Patan Patola Heritage — Attraction in Gujarat

The Sanskrit word tapasya, which roughly translates into penance of visceral intensity and frit through years (decades, even centuries) of meditation, may describe the karmic reality of Patan’s Salvi family .We belong to a community of double Ikat weavers. After 15 years of methodical planning on real estate, finance and architecture, and 300 years after our ancestors began to informally document details of the complex weaving technique of Patola weaving, we opened the doors to a private museum in our hometown Patan in north Gujarat in September 2014. This is a vibrant example of seemingly impossible dreams coming true, exemplified by the gleam in the eyes of the youngest weavers in the family- Savan and Rahul Salvi- and our proud uncles, Bharat and Rohit Salvi. Called the Patan Patola Heritage with a board outside including the names of the family’s National Award winners, like Rahul’s late father Vinayak Kantilal Salvi, this is the only such Patola museum in the world. Over 3,000 sq. Of space and three floors, it documents the history of the Patan Patola, a textile that combines techniques of tyeing ,dyeing and weaving. The oldest piece is a tattered red vintage Patola sari wrapped in white muslin and stored in a discreet drawer, the most enticing artefacts are century old artisanal sketches on yellowed and aged paper, made by our ancestors, that document the process of making the Patan Patola. Ikat, an Indonesian word that means to tie, knot or bind, describes a textile which is handwoven after the warp or weft of the fabric is tied and resist dyed for intricate patterns. A single Ikat, where the warp or the weft is tied and then dyed, is practised in various cultures quite prominently in Indonesia, Thailand and Uzbekistan. Double Ikat can also be found in Japan, Guatemala, and in the Indonesian islands of Bali and Kalimantan, but the more complex, Patan Patola variant of double Ikat originated in India. Both the warp and weft are first tied, then resist dyed with extreme precision to retain the dyed designs on the field of the sari as well as on the motifs, without any seeping or blurring . It is the mother of all Ikat techniques. Historically known to have originated in India during the reign of King Kumarpal of the Solanki dynasty in the 12th century, it is treated with reverence by textile scholars as an extraordinary example of weaving. Its samples most of them in the form of a sari hang in every textile museum in the world. Three years back, when this writer met the Salvi family for a book project, they appeared trapped between the weight of a unique inheritance and self generated pressure to “do something for Patola and for Patan”.Strongly insular (they guard their legacy with a do – or – die passion) and ideologically resistant to political intervention, government support and celebrities wanting to wear their saris at fashion vents, the Salvis wanted to chart a distinct path of textile conservation and self conservation. They had been showing their loom and explaining the technique to the hundreds who visit their house every year, but wanted to formalize this ritual. The family’s award winning weavers , as well as Bharatbhai, now a veteran, have also been around the world exhibiting their work at craft exhibitions from Japan to the US. We wanted to conserve and display the Patan Patola legacy without taking financial help or favours from any organization, private or public. W would rather spend every bit of our earnings to conserve the craft mastered...

Patola is a double ikat woven sari, usually made from silk, made in Patan, Gujarat, India. The word patola is the plural form; the singular is patolu.

Patola' (ritual heirloom cloth) from Gujarat, India, late 18th or early 19th century

A loom using to weave Patolas in Patan

Patan patolu, 1725–1800. This fine heirloom was likely woven for export to Sumatra, where the Gujarati patolas strongly influenced local ikat designs

The weave

To create a patola sari, both the warp and weft threads are wrapped to resist the dye according to the desired pattern of the final woven fabric. This tying is repeated for each colour that is to be included in the finished cloth. The technique of dyeing the warp and weft before weaving is called double ikat. The bundles of thread are strategically knotted before dyeing.2 Patola saris from Surat, Ahmedabad and Patan are renowned for their colourful diversity and geometrical style.

History

Silk weavers of the Salvi caste from the state of Maharashtra chose Gujarat as the home for their renowned patola fabric. It is believed that salvis went to Gujarat in the 12th century with the intention of acquiring the patronage of the Chaulukyas Rajputs, who ruled all of Gujarat and parts of Malva and south Rajasthan at the time, with Anahiwad Patan as the capital. Legend says that over 700 patola weavers came to the palace of Raja Kumarpal, on the personal request of king himself. The Solanki(Chalukya) rulers used to dress in patola silk themselves on special occasions.[citation needed]

It is broadly accepted belief that these Salvis originally belonged to the region, which now lies at the middle of the present day Marathawada and Vidarbha divisions of Maharashtra state. The art of Patola weaving is an ancient one. According to some historians, the art of Patola weaving was known also in the 4th century in “Ajanta” caves, which resembles the tie-dyes technique of patola. Ajanta Caves were patronized by the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka dynasty, which controlled a vast area of Deccan during the 3rd, 4th & 5th centuries A.D. Vatsagulma is presently the 'Washim' district of the Vidarbha Division of Maharashtra.

After the decline of Solanki empire, salvis founded a rich trade in Gujarat. Patola saris quickly became a sign of social status among Gujarati women and girls, especially as part of stridhan, items that a woman can claim as her. These art of patan is more than 850 years old.

Patola has had a huge importance as status clothes in Southeast Asia where it was imported from at least the Middle Ages. Local elites in far eastern locations such as Timor and Maluku Islands strove to acquire patola or patola imitations, which were often provided by European merchants in the early-modern era. Patola motifs were frequently taken over by indigenous weaving traditions

Design and patternEdit

There are four distinct patterns which are woven primarily in Gujarat by the Salvi community. In Jain and Hindu communities, double ikat saris with entire designs of parrots, flowers, elephant and dancing figures are generally used. In Muslim communities, saris with geometric designs and flower patterns are typical, being worn mostly for weddings and other special occasions. Maharashtrian Brahmins wear saris woven with plain, dark coloured borders and body and a bird design...

This is the musium of sample of clothes made from patola.

The Patola is a double ikat woven sari, usually made from silk,1] made in Patan, Gujarat, India.[2] The word patola is the plural form; the singular is patolu.[3] They are very expensive, once worn only by those belonging to royal and aristocratic families. These saris are popular among those who can afford the high prices.[4 Velvet patola styles are also made in Surat. Patola-weaving is a closely guarded family tradition. There are three families in Patan that weave these highly prized double ikat saris. It is said that this technique is taught to no one in the family, but only to the sons. It can take six months to one year to make one sari due to the long process of dying each strand separately before weaving them together.Patola was woven in Surat, Ahmedabad and Patan.Highly valued in Indonesia, became part of the local weaving tradition there.

:: Process ::

To create a patola sari, both the warp and weft threads are wrapped to resist the dye according to the desired pattern of the final woven fabric. This tying is repeated for each colour that is to be included in the finished cloth. The technique of dyeing the warp and weft before weaving is called double ikat. The bundles of thread are strategically knotted before dyeing.

Patola saris from surat, Ahmedabad and Patan are renowned for their colorful diversity and geometrical style.

:: History ::

Silk weavers of the salvi caste from the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra chose Gujarat as the home for their renowned patola fabric. It is believed that salvis went to Gujarat in the 12th century with the intention of acquiring the patronage of the Chaulukyas Rajputs, who ruled all of Gujarat and parts of Malva and south Rajasthan at the time, with Anahiwad Patan as the capital. Legend says that over 700 patola weavers came to the palace of Raja Kumarpal.[6] The ruler used to dress in patola silk himself on special occasions.[citation needed]

After the decline of the Solanki empire, the salvis founded a rich trade in Gujarat. Patola saris quickly became a sign of social status among Gujarati women and girls, especially as part of stridhan, items that a woman can claim as her own property within a...