UNIQUE INITIATIVE
@Bharat Kantilal Salvi
@Bharat Kantilal Salvi
PRESERVING A LEGACY
Patola House at Patan, Gujarat, is a weaving display space and museum, which takes visitors
through the intricacies of crafting patola weaves. Brinda Gill takes notes.
A drive of about 100 km north of Ahmedabad
takes one to Patan, and mirrors the rich history of
Gujarat—its royal patronage and skilled artisans
of the time. On the way falls the stunning Sun
Temple at Modhera—its elaborate carvings and
the beauty of the stepped reservoir in front of it
astounding visitors.
Driving on, Rani ki Vav, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, comes into view. A spellbinding
stepwell going down several levels into the earth,
it has beautiful carvings decorating its structure.
A short distance from there, one reaches Patola
House, a stand-alone edifice founded by the Salvi
family, which safeguards the legacy of patola, a
fabric most famous for its double ikat technique.
The family inherited the tradition of double ikat
weaving from their forefathers. Presently, master
dyers and weavers Rohit Kantilal Salvi, Bharat
Kantilal Salvi, Rahul Vinayak Salvi, and Savan
Mahendra Salvi carry it forward, in a bid to
preserve its authentic technique and expression.
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I APPAREL I
June 2019
THE SALVI FAMILY
The Salvi family takes deep pride in
spearheading the practice of weaving
patola—a heritage that has passed down
unbroken in their family for 35 generations.
These textiles have not only been exhibited at
craft festivals in India and abroad but are also
housed in museums and private collections
across the globe.
From the past through to the present,
members of the Salvi family—who are master
dyers as well as master weavers—have
received several prestigious awards and
accolades for their undying craftsmanship.
Today, many members of the family are
recipients of four national and two Shilp
Guru Awards for their excellence in weaving.
Interestingly, the family name conveys their
inextricable link with their craft, as the word
‘sal’ means loom, and ‘vi’ denotes weave,
thus, ‘Salvi’ connotes a handloom weaver.