Patola - The queen of Silks:
The patola saree is one of the finest hand-woven sarees produced today. This is a specialty of Patan, and is famous for extremely delicate patterns woven with great precision and clarity. A patola sari takes 4 to 6 months to make, depending on how complicated the designs is and if the length is 5 or 6 metres. Besides Patan, Surat is acclaimed for patola textiles.

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The salvi silk weavers from Maharashtra and Karnataka opted to make Gujarat the home of their renowned patola fabrics. The salvis are said to have arrived in Patan from Maharashtra and Karnataka in the 12th century to make the most of the patronage of the Solanki Rajputs, who then ruled all of Gujarats and parts of South Rajasthan and Malva with the capital at Anahilwad Patan. According to folklore, as many as 700 Patola weavers a company Raja Kumarapala to the palace of Patan, and the ruler himself wore a Patola silk robe on the occasion. After the fall of Solanki dynasty, the Salvis found patronage in the affluent Gujarati merchant, and the patola sarees soon became a status symbol with Gujarati girls and women especially as an important part of stridhan for the departing wedded daughter.

The patola of Patan is done in the double ikkat style, which is perhaps the most complicated of all textiles designs 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 not only a tremendous richness in colour of the fabric, but that both side of the saree look exactly alike, and can be worn either way. In fact except to an expert, a patola looks like a piece of silk fabric, printed on both sides in the same design. The weaving is done on simple traditional handlooms, and the dyes used are made from vegetable extracts and other natural colours, which are so fast that there is a Gujarati saying that "the patola will tear, but the colour will not fade." A patola saree takes 4 to 6 months to make, depending on how complicated the designs is and if the length is 5 or 6 metres, it can cause from Rs.50, 000/- to over Rs. 100,000/- a piece and these are really good-looking saree. Patan produces very intricate patterns worked with precision and clarity, with the characteristic geometric delineation of the design, while maintaining the soft hazy outlines, a natural effect of the technique. In an area called Sadvi Wada you can watch the complex weaving of silk patola saris, once the preferred garment of queens and aristocrats, and now made by just one family.

Patola Sari:
There were four distinct styles in the patolas woven originally in Gujarat by the Salvi community. The double ikat sarees with all over patterns of flowers, parrots, dancing figures and elephants were used by the Jains and Hindus. For the Muslim Vora community special sarees with geometric and floral designs were woven for use during weddings. There were also the sarees woven forthe Maharashtrian Brahmins with a plain, dark-coloured body and borders with women and birds, called the Nari Kunj. There was a cloth specially woven for the traditional export markets in the Far East.

Patola Silk - Ethnic Flair:
Gujarat has often been called the Manchester of the East. With its modern textile works this is hardly surprising. However, the State has been involved in the textile trade for centuries and during the time of the Sultanate, Ahmedabad had large factories where brocades were woven.

Almost all parts of the State specialize in some from the exotic textile weaving: the Patola silk sarees are still made by a handful of master weavers from Patan and Surat known for its zari work. However, there is a little village in north west Gujarat which is perhaps not known so well outside the State. This hamlet called Aashaval is home to the Aashavali sari. Creating an Aashavali is a very tedious and time-consuming job as the weaving is done using the age-old technique of jalas.

The distinctive aspect of this fabric is its heavily textured, almost brocade-like quality. The elaborate pallavs and borders are dazzlingly adorned with motifs woven in warm colours. The zari of the sari has a sheen which is muted as it is woven in the twill weave. Diagonal borders in bright colours simulate the effect of enameling on gold. Some Aashavali saris which are for more informal occasions do not have such a spectacular use of zari.

Bright shades relieve the stark monotony of the desert landscape. The embroidered fabrics that come from Banni in Kutch are embellished with mirrors and beads. The Jats, a sub-caste of the Bannis, are known for their refined embroidery skills. The speciality of the embroidery here is the execution of architectural designs known as the heer bharat. The stitch derives its name from the floss-silk (heer). Long stitches, almost three inches running parallel to the warp in one part of the motif and to the weft in the other give it a natural texture. In the centre is a mirror secured with chain-stitch.

The Mochi community, who it is believed, learnt their craft from Muslim craftsmen, have almost perfected the fine art of embroidering chain-stitch on leather. Motifs derived from Mughal and Persian art as well as designs using animal forms are used extensively in their work.

The Ahir and Rabari community, on the other hand decorate the dark background of the fabrics they wear with strikingly vivid embroidery and mirror work. The mirrors are brought into relief by the use of dark coloured thread in herring-bone or button-hole stitch.

Immigrants from Saurashtra, the Kanbis, prefer the use of white, yellow or saffron base cloth for their garments. While working with chain-stitch in colourful motifs, their workmanship is not nearly as fine as that of the Mochis.

In Saurashtra, the most ancient and noteworthy embroidery was done by the Kathi, the oldest known piece being almost a century old. The women of this community showed preference for black cloth embroidered in crimson, violet golden yellow and white with greens and blues sparingly used to balance the colours. The main stitch was an elongated darn and chain-cum-interlacing.

Bead work was introduced into this region at a much later stage. Imported from East Africa around 1850, the Mochi craftsmen were the first to use them. By the turn of the century women of other castes replaced their thread-work by beads. Though the craft has attained a degree of commercialization, even today the finest pieces are those which formed a part of the bride’s dowry almost 30 or 40 years ago.

The best place to see the more exquisite works of Gujarati embroidery, bead work and other similar crafts is at their religious ceremonies, weddings and festivals. It is on these occasions that each caste proudly establishes its identity by wearing its own highly distinctive and original garments. And as long as there will be the hot afternoon sun shining down fiercely at them, the womenfolk from Gujarat will spend those long, hot afternoons spinning yet more of their colourful and aesthetically pleasing wonders.

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