COSTUMES
India: Gujarat, Mehsana, Patan
Hindu; Salvi caste
Sari, patolu -- pan bhat pattern (woman's)
19th century
Plain weave; Resist dyed, double ikat
Silk; Metallic thread; Vegetable dye (madder)
4 yds. 1 1/2 in. x 1 yd. 14 1/2 in. (3.7 x 1.64 m)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-32

The most frequent patterned design category is the repetition of a single leaf motif called pan bhat (leaf design). The heart shaped leaf depicted is that of the pan or sacred pipal tree. Often the pan bhat patolu sari had Gujarati inscriptions written on the pallu. Ownership of these saris, as established by translations, has included groups such as the Nagar Brahmans and the Lohana merchants of Saurashtra, the Anavil Brahmans of Surat, and the Bhatia merchants of Kutch. -- Label copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12 to July 25, 1982.