Berhampur is the historic centre of Odisha's silk-weaving industry, and the Berhampuri Patta saree — a handloom silk with a distinctive temple-style border (kumbha) — is its signature product. The trade is concentrated in the city's main bazaars: Annapurna Market for retail sarees, Giri Market and Chena Bazaar for wholesale and weavers' shops, and Urban Bank Road for upmarket silk shops.
The right approach is unhurried. Sit in a shop, accept the offered tea, and let the shopkeeper unfold half a dozen sarees on the counter. Pure handloom silk is rare and expensive; mill silks and silk-cotton blends are far more common and still beautiful. The 2009 Geographical Indication protects the genuine handloom Berhampuri Patta — ask for it by name if that is what you want.