Historical Beginnings of Gotta Patti Marking Golden Period of Art & Crafts in India
Gotta Patti's work, also known as "Lappe ka kaam or gota kinari work," is one of the most famous and among the art craft gems of India. Gota Patti is a unique embellishment to enhance the fabric look, making it rich and splendid for occasion or wedding wear. This unique form of art originated from Rajasthan and eventually found its way towards the land of nawabs in other parts of the country. A Zari ribbon is used to create various artistic marvels by weaving through sewing downwards in varied patterns. Lucknow, Hyderabad, or even Rajasthan are the lands known for the sovereignties and their rich desire for nearly everything, so several dresses or fabrics are not untouched by their customized way of enhancing that piece of luxury clothing. Authentic Gota Patti during royals was made from real gold and silver, which was not easily accessible to ordinary folks back then, crafted only for royalties.
The stories of its history date back to the reign of Mughals, emperor Humayun brought some Persian craftsmen with him while he travelled back to India between 1539-1554. As soon as Rajputs Royals noticed this magnificent art for fabrics, they were mesmerized by it. With their diplomatic terms with Mughals, two cultures united to give birth to this incredible artwork that still doesn't fail to amaze us. Traditionally, it was prepared with cotton, silks, or velvet as base fabrics, but with changes from time to time, it can now be seen over sheer fabrics like chiffon or light-weighted crepe, etc. Real gold & silver wire were used to create Gotta ribbon during royalties and aristocrats, which was not accessible by ordinary folks and was exclusively affordable by Mughals or Rajput Royals.
With changing times and the rise in demand, the copper metal gilded with sequins of gold or silver has taken place instead of natural and expensive metals, which are readily available for everyone. These unique decorations of fabrics can be witnessed at weddings and other occasion wear. Apart from traditional dresses, they can be seen with modifications on juttis, bags, home decor, and several other decorative items. The richness of the texture and the glitzy color of zari gives just the kind of appearance required for those special occasions, and probably this is the reason this is much loved in the wedding wear category. Initially loved by Mughal and Royalty of India, down the time, it has changed a lot, becoming more agreeable for ordinary folks.
Gota Patti is used explicitly over light-weighted fabrics like chiffon, cotton georgette, tussar silks, and crepes. A few categories of this uniquely crafted embellishment include seekhi, bijiya, Phool lappa, and mothda. One of the most time-consuming processes of decoration over fabric, it is not efficiently prepared. The amount of time consumed depends on the length of the elaborated outfit that needs to be adorned, such as bridal dresses taking up to a week to complete the whole process. The other process includes selecting the motifs to be placed over the desired dress; several motifs are fondly used and enhanced with the gota work, such as peacock, paisleys, or florals many others. With all such painstaking procedures of weaving into perfection needs perseverance from extinction, and to keep the art alive, the families of these artisans are carrying their family legacy. These are our pride and heritage, which presents the rich background of our roots and the expertise of art that breathes in this golden land of history, stories, and traditional values.