Patola sari

What is Patola sari?

A patola is a silk saree from Patan in Gujarat, woven in double ikat. Strictly, patola is the plural and a single cloth is a patolu. That means both sets of threads, the lengthwise warp and the crosswise weft, are knotted and dyed before the loom work starts, once for every colour in the design. On the loom the dyed points are lined up with care, and the design appears as the cloth is woven. The dyes come from natural sources. Four pattern families are woven, mainly by Salvi weavers: sarees for Jain and Hindu communities covered with parrots, flowers, elephants and dancing figures; for Muslim communities, geometric and flower designs; and for Maharashtrian Brahmins, a plain dark saree with a bird motif named Nari Kunj. It is kept for weddings and formal events, and among Gujarati women it has long stood for social standing.

Where does Patola sari come from?

Salvi silk weavers, originally from the part of Maharashtra that now lies between the Marathwada and Vidarbha divisions, are said to have moved to Gujarat in the 12th century, seeking the patronage of the Chaulukya Rajputs, whose capital was Anahiwad Patan. Legend holds that more than 700 patola weavers gathered at the court of Raja Kumarpal, at the king's own request, and the Solanki rulers wore patola silk on special days. Some historians date the technique far earlier, seeing in 4th century tie-dye at the Ajanta caves, then under the Vakataka dynasty, a likeness to patola. After the Solanki empire fell, the Salvis built a prosperous trade in Gujarat, and the saree became a mark of standing, often kept as stridhan. From at least the Middle Ages it travelled to Southeast Asia, where elites in Timor and the Maluku Islands sought it out.

How is Patola sari made?

Patola is woven by ikat, a resist-dyeing method where the pattern is built into the yarn before weaving. In the double ikat that patola is known for, both the warp and the weft are wrapped to keep dye off the places the design needs, and the tying is redone for every colour that will appear in the finished cloth. The yarn is bundled and knotted at measured points before each dye bath, and the silk is coloured with natural dyes. Then the threads are set on the loom, aligned with care, and woven. Simpler versions exist: single ikat, where only the warp or the weft is resist-dyed, and semi ikat, a less demanding take that keeps the handcrafted look.

Colours, motifs and borders

Four distinct pattern families are woven, chiefly by the Salvi community. Sarees for Jain and Hindu wearers carry full layouts of parrots, flowers, elephants and dancing figures. For Muslim communities the designs are geometric, with flowers, and these are the ones chosen for weddings and other big days. Maharashtrian Brahmin women wear a patola with a plain, dark border and body, worked with a bird motif named Nari Kunj. The influence travelled: weaving traditions in Southeast Asia took up patola motifs in their own cloth.

How Patola sari is worn

Patola is not an everyday saree. It is kept for special days, weddings above all, and for formal events; Muslim communities in Gujarat choose it particularly for weddings. Among Gujarati women and girls it has long marked social standing, and a saree held as stridhan, goods that belong to a woman outright, carries that weight. Even the Solanki kings are said to have worn patola silk on important days.

When Patola sari is worn

Weddings and formal gatherings are the natural home of a patola. It has also served as a store of value: among Gujarati women it became part of stridhan, items a woman owns in her own right, which made the saree both a possession and a statement of rank. That sense of worth ran through court life too, with the Solanki rulers dressing in patola silk on special occasions. Far beyond Gujarat, patola counted as prestige cloth in Southeast Asia, where elites in places such as Timor and the Maluku Islands competed to own pieces, or imitations of them.

Styles of Patola sari

The tradition comes in three degrees of difficulty. Single ikat patola resist-dyes only one set of threads, the warp or the weft, before weaving. Semi ikat is a simplified variation, less demanding in technique but keeping the handcrafted look. Double ikat is the peak: both warp and weft are resist-dyed and then aligned precisely to form detailed patterns. Copies have a long history too, as weavers in Southeast Asia produced patola imitations for elites who could not obtain the imported originals.

What Patola sari means

In Gujarat the patola has stood for rank and worth for centuries, kept as stridhan, property a woman holds as her own. Its court story, whether the legendary 700 weavers at Raja Kumarpal's palace or the Solanki kings in patola silk, ties the craft to power. The trade reached Southeast Asia by the Middle Ages, and European merchants later supplied patola and imitations to elites in Timor and the Maluku Islands, whose own weavers borrowed patola motifs. The craft at Patan is reckoned to be over 850 years old, and the saree carries a Geographical Indication tag in India.

Questions people ask about Patola sari

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• Waves of silk weavesDeccan Herald, Article

• Patola sari on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data