The Patan Patola Heritage Museum

In September 2014, a small private museum opened in a small town in North Gujarat.

Over 3,000 sq. ft of space and three floors, it showcases the Patan Patola*, a textile that combines techniques of tying, dyeing and weaving.  Called the ‘Patan Patola Heritage’, it is a small institution built on the dreams and motivations of one of the last remaining families of Patola weavers of Gujarat.The complex form of tie-dye weaving that adorns the halls of every textile museum in the world and is revered by every textile enthusiast, commenced in India during the reign of King Kumarpal of the Solanki dynasty in the 12th century. The museum showcases the history of the Patan Patola, the technique as well as artefacts such as centuries-old sketches of the technique and rare old pieces such as a red Patola frock.Being an effort of the family whose ancestral profession it is to weave patolas, the museum has ‘passion’ and ‘personal connection’ as a foundation of the institution and so the experience is likely to be delightfully different compared to other museums