Vanajyoti is a Kotpad handloom saree you can buy online from Pasapali — woven in beige and deep red Tussar Cotton Silk, carrying tribal geometric motifs, fish, tortoise, and temple forms across its body and pallu, with a quiet earthen depth that only natural dye produces.
The Craft Behind Vanajyoti
This GI certified Kotpad textile is dyed using the aal bark process — bark from the Aal tree (Morinda citrifolia) is boiled in water, and the Tussar Cotton Silk fibres are soaked repeatedly in the warm dye bath. Colours are fixed naturally through tannin-rich mordants without any synthetic chemicals, producing the characteristic earthy beige and deep red tones this tradition is known for. Every yard of Vanajyoti passes through the hands of Mirgan tribal weavers, Odisha, who have carried this vegetable dye tradition across generations. The handspun texture of the Tussar Cotton Silk absorbs the aal dye with a depth that machine-made cloth cannot replicate, making each authentic Kotpad handloom piece visually and physically distinct.
Wearing Vanajyoti
Tussar Cotton Silk sits in a practical middle ground — it has the gentle structure of cotton with just enough silk lustre to hold its drape through a full day. Vanajyoti moves without stiffness, breathes in warm weather, and settles into the body rather than fighting it. The phoda kumbha border, worked in the interlocking technique, gives the edge a clean geometric weight. As a Kotpad saree for ethnic wear, the tribal motifs read as considered rather than decorative. As a Kotpad saree for festivals, the deep red borders and earthy beige body carry the occasion without effort. As a natural dyed saree for gifting, Vanajyoti carries the kind of craft context that makes it meaningful to give — a documented tradition, a named weaving community, a dye process with no shortcuts.
Vanajyoti is part of Pasapali's collection of original Kotpad sarees online, sourced directly from Mirgan tribal weavers in Odisha.
| Product Name | Vanajyoti |
|---|---|
| Saree Type | Kotpad Natural Dye Saree |
| Tradition | Kotpad Handloom (GI Certified) |
| Weave | Kotpad Handloom |
| Technique | Organic Vegetable Dye Weaving — Aal Bark Natural Dye |
| Material | Tussar Cotton Silk |
| Saree Length | 5.40 metres |
| Saree Breadth | 43 inches |
| Blouse | Yes, included |
| Primary Colour | Beige |
| Secondary Colour | Deep Red |
| Body Design | Tribal geometric motifs and fish motifs across the body |
| Border | Phoda Kumbha border using interlocking technique |
| Pallu | Kotpad tribal motifs — fish, tortoise, temple, tribal motif |
| Key Motifs | Fish, Tortoise, Temple, Tribal Geometric |
| Woven By | Mirgan Tribal Weavers, Odisha |
| Weave Time | 25–30 days |
| GI Tag | Kotpad Textile |
| Certification | Government of India Handloom Mark |
| Ideal For | Ethnic wear, Festivals, Gifting |
Explore More Handloom Sarees
Vanajyoti is part of Pasapali's collection of Kotpad Handloom sarees from Odisha. Read the story behind the brand and the weavers who make them.