Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s celebrated Ikat, or Bandha Kala, has found a place in India’s cultural diplomacy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi presenting a handwoven Ikat textile as a gift to Indonesian Parliament speaker Puan Maharani during his recent visit to the country.According to visuals of ‘Gifts of Bharat’ shared by MyGov India on its X account, the PM gifted an Odisha Ikat textile showcasing the state’s rich weaving heritage to the Indonesian leader.“Renowned for its intricate tie-and-dye technique, Odisha Ikat is woven after threads are carefully tied and dyed before weaving, allowing motifs and patterns to emerge directly from the yarn rather than being printed or embroidered later. The painstaking process can take weeks or even months depending on the complexity of the design,” said award-winning master Ikat weaver Sarat Kumar Patra. The craft is closely associated with weaving clusters in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sonepur, Nuapatna and Maniabandha, with each region developing distinctive motifs and colour palettes over generations.
