Bali has quite a lot of renowned fabric — songket, endek, and kain poleng to name a few, with each carrying its own unique history, use, and meaning. There is one particular fabric considered one of the most highly regarded among Balinese nobles of the past. It is kain prada, cherished for the use of real gold in its making.
The word “prada” is derived from Sanskrit, meaning a gift for a son. In Old Javanese, however, it means gold. Essentially, prada refers to a technique of applying gold onto fabric using a special adhesive to form intricate patterns. Historically, authentic gold was used in its making, rendering the fabric inaccessible to the wider community and reserved exclusively for the royal family or the wealthy. Today, however, synthetic gold pigments called bubuk prada, are more commonly used to lower the price.
Like other traditional textiles, Kain Prada possesses its own motifs and characteristics. It often features Balinese ornamental patterns such as keketusan, pepatran, kekarangan and pewayangan, along with illustrations of lotus flowers, plants, birds, and the swastika symbol. The colours are typically vivid and festive, such as yellow and red, yet still maintain a bold and striking character through their intricate patterns.
The process of creating kain prada begins with sketching the desired motifs onto the fabric. Once completed, a special adhesive is applied to these sketches to hold the colour in place. As modern kain prada tends to use synthetic materials, Its main component is now a golden paste made from bubuk prada. The paste is mixed with water to achieve the right consistency, applied carefully to the motifs using a batik canting tool, and left to dry before being ironed, allowing the gold sheen to stand out even more.
Kain prada was a luxurious fabric with its entirely golden motifs, which is why it was highly favoured by those living within royal courts. Today, kain prada remains widely used, often as the principal fabric in traditional dance costumes, grand ceremonial attire for weddings and mesangih rites, as well as decorative elements for shrines, pavilions, and other buildings during major religious festivals such as Galungan and Kuningan.
