Sunanda is an original Sambalpuri cotton saree woven in mercerized cotton, part of the authentic Sambalpuri handloom tradition. Its calm light brown body carries a chevron-bordered pallu alive with ikat-bound flower, fish, duck, deer, and elephant motifs in deep maroon — each one emerging from thread rather than print.

The Craft Behind Sunanda

Sunanda is shaped by Bandhakala — the ancient resist-dyeing process that defines every GI certified Sambalpuri saree. Bhulia weavers in Odisha begin by binding individual warp and weft threads with tight resist before dyeing, ensuring that colour penetrates only where the weave demands it. This is Bandha, a double ikat discipline: motifs are not drawn after weaving, they are calculated into the thread itself, emerging simultaneously on both axes of the loom. Once dyed and dried, threads are aligned with measured precision before a single shuttle passes. On a cotton warp of 120 and weft of 120, each Sunanda takes 10 to 15 days to complete. The result is a handloom Sambalpuri saree whose motifs register with a clarity no printed fabric can replicate.

Wearing Sunanda

Mercerized cotton gives Sunanda a faint, even sheen and a weight that drapes with control. It does not cling or stiffen — it falls with the body, breathing through long hours and warm rooms. The plain light brown body keeps the drape clean and uninterrupted, letting the chevron border and pallu carry the visual work. As a Sambalpuri saree for wedding ceremonies, Sunanda reads quietly beside heavier silks without receding. As a Sambalpuri saree for puja, its earthy tone and Odishan motifs feel grounded and considered. Worn as a Sambalpuri cotton saree for office, it asks for no occasion to justify itself. The deer, the duck, the fish — each motif was tied into the thread before it was ever woven. The wearer carries that process forward.

Pasapali brings each handloom Sambalpuri saree directly from Bhulia weaving families in Odisha, where the Bandha tradition has been practised for generations.

Explore More Handloom Sarees

Sunanda is part of Pasapali's collection of Sambalpuri Handloom sarees from Odisha. Read the story behind the brand and the weavers who make them.