This complete, unused length of silk and gold fabric is a fine example of the ikat textiles for which the Deccan region of southern India was traditionally renowned. Ikat is still made today in the region of Hyderabad, the area's major city. The arrowhead pattern is one of the simplest, but most effective, of ikat designs, and is created by resist-dyeing the warp threads and then manipulating them after they have been set up on the loom but before they are woven. This type of pattern is often seen on a type of fabric called mashru, which is a silk and cotton mixture with a satin weave. This is a more luxurious fabric than mashru, however, as it uses all silk and no cotton, with additional strips of pure gold woven into the cloth. It would have been used to make a robe or other garment for formal wear at one of the Deccani courts, probably that of Hyderabad.