The Ashavali saris of Ahmedabad known for their beautiful Brocade borders and pallus, were original creations from the ancient town of Ashavali which is known for such fabrics. Ashavali Brocades have a rich gold or silver metallic background on which the patterns are woven, with coloured threads, giving the fabric an enamelled appearance. The Ashavali designs are noted for their rich colour schemes, in contrast to simple brocaded borders.
The technique was also known as Zarbaft (zar meaning gold and baft meaning woven in Persian, or woven in gold). The background of the pallus and border is woven in a rich gold thread in twill weave to reveal the maximum amount of gold thread on the surface. This style of weaving was also locally called as ‘deshi vanat’. Ashavali brocades or the 'fabric of dreams' is an old tradition, which comes alive on the borders and in the inlay technique with figures of stylised parrots,
peacocks and lions. These figures are frequently interwoven with trees and floral motifs in the pallus and konyas (corners of saris). They have ornamental repeats of larger motifs, besides the paisley (kairi) motifs. The stylized lion motifs are rarely seen in the konyas, but are often used in areas woven with mixed cotton and silk yarns. As silk was not produced in Gujarat, it was either imported through Khambhat from Persia, or procured from Assam or Bengal.
