Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree And Joda #OdishaGI #AToZChallenge

Odisha has a variety of handlooms. As per records, handloom weaving in Odisha goes back to 600 BC. Some of the Odisha handlooms have earned the Geographical Indications (GI) tag.

You can read about them here- Handlooms of Odisha.

While many saree lovers know the name of Sambalpuri saree, the other names are not that well known.

Have you heard of "Berhampur Phoda Kumbha Patta and Joda"? 

Berhampur is my native place. It is called the silk city of Odisha. The silk sarees of Berhampur are much in demand, especially for marriage purposes.

According to the Orissa District Gazetteer, Ganjam 1995, the craft of silk-weaving was introduced in Berhampur in the 14th Century AD by the Mohuri Kings.

Unique Budhi Thakurani Jatra of Odisha

Budhi Thakurani Jatra (Old Goddess folk theater) marks a big celebration with the homecoming of the Goddess to her adopted father's place in the silk city, Berhampur (Brahmapur) of Ganjam District in southern Odisha.

Thakurani is the presiding deity of the Berhampur town. She is a form of Goddess Durga. 

Berhampur's Thakurani Mandir (Goddess Temple) is very auspicious. 

As the story goes, when Thakurani was a young girl, she was adopted by a local man named Deshibehera, belonging to the Dera community, a barber class. Once in two years, the presiding goddess, Thakurani visits her father's home.

Her father invites Her and an auspicious time of visit is decided. Thakurani's friends and neighbours are happy to see Her and visit Her. The kids are made to dress up in different attires- sort of fancy-dress viz. - Lord Krishna, Tiger, Hanuman, Radha, Monk etc. They do so to fulfill the maansika (wish) of their elders.

Devotees enthusiastically accompany Thakurani and take her around in a grand procession, moving around from house to house. There is a grand ceremonial procession. Many cultural activities are planned for kids.

Thakurani stays in Her father's home and makes everyone happy including herself. Then, She returns to Her temple.

Visitors throng from far and wide for Her darshan.

Anyone, irrespective of caste, creed, colour etc. can honour and worship Thakurani. 
Villages fix a wooden pillar/pole called the Shubha Khunti (auspicious pole) on an auspicious date.

After that, Thakurani comes to Her father's home on an auspicious time. After she stays for some days, it is time for her to leave till she comes again after two years.

I visited the Thakurani Jatra this year. Proud of our culture and unique celebration.

U for-Unique
I am blogging related to Odisha, India for the #AtoZChallenge this year.
Do check out my other #A2Z posts here. 

Unique Monkey Play Pics

A few weeks ago, we visited the Maa Tara Tarini Temple in Berhampur, Ganjam, Odisha, India.

We were treated to a unique sight.

Some monkeys had united to play together.

They had managed to catch hold of a Saree (an Indian costume worn by ladies).

They were finding the yellow Saree a precious plaything & a useful source of enjoyment!


It was evening and the light was fading.

Still, I couldn't resist myself & clicked some pics.

Cyclone Phailin

Last week, we visited one of the most important ShaktiPeeths of India,  the Maa Tara Tarini Temple in Berhampur, Odisha. As our visit was after a couple of years, we were happy to see the developments there but sad to see the absence of the erstwhile greenery. Some parts of the once green hill now look barren & as if all the plants & trees have been cleanly shaven off... just like a clean-shaven head without any hair...

From this newspaper article, we realized that it's the result of last year's Phailin Cyclone attack where Gopalpur and its surrounding areas in Odisha, including the Temple-City, Bhubaneswar & the Silk-City, Berhampur, were badly hit.

Cyclone Phailin, a Category 5 Cyclone,  made its presence felt last year from October 4th to 14th, 2013.

The landfall  was near Gopalpur, Odisha with the highest wind being 260 km/h.
In Odisha, 11.5 Lakh people were evacuated, while in Andhra 1.3 Lakh people were evacuated.

In contrast, the recent Cyclone HudHud is a Category 4 Cyclone that has emerged from October 7th 2014 onwards with winds about 175  km/h.                                                    
In Odisha, 1.6 Lakh people have been evacuated, while in Andhra 5 Lakh people have been evacuated.

Last year's memories are still fresh in my mind.
Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, was also ravaged by the strong winds and the heavy rains.

Here are some pics taken last year in Bhubaneswar by my sister from our home's terrace:

Notice the fallen branches of trees.