The famous Berhampuri patta sari will soon be available online

Berhampuri patta, the unique and famous sari from the 'Silk City' with its typical Odissi style of weaving, will now be available online. "On National Handloom Day on August 6, weavers had told us about the problems they face while marketing their products. So, we developed this website to provide a global platform for them," Sub-Collector (Berhampur) NP Kalyan said.

"The marketing of the sari is likely to get a boost with the launching of the website," said T Gopi, President of All Odisha Devanga Mahasangha, a state-level organisation of traditional weavers. Weavers are upbeat about the e-commerce site - www.weavercoop.com - which was launched over the week-end.

The Berhampuri patta is unique for its typical Odissi style of weaving and 'phoda kumbha'. "It originated some 200 years ago and historians say that it was being exported to the South-East Asian countries. It is also used to adorn the deities at Jagannath Temple, Puri," said a weaver.

The sari and the 'joda' - the patta meant for men - have got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Centre. GI is a certification for goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities and a reputation that is essentially attributable to their place of origin. The tag accords legal protection against unauthorised use by others, said an official.

Most of these products are sold through cooperative societies and 'Boyanika'. There are three weavers' cooperative societies in Berhampur. They sell products worth Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 2 crore annually. "We are expecting orders online now," said Secretary of Berhampur Silk Weavers' Cooperative Society, K Appa Rao.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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