Gota patti

What is Gota patti?

Gota patti is embroidery from Rajasthan in which a design is built by stitching down small pieces of ribbon. The ribbon, called gota, is a braid of gold or silver that comes from Lucknow, though narrower coloured ribbons in satin or twill weaves also carry the name. Pieces of ribbon are trimmed and folded into the shapes a pattern needs, then appliqued, which means stitched flat onto the surface of the cloth, over bases such as georgette or bandhani. The finished cloth shines and looks weighty, yet it stays light to wear. Gota work dresses up wedding and formal clothes across South Asia, and in Rajasthan it is worn at auspicious functions.

Where does Gota patti come from?

The embroidery comes from Rajasthan. Its namesake material has a history of its own: gota itself, the ribbon of gold or silver that the work is named for, comes from Lucknow, ribbon and lace alike. The earliest gota was real gold and silver metal. Genuine metal work proved very expensive, so makers moved to copper coated with silver. In time copper too was set aside for polyester film that is metalized and coated as needed. This modern version, known as plastic gota, shrugs off moisture and does not tarnish the way metal-based gota can, and it costs still less. Each step traded a little true metal for a shine that lasts and a price more people can afford.

How is Gota patti made?

Making gota work is slow, careful labour. First the design reaches the cloth: tracing paper bearing the pattern is laid on the fabric and a paste made of chalk powder is brushed over it, which prints the outline below. The gota ribbon itself is narrow cloth, woven in satin or twill weaves, in gold, silver or any of many colours and widths. The embroiderer trims and folds the ribbon into the shapes a design asks for, then stitches each piece down, hemming its edge or using back-stitch. The whole process is lengthy and takes time. Gota often appears alongside kinari work, and laid over bases such as georgette or bandhani, the woven gold cloth builds up different surface textures.

Colours, motifs and borders

The patterns are particular to the region, and every motif carries a name of its own. Nature supplies the shapes: flowers and leaves, birds, and creatures like peacocks, parrots and elephants. Because the ribbon is metallic or brightly coloured, the finished surface gleams with gold and silver against the base cloth, which may be plain georgette or patterned bandhani. The effect looks weighty and ornate, yet the cloth itself stays light to wear.

How Gota patti is worn

Gota work trims whole outfits rather than one garment. In Rajasthan, clothes bearing it are worn at auspicious functions, and across South Asia it appears extensively on wedding and formal wear, as well as on dress for religious occasions. The work is generally done on dupattas, the long scarves worn over the shoulder, on turban edges, and on ghagras, the full gathered skirts.

When Gota patti is worn

This is dress-up embroidery. Clothes with gota work are used for special occasions and religious occasions, and the technique appears extensively in wedding and formal wear across South Asia. In Rajasthan, an outfit with gota marks an auspicious function, an occasion looked on as fortunate and fitting for celebration. Its gold and silver shine suits wedding celebrations, where the work is seen most often.

Styles of Gota patti

The main split today is between metal gota and plastic gota. Real gold and silver came first, then copper coated with silver when genuine metal proved too costly; now polyester film, metalized and coated, is the most inexpensive option. Plastic gota is highly durable: it resists moisture and does not tarnish, unlike metal-based gota. The ribbon itself also varies, woven in satin or twill, in gold, silver or other colours, and in widths from narrow to broad.

What Gota patti means

Gota patti holds a firm place in celebration across South Asia, on wedding and formal clothes. A popular Bollywood song, Ye Gotedar Lehnga, refers to gota work, its title describing a lehnga, the full skirt, covered in gota. The craft has also changed with its wearers' means: real gold and silver gave way to copper, and copper to coated polyester film, each step trading purity of metal for durability and a lower price. Through it all the look stayed constant: a ribbon of shine stitched into flowers, birds and animals.

Questions people ask about Gota patti

Good reading and sources

• Gota patti on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data