11/07/2023
Patan's Patolas are not ordinary saree. They are one of kind in these excellence & topped in handicraft in the entire world.
At the time when Machines were not invented these patolas were hand crafted. Patolas has very brief history. The name Patola has derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Pattakulla’, which is the plural form of the Gujarati word "Patolu" and in telugu “Patola”. Patola weaving is the most complicated technique of weaving in the world as it follows the double Ikat style for the warp and weft yarns. These yarns are dyed according to a pre-designed set of patterns. The Patola of Patan has also received its Geographical Indication Certificate in 2013.
What is patan na patola?
In other Clothes, the cloth is first made by powerlooms and then they are printed & colored as per the design. While in patola, each & every thread is individually colored & Pat to gather to obtain its beautiful design. This gives the patola its wearing beauty. It required lot of patience & hard work. These horizontal and vertical threads (warm-wept) or (tana-vana) putting together brings out its lovely design. These designs which are very antic design which was invented around 1143 C.E, the time when Raja (King) Kumarpal of Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty of Gujarat was ruler. These desgins which have never become out dated is available with various colors.
Silk, Natural Vegetable Color & Real Gold used in a Patola:
Patola are made from China, Korea and Brazil breed silk. These are special slik threads which is of two types. Six threaded & eight threaded. Six threaded & eight threaded are joined together and made into one Single silk thread. The colors which were used in patola saree were extracted from natured resources & plants and hence are called vegetable colors. The method of extracting vegetable colors in not available anywhere else other than patan. To make glitter thread (Golden thread), Silk threads are coated with real gold. These are 800 year old technique to make patola saree, which is still used to make the traditional Patolas in Patan.
Weaving Method:
After coloring & designing, the threads are taken for weaving. One craft man stands on the loom and two people work on the hand loom during weaving. They match the design on the both sides during weaving. After a part of weaving is finished they give it its finishing touch to make the final product out.
Designs of a Patola:
The designs of patola were chosen from the Raja King Kumarpal's collection of things in his palace. These designs which are 800 to 900 years old never outdated and go out of fashion in a patola. Narikunjar, Navratna , Voharagaji (Manek Chock), Chabbri bath, Chandabhati, Patan Bhatt, Laheriya, Taraliya, Fulbhatt, Kesar Chandan etc. are various designs of patola. These designs are made with perfect calculation & hard work. Even a smallest mistake will leave the design unfinished and entire patola saree will be of no use.
