11th Century Craft of Patola Sarees Have Been Kept Alive by This Family in Gujarat

The eye-catching and vibrant Patola sarees are made by an ancient craft that existed as early as the 11th century. The Salve family in Patan is the pioneer of this tradition and has been carrying on the tradition of this craftwork for centuries. The Salves are one of the 700 families of Patola weavers that migrated from Jalna (Maharashtra) to settle in Patan in North Gujarat under King Kumarpal of the Solanki dynasty. In an interview with ANI, 68-year-old Bharat Salve said that the Patola saree doesn’t carry a printed design. The design is created by the tie and dye technique which is very intricately done. He added that they continue to use traditional natural dyes. The cost of the saree may raise many eyebrows. An authentic Patola saree starts from ₹1.5 lakh and can cost up to ₹6 lakh depending on the intricacies. However, the effort that goes into making the saree justifies the cost. The saree is prepared through around 18–19 procedures and takes about six months. According to Salve, the raw silk is purchased from Bengaluru and then is put through several steps, including bleaching and softening. On average, 4-5 colors are used on the saree, and the complexity of the designs and the number of colors used to determine how long it takes to make a saree. Rahul Salve who has mastered the craft over 22 years states that currently, there are cheaper Patola sarees available in the market, but one needs to understand that genuine Patola sarees cannot be made cheap. The Salve family was exhilarated when during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a Patola saree manufactured by the Salve family to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This brought attention to the renowned Patola handloom of Gujarat.