Gujarat’s famously intricate silk patola also has an Indonesian royal history. Patolas, woven using the complex double ikat technique, where both the warp and weft threads are tied and dyed to the desired pattern before weaving, a process that takes months for a piece, were once a prized possession in early 18th-century Indonesia.
This will be revealed during, among other interesting galas, ‘When Indian Flowers Bloomed in Distance Lands’, an exhibition showcasing the legacy of some of the earliest and rarest Indian textiles that traveled east and west, seamlessly integrated into the fabric of cultures far from home.
Spanning 700 years from the 13th century to the 20th century, the exhibition highlighting India’s profound influence on global fashion and trade will open at the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum in Ahmedabad in collaboration with the TAPI (Textiles and Art of the People of India) collection. Surat, Sunday.
“Reserved for the elite, patolas were believed to have talismanic powers and were regarded as sacred garments and family heirlooms. It served as an indicator of social status and, in some areas of Indonesia, even had the special patronage of the regent. These were among the prestigious textiles traded in Southeast Asia in the 18th century. The Patolas enjoyed an honored status in the royal court of Surakarta in Central Java. The patola sashes were part of the royal ensemble of the Jogjakarta palace … Some of the pieces may have originated from the eastern Indonesian island of Alor and arrived there via Portuguese or Dutch company officials in lieu of sandalwood,” Shilpa Shah, founder of the TAPI collection, told The Indian Express.
The exhibition includes 71 rare pieces, the oldest radiocarbon dated to 1250, 15th and 16th heritage textiles manufactured in Gujarat and exported to islands in Indonesia, Kalamkari textiles from the Coromandel coast of southeast India for markets in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Japan. And along with chintz textiles traded to Europe were the exquisite Kashmir shawls that were once the object of desire among the European nobility.
The exhibition also offers a chance to see rare pieces excavated at Fustat, near present-day Cairo in Egypt, as well as the iconic ‘Sarsa’ remains of tea ceremony pouches and wrappers used by Japan’s daimyo or feudal lords.
“Excavations at Fustat in its waste sites and tombs have revealed block-print cotton pieces from Gujarat dating from the 10th to 17th centuries that were preserved by the dry climate. These Fustat pieces on display were part of the collection of eminent archaeologist and Indian textile scholar R Fisher in Egypt. Their design echoes the architectural ornamentation of medieval Gujarat, highlighting the interconnectedness of global trade during this period There are many Fustat patterns paralleled in the fabric being traded,” added Shilpa.
The exhibition reveals how sarsa (finely dyed Indian cotton) was imported from the 17th to early 18th century, mainly from the Coromandel coast.
And partly from Sanganer, Kowtari became highly prized as Saras.
The mustard craze in Japan continued into the early 20th century, becoming so deeply integrated into Japanese culture that even today, Indian mustard remains an indispensable part of Japan’s cultural heritage.
The exhibition will run from 10 am to 5 pm on all days of the week until Chait 9th.
“These masterpieces celebrate the incredible diversity and history of Indian textiles, paying tribute to the ingenuity of the merchants and entrepreneurs who played a pivotal role in establishing India as the center of the world’s textile trade. Above all, the collection showcases India’s masterful artisans – skilled weavers, dyers, painters and embroiderers. Honors the creative genius – whose unique craftsmanship enabled India to clothe the world for centuries,” said Jayashree, Trustee of the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum. Lalbhai said.