Since the last few years Gujarat was experiencing fall in tourism and the Government roped in Bollywood’s biggest name Mr Amitabh Bachhan as the brand ambassador for the state. The television commercial with Big B talking about the rich heritage and cultural tradition of the state has motivated many to plan their holidays in the land of gurjars… Gujarat.

With increase in tourism, markets opened up ….and weavers started seeing better days. Gujarats pride… The Patola Saree  is one of the finest hand-woven sarees produced today. These sarees are created by using the resist dying technique. There are two types of Patola sarees: Rajkot Patola is only vertically- resist dyed or the single ikat. Patan Patola is horizontally-resist dyed or the double ikat.

Flaming bright colors, geometric designs with interwoven folk motifs shows off the weavers’ creativity. Patola saree is woven from silk called the patola silk. The patola silks are still made by a handful of master weavers from Patan and Surat known for their zari work. To complete one saree the weaver takes 4 to 6 months. A complicated design can take even more time. The Patan patola is done in the Double ikat style, which is perhaps the most complicated textile design in the whole world. Both sides of the sarees look exactly alike and can be worn either ways. To match today’s demands, designers are giving new look to the old traditional weaves. They are introducing kundan and sequence work to the pallus and the boarder of the patola sarees.

Proud owners of patola sarees , you have all the reasons to smile…your saree is unique as no two patola sarees have the same design. Each is the weavers unique imagination, in other words each is a master piece.