Patan Patola Scarf:
Prime Minister of India gifted a ‘Patan Patola’ scarf to the Prime Minister of Italy at the G20 summit.
- Patola is a double ikat woven fabric, usually made from silk in Patan (North Gujarat).
- Ikat is a method of tie-dyeing the warp or weft before the cloth is woven.
- It received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2013.
- The ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk dates back to the 11th century.
- This peculiar quality has its origins in an intricate and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing, known as ‘bandhani’, on the warp and weft separately before weaving.
- Patola is woven on primitive hand-operated harness looms made out of rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom lies on a slant.
- The other commonly worn Patola is the Rajkot Patola, woven on a flat loom.
- The base price of a Patola saree in the Patan weave starts from Rs 1.5 lakh up and can go up to Rs 6 lakh.
