The sarees of Patan
A town in north Gujarat, the home of the Patola, a double ikat silk sari in which both warp and weft are tied and dyed.
Motifs of Patan
Woven here
Best time: October to March.
GI: Patan Patola is a registered Geographical Indication.
Patan, in north Gujarat, is the place where the Patola is made. It is a silk sari woven in double ikat, a method in which both sets of threads are resist-dyed before weaving. The patterns line up exactly on the loom, and the result is one of the most demanding textiles in the world.
What is woven here
Patan patola saris are made in silk, with geometric and floral designs in strong colours, and a pattern that appears the same on both sides of the cloth. Typical designs include elephants, parrots, flowers and diamond shapes. A single sari may take months, and the cloth is expensive and often kept as an heirloom. Patola designs have been traded and copied far outside Gujarat.
The craft and its people
The craft is held by a small number of families, most notably the Salvi family, who have woven the cloth for many generations. The skill is passed on within the family, and the number of working weavers is small. The weaving needs a team and special looms and a lot of time.
Seeing it
A museum run by a weaver family in Patan shows the work and welcomes visitors. Check opening times before going. The town also has a famous stepwell, the Rani ki Vav, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a good partner visit.
A trail idea for Patan
- A Patola weaver's workshop See the tied threads and the loom, and ask how the pattern is matched.
- Rani ki Vav A large stepwell carved with sculpture, within the town, and a World Heritage Site.
- Patan old streets A short walk through the town to see its old wooden houses and markets.
Written by the EveryPallu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Patan, Gujarat" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and workshops change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Rogan painting: Wiki-uk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source