The use of the term PATOLA in Gujarati literature can be established from the beginning of the 11th century. There are verses written by a princess from Saurashtra in which Patola manufactured in Patan is mentioned. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the word Patola can be found in the “Vishwa Prakasha”, “Medini” and other Sanskrit dictionaries.

Often Patolu, Patola and similar names appear in 14th and 15th century Gujarati Literature also. For centuries Patola from peninsular India has been traded to Indochina, Indonesia and perhaps even to East Asia, regions where even today they are considered to be extremely precious.

In Cambodia the word for textiles in Patola techniques is “SAM-PAT-HOL,” which may go back to Sanskrit equivalent like “SAM-PATOLA,” that is like a Patola. If the Cambodian word may be of Sanskrit origin, it is very likely that the Hindu immigrants might have brought the fabric and its technique from India in the 3rd and the 4th century A. D. The earliest visual indication for production and use of Ikat textiles are found in the Murals of Ajanta-Ellora Cave near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, which date approximately to the periods of AD 525 - 545. Here one can clearly see the use of the Ikat technique worn by many figures including the one of Queen Sivali and one of the main dancers who is trying to dissuade King Mahajanaka to renounce the world and its pleasures.

Indian Textiles are renowned throughout the world for the artistic skills in textile manufacturing, specially in dyeing. This aspect and the reverence of Patola are very well shown in a Gujarati proverb, “Padi Patole Bhat, Phate Pan Phite Nahin.” The literal meaning is that the motif dyed on the Patola will not fade, even if Patola may tear, as it gets old. But the subtle meaning is that a person with good character will never succumb to any negative pressure and display bad characteristics. Some of the Patola weavers of Patan say that their present home is the original center of their trade and that it spread from there to other towns in Gujarat. The antiquated documents show that Patola has not only been part of India’s very rich craft tradition, but it has also been a very important part of India’s Trade and specially the export trade. Even though the great silk routes, spice routes and the sea trade routes were arduous, the trade flourished, due to which the textile industry of India was illustrious and famed. The Patola of Patan, that is the double Ikat, has been King of textiles for many centuries. Many folk and ancient documents praise and sing in glory of Patola “Chelaji Re, Patan Thi Patola Mongha Lavjo.” This song is about a lady asking her husband to get her the Patola from Patan. She is also requesting that the husband should ensure her design requirements are met and it has to be the expensive kind and good quality.

A 17th century Gujarati poet Premananda’s famous poem “Kuverbai Nu Mameru” mentions very clearly, a gift offered to her in her wedding trousseau was a Patola, along with many other expensive gifts and gold ornaments. Patola, their motifs and colours are considered pure and auspicious. Hence they are preserved as heirlooms, and worn in marriage functions. A gift of a Patola to one’s daughter or niece, as the part of her wedding trousseau is considered a privilege. Within many Hindu and Jain communities of Gujarat, it also plays a particularly important role in the Simanta or Agharni ceremony celebrated in the 7th month of pregnancy. Owning and wearing a Patola are also looked upon as signs of family status and being a connoisseur. When a married woman passes away, she is cremated wearing her wedding Patola. In olden times, a widow would never wear a Patola, as it was a sign of being lucky. Her husband’s death presumes that she would never feel lucky, and it would be given away to less fortunate ones of the society. They were used in temple ceremonies, used as wall hangings in temples and in procession for covering the elephant. Finally, as rags, they were charred and used as medicines by Ayurvedic Vaida, the Doctor who practices Ayurvedic principals.

Patolas are associated with alchemy and magical qualities. The reason, I presume, would be the vegetable dye being used in the dyeing processes. The Harda, Beda and Amla, which are good for one’s body according to Ayurveda being the main ingredients for vegetable dying. Even Ambahaldi, which is supposed to have the antiseptic effect, was used to achieve yellow colour. The use of Indigo, Alizarin and many other ingredients used to dye the fabric is colour fast and does not react negatively with the skin. And that’s a reason why I believe, that the Patola is believed to have medicinal and magical qualities.

The glory of Patola lies in the fact that no other fabric demands extreme precision in planning of the design, the precision involved in tying of the warp and weft yarns, in the dying of the colours and the meticulous weaving for its complex motifs. This has resulted in an unparalleled perfection in the technique, the fall, the feel, the combinations and the complexity of motifs and still remain unchallenged. And yet, a handful remains who practice this style. There are now only five weavers left in Gujarat, who practice this craft.

The Weft Ikat Patola from Gujarat, which has been described as a copy of the Patola, is alive but breathing slowly. It has evolved it’s own vocabulary of motifs and design due to the contemporary market demands. Patolas are products of Gujarat in northwestern India. Ikat technique is wide spread in India. Bundles of threads are meticulously arranged to prepare a design and bound with impermeable yarn or rubber bands so that as the yarn is dyed with a range of colours, the areas protected from each dye are resisted in succession. The tie and dye process is repeated as many times as the number of colours according to area where a particular colour is supposed to appear in the design. If in a design there are six colours, then the tie and dye is done six times. The binding and dyeing of the warp or the weft or both, is done much before weaving. Usually it is used on the warp or weft and then termed warp or weft Ikat. Techniques with matching patterns on warp and weft are called double Ikat. They are rare.

Most complicated double Ikat patterns, known from Gujarat, use the simplest of Loom. A single harness loom has no rigid framework and gives only two sheds. It consists of seven wooden or bamboo poles, a tension rope and a single hand operated harness. The heddles have no heddle eyes; they are simply string heddles through which every other warp is threaded. This loom is normally five and a half-meter-long at the stage when it is ready to weave. In this technique both warp and weft get tied and dyed to get the solid effects in the design. Though the preparation of yarn for the double Ikat is the same as in the case of the weft or warp Ikat, maximum care has to be taken while preparing and marking the warp and the weft, so that when the warp is arranged on the loom, perfect matching and accuracy must be maintained in respect of the position of the repeats of the designs, width wise with one selvedge to another as well as on the fall of the cloth. Even a slightest deviation will spoil the design.

The most common motifs used in Patola are the Parrots, Elephants, Plants, Ladies, Flowers, Trellis, Baskets, Leaves, etc. used in many different permutations and combinations for the body, border and the pallav. The red or vermilion is normally the background colour. The other colours that are used along with Red are Yellow, Orange, Pink, Green, Blue, Purple, White and Black.

Almost the same parameters are used to evaluate a Patola as a Diamond and require an equal amount of expertise to evaluate if not more. A good Patola will be light in weight. Yet, it has to be heavy enough to maintain the balance of the fabric. The design has to be clear and sharp in terms of design and weaving. The colours used should not merge too much to make the design appear smudged. The brilliance of the piece will also depend on the kind of dyes used, the intricacy of the work done, the setting of the borders, corners and Pallu, the largeness of the repeats, the number of colours used, the amount of Zari used, the quality of weaving, the quality of the dyes and the quality of twisting of the yarn.

Besides these, there are many other factor involved in evaluating a Patola. It takes at least a year to make a Patola. But the higher quality ones might take up to two years to create. But it remains undisputed amongst connoisseurs that the Patola of Gujarat is the king of textiles.

Bela Shanghvi is a revivalist of antiquated handloom weaving styles and a crafts Designer. She is currently writing a book on Indian Handloom Textiles.