Patan Patola
Recently, at the G-20 summit, the Prime Minister of India presented a Patan Patola scarf to the Prime Minister of Italy.
About Patan Patola
- Patola is a double ikat woven fabric, usually made from silk in Patan (North Gujarat).
- Ikat is made by resist dyeing the warp and weft yarns before weaving. It got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in the year
- The ancient art of double ikat or patola woven in pure silk dates back to the 11th century. This distinctive quality has its origins in a complex and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing separately on the warp and weft prior to weaving, known as ‘Bandhani’.
- This peculiar feature has its origin from a complex and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing, known as ‘Bandhani’, on the warp and weft separately before weaving.
- Patola cloths have the same intensity of colors and designs on both sides. Patola is woven on primitive hand operated harness looms made of rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom is situated on a slant.
- The process is labor-intensive and time-consuming and requires a high degree of skill and expertise. It takes three to four months to produce a tie-dyed design on the warp threads for a six-yard sari.
- While owning and wearing a Patola is considered a matter of pride, its high cost has kept the garment out of reach for the common man. One of the prominent artists of this art form is the Salvi family of Patan. Another commonly worn patola is the Rajkot Patola, which is woven on a flat loom. Indonesia was a major buyer of patola before World War II.
Source – The Hindu
