A cloth made in Uttar Pradesh and in Kota, Rajasthan’s third largest city, 149 km south of Jaipur on the banks of the Chambal river–a major food production area also known for its art and textile production.
Kota is woven mostly for fine saris by small family businesses, each with their own designs passed down from generation to generation–living and sleeping with their work. It is a sheer, almost weightless fabric with a sheen and almost ethereal quality, a luxury fabric that is comfortable in all weathers. The 20% silk and 80% cotton muslin weave is patterned through with gold threads in an intricate design; it can take four months to weave the five to six metres for one sari, and another two weeks for a simple gold border.