Pipili as a Rural Tourism Destination

Pipili, the heart of the colorful art work called appliqué, is located at a distance of 20 km from Bhubaneswar on the NH 203 connecting Bhubaneswar with Puri. Pipili is lo- cated at 20.12° N 85.83° E. It is at Pipili that one takes a turn and moves eastward to proceed to Konark, the site of the Sun Temple. At an average elevation of 25 metres (82 feet), Pipili is a Notified Area Council (NAC) and has 16 wards under jurisdiction of Puri district. It is famous for design- ing beautiful appliqué handicrafts. As of 2001 India Census, Pipili had a population of 14,263. Males consti- tute 51% of the population and fe- males 49%. Pipili has an average lit- eracy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male lit- eracy is 77%, and female literacy is 63%. In Pipili, 12% of the popula- tion is under 6 years of age. As a leg- end would have it, the Pipili derived its name from Pirs (holy Muslim saints), many of whom lived in this area. Appliqué, which is a French term, is a technique by which the decorative effect is obtained by su- perposing patches of coloured fabrics on a basic fabric, the edges of the patches being sewn in some form of stitchery. It is distinct from what is known as patch work in which small pieces of cut fabrics are usually joined side by side to make a large piece of fabric or for repairing a damaged fab- ric. Though the form is not unknown in other parts of India, it is in Orissa and especially in Pipili that the craft has a living and vibrant tradition con- tinuing over centuries. While most appliqué craftsmen are concentrated in Pipili, there are quite a few in Puri and Khallikote, Parlakhemundi and Boudh. Appliqué works of Pipili is also known as patching cloth design. The local name of this handicraft is Chandua. As with many other handi- crafts of Orissa, the roots of the ap plique art/craft form is interwined with the rituals and traditions of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of the Puri temple. The appliqué items are mainly used during processions of the deities in their various ritual out- ings. Items like Chhati. Tarasa and Chandua are used for the purpose. However, the appliqué work in its colourful best is most prominent in the cloth cover of the three chariots of the presiding deities in which they travel every year during the Ratha Yatra or Car Festival. As per tradi- tion, the colour scheme of the three covers is predetermined. The chariot of Balabhadra known as Taladhawaja has a cloth covering of bright green and red, while that of Subhadra known as Padmadhwaja or Darpadalana has a cover of bright red and black. The chariot of Lord Jagannath called Nadighosha has a cover of bright red and yellow. The basic design of all three is similar being a combination of narrow and wide stripes while on the four sides above the openings, there are appliqué mythical motifs like Rahu, Chandra as well as motifs from nature like flowers etc. It is these colourful appliqué covers which indentify the chariots of the three deities from far away by the millions of pilgrims thronging the Badadanda or the Grand Road of Puri in which the Lords make their annual sojourn during the Car Festival. Seats and pillows in appliqué are also made for ceremonial use by the deities during the annual ritual of bathing festival (Snana Jatra) and is lo- cally known as Chakada Kama' with motifs of 27 stars and geometrical forms in appliqué work with motifs of fish, frog etc. on black cloth is used in the ritual dress of the Deities of Puri temple, locally known as the 'Gaja Uddharana Vesha', incarnation of Res- cuer of Elephant. Applique cover is also made for caparisoning the dummy horses in the Horse Dance' or Ghoda Nacha during Chaitra Festival in Puri and other places. The craft is tradition- ally practised by a caste of professional tailors, known as Darjis. As with oth- ers services of the Lord, Darji Seva or the supply of appliqué items is ren- dered by the caste members in return for which they receive certain portion of the daily offering, bhog' from the temple. All this is regulated by the Record-of-Rights of the Jagannath Temple. The Darjis have their own headman or Sardar who has a higher share in the bhog of the Jagannath Temple. It is interesting to note that the craftsmen are socially well organised and there are close family relationships between the craftsmen of Puri and Pipili. Their organisation can be very well compared to the craftsmens guilds of medieval Europe. They also have annual meetings of craftsmen to resolve social and related problems. The traditional items made of appli- que patterns and associated with reli- gious functions are canopies, locally called 'chanduas', Chhati, a sort of big umbrella with a long wooden handle. Tarasa, a heart-shaped wooden piece covered by appliqué cloth and sup ported by a long wooden pole, both these items being carried before the deities in their ceremonial processions. Thalar another popular item is a sort of frill which is used as a border to canopies and also independently used as decorative pieces. An interesting secular and popular item is 'Batua', a unique Orissan cloth pouch which has usually a semi-circular shape with the top being straight. There are various layers of cloth providing pockets for storing different items of use and the mouth is closed by pulling strings at- tached to the sides. It is very popular among village folk for keeping the ma- terials for 'pan', like betel leaf, areca nut, lime, etc., as well as for keeping money. Another traditional item is Sujnis' or embroidered quilts. The ba sic material for applique is cloth. The process is fairly simple and has been succinctly summarized by Mr. B.C Mohanty in his monograph on Appli- que Craft of Orissa: Study of Contem porary Textile Crafts of India as un- der. Flat motifs are first cut from cloth and specially prepared motifs are made separately. If more than one of the same cut motifs is required, a stencil is used. These cut and specially prepared motifs are then superposed on a base cloth in predetermined layout and se quence. The edges of the motifs are turned in and skillfully stitched onto the base cloth or stitched by embroi dery or without turning as necessary. The specially prepared motifs may be coloured or white. The base cloth is usually coloured. Some of the spe cially prepared motifs have exclusive embroidery work and some have mir- ror work. In heavy canopies, the base cloth is additionally supported by a back cloth for strength. The stitching process varies from item to item and come under six broad categories, namely, (1) bakhia, (2) taropa, (3) ganthi, (4) chikana, (5) button-hole and (6) ruching. (Pipili is also known as patching cloth design. The local name of this handicraft is Chandua. Pipili, the heart of this colorful art work is located at a distance of 20 Km from Bhubaneswar on the Bhubaneswar to Puri road. On the main road at Pipili there are many shops selling Appliqué work prod ucts, tourist visiting Puri buy these products from Pipili. This cottage in- dustry got encouragement from temple rituals of Orissa. This is one of the temple arts of Orissa. One of the main popular products is gar- den umbrella of different sizes. These are designed in different colours and can be used at beaches, gardens, gar- den restaurants, outside lawns and many other places.