Gota Patti: the gold ribbon work of Rajasthan

Gota is a narrow ribbon woven with metallic thread. Patti means strip. Gota patti is the craft of folding that ribbon into shapes and stitching them onto cloth, and it belongs to Rajasthan — to Jaipur above all, and to Udaipur, Bikaner and Ajmer.

Where it began

The work grew up in the royal courts and the homes of the wealthy, who wore it on odhnis, on the hems of ghagras and on the edges of turbans. Originally the ribbon was woven from real gold and silver wire over a silk core, which is why old pieces were unpicked and melted down. Today the gota is woven from copper wire or metallic polyester, which keeps its shine and does not tarnish.

How it is done

The ribbon is folded, again and again, into a shape — most often a leaf, which is why the classic version is called pan-patti (pan is a betel leaf). Each folded piece is then appliquéd onto the base fabric with tiny stitches along its edges, and the shapes are arranged into vines, flowers and borders. Some pieces add danka, small stamped metal pieces, or a line of sequins between the leaves.

Because the shapes are made from ribbon rather than embroidered thread by thread, gota patti is light for how much it covers. A hem with a full band of leaves still swings, which is what a chaniya choli needs.

Gota on a Navratri choli

Gota patti is traditionally worked on lehariya and bandhani cloth, and on plain silks in strong colours: black, maroon, green, mustard. A black chaniya choli with cream or gold gota leaves is one of the most Rajasthani things you can wear to Garba — and one of the most photographed, because the metal picks up every light on the ground.

Looking after it

• Keep perfume, deodorant and hairspray off the gota; they dull the metal.
• Store it wrapped in muslin or tissue, never in plastic, which traps moisture.
• Dry-clean only, and ask for the piece to be steamed rather than pressed — an iron flattens the folds.