The light, gossamer touch of the Kota doria fabric will remind you of a delicate spiders’ web. It’s a unique and an almost transparent weave which is woven on a traditional pit loom in such a fashion that it produces square checks pattern on the fabric. These delicately wrought checks are known locally as ‘khats’ and this is what gives Kota doria a transparent look.
In order to make the fabric strong, the community uses an indigenous solution of onion juice and rice paste. They smear this on the fabric to make it hardy.
The weavers use cotton and silk yarn in different combinations of wrap and weft. Zari is also often used and the colours abound from light pastels to many a dark shade. The loom is a traditional pit loom and the entire process of weaving is a household activity, with all members of the family having specified roles.
The main center of Kota doria is in and around the town of Kota in Rajasthan, India including the villages of Kaithoon, Siswali, Keshoraipatan, Sultanpur, Mangroal and Saursan.
The standard Kota doria fabric is woven in white and later dyed in different colours. For some designs, pre dyed cotton and silk yarns are also used for weaving. Sometimes the weavers will also have a narrow border edged with Zari.
Soft, muted colours with pure and tested zari borders, jewel tones, silk cottons and cotton saris with dramatic broad borders form part of the evening wear collection. Festive wear saris include floral and vine motifs woven all-over in gentle colours, enormous gold amris woven on border and pallu as well as alternate stripes of gold and silver on borders. Pure silk tissues in lovely yellows and greens, deep blue and vibrant yellow saris with dramatic pallus and borders in zari are other saris displayed along with designer duppattas and stoles.
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