TRADITIONAL SAREE FROM GUJARAT : TYPE, DESIGN AND LOOK WITH IMAGES

 The state of Gujarat, located on the western coast of India is the land of the finest of fabrics and renowned for its absolutely stunning rich heritage of textiles. This state has garnered a lot of appreciation for its unique impeccable needlework, expert craftsmanship, excellent use of embellishment techniques on sarees. These pieces are apt for all age groups and can be draped in a variety of ways for unique looks.

Here are some of the beautiful Gujarati traditional saree 

BANDHNI/BANDHEJ SAREE

Bandhani sarees are the face of Gujarati traditional textile since a long age. The most traditional craft, Tie & Dye, the small resist-dyed 'spots' produce elaborate patterns over the fabric, typically known as Bandhni or Bandhej. The term Bandhni is derived from the Hindi word Bandhan, means tying. Traditional Bandhni sarees from Jamnagar, Ahmedabad and Bhuj are particularly renowned. Traditional bandhani sarees used to be red, yellow, green and blue in colour. The traditional patterns used in Bandhni sarees are dots, squares, waves and stripes .The most commonly used fabrics for bandhani prints are silk, cotton, cotton-silk, chiffon and georgette. Khatri, Chhipa (printing), Punjabi Chavda, Rangrez (dyer) or Neelgar (indigo dyer) etc, in total about nine communities are involved with the production of traditional Bandhani textiles. Bandhani sarees are traditionally worn by wealthier, often urban, women for special occasions, including weddings.

PANETAR SAREE

Panetar saree is the traditional wedding attire in Gujarati weddings, gifted by the bride’s maternal uncle, to wear at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. The traditional Panetar is a silk saree with a white/off-white body and red/maroon border. The white body is woven with Gajji silk, adorned with Zari, bandhani motifs and other types of lush embroidery.

GHARCHOLA SAREE

A Gharchola is another bridal must-have saree in Gujarat, originating from the Khambat(Cambay) region of Gujarat. This traditional saree is gifted to the bride by her in-laws and is usually worn during the second half of the wedding. Gharchola is made of two words- ‘ghar’ (home) and ‘chola’ (cape/clothing), literally translates to ‘home wear’. These sarees are woven with cotton/Gajji silk/silk-cotton blend and zari threads which are later ornated with bandhani work with the intricacy of craftsmanship. Being a bridal saree, it's usually made in red, maroon, green and yellow colours and distinguished by their special grid/chequered pattern. A typical Gharchola saree is made with 12 squares, called bar baghor or 52 squares, also called Bhavan Bhag. Each check/box in the grid of Gharchola has a Zari border and is tied and dyed to create wonderful bandhani patterns which repeat themselves through the entire length of the saree. Motifs like elephants, parrots, flowers and dancing girls are generally found in each compartment.

PATOLA SAREE

The traditional Patola saree is the pride of Gujarat Handicrafts produced in Patan, North Gujarat, patronaged under the royal Solanki Rajputs. Patola sarees are one of the most adorable finest variety of silk sarees of Gujarat, Patola means queen of silks.These traditional sarees are handwoven with intricate designs that are identical on both sides of the fabric and involve traditional patterns such as leaves, flowers, birds, elephants and horses and dancing girls and geometric pattern called Ajrakh. Patolas are available in the Red, Blue, Pink, Peach, Green, and Yellow all vibrant colours. Simple traditional looms are used for weaving and natural dyes made from vegetable extracts and other natural colors are made use of. These sarees will tear but colors do not fade easily. Depending on their weave, a patola silk saree can either be manufactured using a single Ikkat technique, namely Rajkot Patola or a double Ikkat technique, namely Patan Patola. Patola sarees are for joyous rituals and occasions of Gujarat and also an essential investment for every Indian woman.

GUJRATI BROCADE SAREE

Gujarati brocade depicts rich culture heritage of Indian traditional textiles for ages, inspired by the Mughal courts. The hubs of brocade weaving centers are located in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Surat and Jamnagar. Rich designs of these sarees are woven in bright and glossy colored silk on a golden background or the elegant zari blended with silk, introduced inlay work originally and usually has leaves, flowers and stems outlined by a fine dark line. Traditional floral designs are placed on a golden zari background, finishing is done with meenakari work and this produces an elevated royal look. These sarees have a beautiful sheen to them and are thicker than other types of Indian brocade. Shades of brown, red, ochre, yellow, green and blue colours are mixed in silver and golden brocades. These traditional sarees are extensively worn in special occasions like wedding, parties and festivals.

GUJRATI EMBROIDERY SAREE

Kathiawar/ Kutch embroidery of Gujarat is one of the marked techniques of surface embellishment of Kathiawar district of Gujarat state, embroidered tinsel sarees have become some of the most popular sarees of Gujrat. Also known as khari in Surat, and Roghan in Saurashtra and Kutch. This popular traditional handicraft and textile signature art  carried out on cotton, in the form of a net using cotton or silk threads. The types of stitches adopted are square chain, double buttonhole, pattern darning, running stitch, satin and straight stitches. Bright colors add beauty to this embroidery. Once upon a time, real gold and silver was used on silk, velvet and and brocade fabrics to create these sarees but today these are substituted by zari. 

GUJRATI MIRROR-WORK SAREE

Gujrati Mirror work can brighten up any dull fabric. These days georgette, crepe, cotton, silk and chiffon sarees are seen with Kathiawar embroidery in bright coloured thread and then mirrors are attached to them lavishly. The signature effect of the colorful embroidery sparkles when small mirrors called Abhla are sewn over the geometrically shaped designs, the style create an alluring look, suit all age groups.