Patola Sarees of Gujarat

Patola silk is often termed as the queen of all silks. Patola sarees of Gujarat are one of the finest hand-woven sarees produced in India today. The place associated with Patola is Patan.

This is a specialty of Patan, and is famous for extremely delicate patterns woven with great precision and clarity. Besides Patan, Surat is acclaimed for velvets with patola patterns.

Patola silk of Gujarat displays an exclusive and complicated craftsmanship. Patola silk fabric is one of most complex textile-weaving techniques in the world. The warp as well as weft threads are coupled and dyed into an complicated pattern, and while weaving the craftsperson has to ensure that the warp and weft threads intersect perfectly to produce the preset pattern. Patan in north Gujarat is the most famous centre for weaving. Figures of parrot and elephant are very popular, while geometrical and floral motifs are also woven..

Historical evidences show that Patola sarees have existed since at the thirteenth century and have always had upper-class and ritualistic associations. The walls of some south Indian temples, such as at Mattancheri (Kerala) and Padmanabhapuram (southern Tamil Nadu) exhibit eighteenth-century depictions of Patola designs. Gujarat is believed to have exported Patola sarees to South-East Asia since the fourteenth century. Traditionally crafted by the Hindu Salvi caste and traded to South-East Asia by the Muslim Vohra community, these expensive, high-status sarees were worn by the Vohras and wealthy Jains and Hindus (Brahmins and Bhatia traders) in weddings and other auspicious events. Slowly the Patola Sarees became a status symbol among Gujarati girls and graduated as an indispensable part of the women closet.

The most time consuming and elaborate saree created by the western region is the potole (plural patola) which has intricate five colour designs resist-dyed into both warp and weft threads before weaving.

Double ikat patola saree is a rare and expensive investment. A cheaper alternative to double ikat patola is the silk ikat saree developed in Rajkot (Gujarat), that creates patola and other geometric designs in the weft threads only.

These sarees are created by using the resist dying technique. There are two types of Patola sarees:

Rajkot Patola: This is only vertically resist dyed (single ikat).

Patan Patola: This is horizontally-resist dyed (double ikat).

Patola sarees are known for their flaming bright colors and geometric designs interwoven with folk motifs. Every patola saree is one of its kind as it is created entirely with the imagination and skill of the weaver.

Fabric in Patola Saree: Patola saree is woven from silk called the patola silk. The patola silks are still made by a handful of master weavers from Patan and Surat known for their zari work.

The Process: A Patola Saree takes 4 to 6 months to make, depending on how complicated the design is. The Patan patola is done in the Double ikat style, which is perhaps the most complicated textile design in the whole world. Each fabric consists of a series of warp threads and a single weft thread, which binds the warp threads together. Each one of the warp threads is tied and dyed according to the pattern of the saree, such that the knotted portions of the thread do not catch the colours. The result is that both sides of the saree look exactly alike as if it is printed on both sides with the same design, and can be worn either way.

Design and Colour : The weaving is done on simple traditional handlooms, and the dyes used are made from vegetable extracts and other natural colours. Flowers, animals, birds and human figures form the the basic design. Nowadays, there are new geometrical designs using the vegetable dye as well as chemical dyes. Patola silk sarees with bright colours are also enriched with zardosi, kundan, sequins.

Topic
Arts & Crafts