Recently Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has inaugurated the first silk processing plant at Surendranagar in Gujarat. It would help cut down the cost of production of silk yarn drastically and increase the sale and availability of raw material for Gujarati ‘Patola’ sarees locally
About Patola Saree
- It is a double ikat woven saree made from silk and manufactured in Patan, Gujarat
- The double Ikat weave means once the saree or fabric is woven, you cannot differentiate between the sides – the colour and the intensity, the feel and the look
- are the same on both sides
- It takes the combined effort of four weavers anywhere between four to six months, sometimes even more, to weave a single saree.
- Patola is considered to be very costly and worn only by royals or aristocrats.
- The reason for the high cost of Patola sarees is that the silk yarn used to make them is purchased from Karnataka or West Bengal, where silk processing units are situated.
- Historically, the double ikat textiles are made only in four places in the world: Bali (Indonesia), Okinawa island (Japan), Pochampalli (Telangana) and Patan.
- ‘Patan Patola’ also got recognition from Geographical Indication (GI) Registry
