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. Besides Patan, Surat is known for patola patterns on velvets. Patola silk has an exciting history. It was brought to Gujarat by the Salvi community of silk weavers from Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is said that these weavers arrived in Patan in the 12th century to make the most of the patronage of the Solanki Rajputs.
The art of weaving Patola sarees is the most complex and meticulous job in this world. The exquisite textiles designs of the fabric are unique and simply amazing. In Patan, the Patola is done in ikkat style. This is a tedious process, which takes days of hard work.
Originally, patola was woven in four distinct styles by the Salvi community. For Jains and Hindus, it was done in double ikkat style with all over patterns of flowers, parrots, dancing figures and elephants. For the Muslim Vora community, wedding sarees were woven with geometric and floral designs. For Maharashtrian Brahmins, Nari Kunj sarees of plain, dark-color body and borders, with women and birds, were woven. Lastly, there were exclusive sarees woven for the traditional export markets in the Far East.
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.