In Odisha, Chandua applique artisans keep a temple tradition alive, but struggle to earn
Chandua is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Jagannath Temple, and that connection is visible in the craft itself. Its colours and motifs draw from the temple’s visual traditions
Pipili village in Odisha is renowned for its traditional applique craft known as Chandua, which holds deep cultural and religious ties to the Jagannath Temple in Puri through vibrant canopies and wall hangings. While generations of local artisans dedicate their skills to crafting these colorful geometric textiles, the community currently faces severe economic hurdles such as low wages, limited market access, and a shift toward inferior materials
Pipili village in Odisha is renowned for its traditional applique craft known as Chandua, which holds deep cultural and religious ties to the Jagannath Temple in Puri through vibrant canopies and wall hangings. While generations of local artisans dedicate their skills to crafting these colorful geometric textiles, the community currently faces severe economic hurdles such as low wages, limited market access, and a shift toward inferior materials
Pipili village in Odisha is renowned for its traditional applique craft known as Chandua, which holds deep cultural and religious ties to the Jagannath Temple in Puri through vibrant canopies and wall hangings. While generations of local artisans dedicate their skills to crafting these colorful geometric textiles, the community currently faces severe economic hurdles such as low wages, limited market access, and a shift toward inferior materials
About 40 kilometres from Puri, Pipili is a village where almost every shop seems to sell the same thing – Chandua, Odisha’s applique craft. Brightly coloured fabrics, black, blue, yellow and red, are cut into geometric shapes and stitched together into canopies, umbrellas and wall hangings.
The craft has a deep connection with the Jagannath Temple in Puri, where Chandua canopies are traditionally used to cover the deity. It “is the most valued aesthetic offering made to Jagannath in the Odia cultural imagination,” writes researcher Madhulika S Naidu in ‘Chandua: Canopies of Labour’, a bilingual book documenting Odisha’s living appliqué traditions, launched in Bhubaneswar last month, and published by Odisha Craft Odyssey (OCO).
A craft for generations
In Pipili, Chandua isn’t the work of a handful of artisans. Almost all the families are involved. Some members cut the fabric, others create and stitch the motifs, while others sell the finished product.
For Athar Ali, the craft has been a livelihood since 1982. Over the years, it has taken him far beyond Pipili. “I’ve travelled across India, from Delhi to Andaman & Nicobar, because of this craft,” he says.
Chandua is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Jagannath Temple, and that connection is visible in the craft itself. Its colours and motifs draw from the temple’s visual traditions. Yet the craft is not confined to one community. Artisans from different religious backgrounds, including Muslims, have practised Chandua for generations.
Challenges ahead
For all its visibility in Pipili, Chandua does not necessarily translate into a sustainable livelihood for its makers. “It can take up to 10 days to make Chandua. However, we get as little as Rs 500 for it,” says Sharif, an artisan.
The problem, artisans say, is not their ability to make more. It is finding buyers. “We can increase production. But for sales, we require marketing, which doesn’t exist,” says Ali.
The market is not the only concern. Das, one of the two fellows at the OCO Fellowship Programme 2025-26, points to changes in the craft itself. Traditionally, Chandua was colourful but not glittery, she says. Increasingly, artisans are using shiny materials that are cheaper and less durable. The material used has also deteriorated – from handmade cloth to now velvet.
“Chandua used to last 15-20 years earlier, but nowadays it gets wasted in a year or two,” she says. Covid, too, was a major jolt, forcing several artisans to take up other trades such as selling vegetables, working at construction sites, or migrating to other states for work.
Even before Covid, the relationship between Pipili and tourists had begun to change. The construction of a bypass road to Puri diverted visitors who would earlier pass through the village, says archivist Raj Maurya, a fellow at the OCO Fellowship Programme 2025-26. Today, he says, most visitors to Pipili are those who already know about Chandua.
The Odisha government has meanwhile announced plans to establish an ‘Applique and Handicrafts Hub’ in Puri, aimed at providing a dedicated space for the craft. Whether such initiatives can translate into a larger and more sustainable market for Pipili's artisans remains to be seen.