Context: At the G20 summit, Prime Minister gifted traditional artworks from Gujarat- the ‘Patan Patola’ scarf to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

Patan Patola

• 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.

• The Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and design on both sides.

• Patola is woven on primitive hand-operated harness looms made out of rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom lies on a slant.

• The process is labour-intensive, time-consuming, and requires a high order of skill and expertise

• It takes three to four months to prepare a tie-died design on warp and weft threads for one saree of six yards.

• While possessing and wearing a Patola is considered a matter of pride, the fabric has largely remained inaccessible to common people because of its high price.

• One of the major practitioners of this art form is the Salvi family from Patan.

• The other commonly worn Patola is the Rajkot Patola, woven on a flat loom.

• Before World War II, Indonesia was the major buyer of Patolas.