Original Kota Doria Saree: History, Weave & Why GI-Tagged

An original Kota Doria saree is a handwoven textile from Kota, Rajasthan. It is made on traditional pit looms. Usually kota doria sarees have square-check patterns called khat. These sarees are mostly a blend of cotton and silk yarn. Original kota doria sarees will have a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.  This helps to protect  the name of the genuine handloom production from the region. GI tag is an authenticity marker. This tag separates the products from the products that look similar but are produced in mass in a power-loom.

The History of the Rajasthani Kota Doria Saree

It is amazing to know that the story of the Rajasthani Kota Doria saree does not actually begin in Kota itself. It rather begins in Mysore. In the mid-17th century, weavers were brought from Mysore to Kota. These weavers brought with them this technique of weaving  a fine, square-patterned cotton fabric. Since then , this technique has passed through generations. Mysore-Kota heritage settled into the villages surrounding Kota. They were mostly found near Kaithoon and now they are centered at this place.  This is the reason why the fabric was earlier called Kota Masuria.

How the Khat Weave Is Made?

Do you know what is unique about kota doria saree? It is not its print but the weave. Weavers work on narrow pit looms where they interlace cotton and silk threads in a grid. This work is so fine that tiny open squares, which are called the card, are naturally formed across the fabric. This process gives the saree its characteristic, its uniqueness, its sheerness, lightness, and also slight transparency. If a piece is made very well, it can take several weeks to complete the hand work, which is made with dedication and fine technique. 

Noolagam makes such fine pieces where experienced weavers give their sweat and heart to create the beautiful sarees.

 

Understanding the Kota Doria GI Tag

The concept of GI tag was introduced to protect the handloom tradition as machine-produced products were replacing the fine handloom works. The Kota Doria GI tag also does the same thing. It is a mark that proves the authenticity of the product that is made by weavers by hand to create masterpieces. This tag is only applicable to the weave as the weave is done with hand. This tag is not applicable to whatever is done to the fabric afterwards to maintain it. 

How to Identify an Original Kota Doria Saree?

Kota Doria is a popular umbrella term and there are many sarees that have come that are made by powerlooms that are a copy of Kota Doria. Many can even term them as Kota Doria but they are not the real ones.

When a customer buys a Kota Doria saree and wants to buy an original Kota Doria saree, there are a few things that one should check:

1. Check for the woven GI mark. This should be in one corner of the saree. Every GI tagged saree will have a woven GI mark at its corner. Claiming something to be a GI tagged saree is not enough. The proof is in the saree itself.

2. The customer should check where it was woven. Genuine kota doria sarees are actually woven in places near Kota, especially near Kaitoon.

3. If you are a new buyer, definitely feel the weave to understand whether this is handwoven or not. The khat is always visible and it is tactile. That means it is small. Even with open squares it is definitely different from the printed machine one.

4. The fiber content should be checked. A traditional or original kota doria saree is always a cotton-silk blend so any polyester or synthetic version is definitely not an original one.

5. One should search about the loom. A handloom or a pit loom is the one that is eligible for GI tag. Power loom is not eligible as an original kota doria saree.

Printed Kota Doria: Bagru, Shibori and Bandhani

 

Kota Doriya sarees are not just plain checks. Many have separate printing and dyeing techniques which have been followed traditionally for ages as well:

1. Bagru hand block printing: This style has been practiced by the Chippa community near Jaipur. They have been doing this for four centuries. They use hand-cut wooden blocks and natural dyes to create prints which are soft and have organic edges. Again these are not done by powerlooms but these are hand work.

2. Shibori: It  is a resist dyeing technique. This style actually shares its roots with Japan and India's own tie and dye tradition. Here in this technique the saree is folded and twisted before dyeing. This results in each piece carrying a genuine unrepeatable pattern.

3. Bandhani: It is one of India's oldest tie and dye crops, which has originated from Rajasthan and Gujarat. This is very popular in India. This is created by hand-tying thousands of tiny knots before tying. In fact this process can take days only for making one single saree because they are done piece by piece by hand.

As all these are handwoven techniques, they all have the GI tags.

Kota Doria Saree Price: What Determines It

Usually kota doria saree price depends on a few factors: whether it is handloom or power-loom, plain or block-printed, cotton or cotton-silk, and the complexity of any embroidery or zari border. Entry-level plain or simply printed pieces typically start in the low thousands, while heavily worked, pure handloom sarees with fine zari can run considerably higher. As a rule, a price that seems unusually low for a claimed handloom, GI-tagged piece is worth questioning. However a GI tagged saree cannot be very low. In such a case the originality will be questionable.

Handloom vs Power-Loom Kota Doria

 

The Noolagam Approach to Handloom

Noolagam was built on the concept to bring handloom beauty to the customers.  Thus the Noolagam sarees are handloom comfortable sarees that can be worn every day. The brand sources directly from weaving clusters. This includes Rajasthan. There are no middlemen between the maker and the buyer.  The aim is to make genuine handloom sarees that women can wear every day and feel elegant.

 

Here is a complete list of Noolagam original kota doria sarees with their prices:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Kota Doria saree cotton or silk?

Traditional Kota Doria is a blend of cotton and silk yarn. This is woven together to create the fine khat pattern. The silk is to add strength while the cotton keeps the fabric light and breathable.

2. How do I know if my Kota Doria saree is original?

To know if you are buying an original kota doria saree, check for a woven GI mark in one corner.

3. What is the difference between a Kota Doria saree and a printed Kota Doria saree?

A plain Kota Doria saree is the base handwoven fabric itself. A printed version has an additional technique. This can be Bagru block printing, Shibori or Bandhani. This is  applied on top of base weave.

4. Why is the Kota Doria saree GI-tagged?

The GI tag protects the handloom weaving tradition centred in Kota and its surrounding villages. The powerloom products were trying to take the place of the handloom products and to protect the original handloom position, this GI tag system was brought in. So a GI tag actually proves if the saree is really made on a handloom or not.

5. What determines Kota Doria saree price?

Price depends on whether the saree is handloom or power-loom. The price also depends on the complexity of any printing, embroidery or zari work, and the fibre blend used.