the figures are made and you can read the loom in them The motifs are laid in with supplementary weft extra pattern threads woven row by row so every curve is built from tiny thread steps flip the saree and you will see the pattern yarns floating and turning behind each figure A printed imitation lays colour on the surface its curves are perfectly smooth its repeats identical and its reverse side noticeably paler Here medallions along the length differ by a few threads each and fine slubs run through the cotton ground the loom s own handwriting Saura paintings called idital are traditionally drawn on the mud walls of homes in districts like Rayagada and Gajapati to mark harvests weddings and rituals Translating those stick figure icons to the loom keeps one of India s oldest living picture languages in daily circulation worn not just framed Drape it for festive daytime occasions gallery visits or handloom friendly workplaces The beige plum pairing works with oxidised silver and a plain blouse in either colour