Famous for applique and patchwork, the village of Pipli is located about 24 kilometres away from Bhubaneswar and approximately 40 km from Puri. Visitors can watch artisans hard at work here and buy umbrellas, handbags, puppets, purses, wall hangings, bedspreads, cushion covers, pillow covers, lampshades, lanterns and more. The tarasas or heart-shaped wooden pieces made here are used in the chariots during festivities. In fact, in the Chandan Yatra, there are processions in which the deities are covered with chattris made of applique work. This applique work dates back to ancient times. It involves embroidering and stitching small pieces of cloth with depictions of flowers, animals, village scenes and other traditional designs on a larger cloth that forms the base. Cotton cloth is used for the base as well as for the patches. Different, vibrant colour combinations are conceptualised and then recreated by the talented village folk of Pipli.

Located near Ichamati River, which is the border between India and Bangladesh, Pipli has only two primary schools and a total population of 1,808 according to the 2011 Census of India. Out of these, it is heartening that 1,402 were literate. While applique work is a skill and a passion of the people of Pipli village, their main occupation is agriculture. They cultivate a variety of crops ranging from rice and wheat to jute, sesame seed, mustard seed, different types of vegetables as well as marigold blooms. In order to reach this village, auto rickshaws are the only mode of transport. And whenever one is travelling to Pipli, one must keep a photo ID handy (it is a good idea to carry your Voter ID card) as there are two BSF check posts on the route.

अन्य आकर्षण