‘PATOLA of PATAN’ is an unparalleled and original handy-craft developed with the help of wisdom and strength, which has a very precious heritage in human culture. It is a worthless heritage to preserve.
Patola is a double ikat weave sari, usually made from silk, made in the town of Patan, Gujarat, India. Considered an heirloom buy owing to the one-of-a-kind designs and painstaking weaving technique, an authentic Patola is as intricate as it is impactful.
In ere of science and technology, no single Country is able to take this handicraft on the machine in the world. For such reasons, Patola of Patan has become world famous.
Origin
The word PATOLA comes from ‘patt’ (silk cloth). From AD 700 ‘patt’ describes the silk cloth. The word patola is the plural form; the singular is patolu.
History
Craftsmen of Patan are originally from South India’s Salvi families. Around 1175 AD King Kumarpal, a Jain cast king was a ruler. He uses the new Patola every day for worshiping god. The Patola used as a dress for worship for king Kumarpal was not holy. Because at that time Patola was imported from ‘MungiPattan’ near Jalna situated near Aurangabad, Maharastra State, South India.
The king of Jalna use this cloth and then export it to other countries. And this used patolu is not considered holy for worship and so not used in devotion. So king Kumarpal defeated the king of Jalna and bring 700 Salvi craftsmen to Patan and reside with them. The weavers from Karnataka joined them and eventually developed and evolved the Patola sari.
Historically, double ikat textiles are made only in four places in the world: Bali (Indonesia), Okinawa island (Japan), Pochampalli (Telangana), and Patan. Around 600 years ago, burial clothes in the Philippines resembled Patola.
Characteristics
1. “Double Ikat” means equal design on both sides, wearable on both sides, and even the weaver can not identify which side is front or which is back side.
2. They are also quite popular for their vibrant colors and geometric motifs. They keep the colors for approximately 300 years. No other sari in India can keep its colors for this long time.
3. The loom for patola of patan is based on only hand operation. It has no leg paddle, and is slanted at one end. The loom is only a frame with no mechanical motions. One can not find such a loom in the world elsewhere.
4. In the 900 years since Kumarpala’s reign, the traditional patterns, and practices of Patola making are still alive in Patan. To help understand how engrained the traditions truly are, you should visit Rani Ki Vav, an 11th-century step well outside of Patan. You will find statues of dancers and royals and gods along with a series of square-patterned plates carved into the walls.
Their symmetrical designs are based on the divine positions of the stars. They’re almost 1,000 years old. More amazingly, these are the patterns of those Patola made 900 years ago and the patterns that are still used today. These traditional designs are what make Patola, Patola.
Process
The complexity and time-intensiveness are what make Patola so valuable. A dizzyingly mathematical process,these saris are woven using dyed threads both vertically (warp) and horizontally (weft) to create the design. The strings are dyed according to a pattern, and the dye marks align when woven, forming the pattern on the cloth.
Each Patola begins as a hand-drawn pattern.
The first round of wrapping. artisans marked out the grid system is along the threads.
The wrapping and dyeing process for just one color takes a week, and doing all the colors takes one or two months.
For each color in the design, workers tie sections of the silk threads with a cotton string so that only the parts remain exposed get color. The whole bundle of threads is then soaked in dye before the cotton strings are torn off to reveal the undyed portions. Rinse, and repeat, until the threads are all dyed to match the pattern.
Natural dyes and colors
Patola saris make use of natural dyes like indigo, turmeric, pomegranate skin, henna, as well as marigold flower, in the coloring process. Not to mention, this is the reason the colors don’t fade even after decades.
The weavers originally belonged to the Jain community. Instead of living creatures like animals or birds, they appreciate geometrical shapes. Therefore, you find these shapes dominating Patolas. Since the Muslim community doesn’t worship idols, when it comes to clothing, they appreciate floral designs. For all these reasons, Patolas include only floral and geometrical designs.
Revival and exhibition
Seeing the gradual but constant decline in the Patola weaving tradition, these families decided to archive the weaving process and safeguard its heritage. That’s how the Patan Patola Heritage Museum came into existence in 2014. This private museum preserves the history of the handloom.
Finally, the BJP government, and especially Smriti Irani, has also done incredible work in reviving this handloom. Irani’s #IWearHandloom campaign was one of the first events to rekindle interest in the Patola weave. The Geographical Indicator (GI) tag has also added to the authenticity of Patola.
At Lakme Fashion Week, designer Gaurang Shah‘s collection, entitled Stridhan, was a celebration of this timeless and ancient weave. We saw beautifully detailed anarkalis, lehengas, and shararas with ten-to-twelve meters of flair, and sarees draped in rural styles.
References
Patola: a textile heritage that never fades – Vibes Of India
Patan Patola And The History Of The Cloth Of Kings – Lost With Purpose
Patan Patola,The Real Ancient Art. (patolaofpatan.com)
