Bela prints are bold and graphic. They grab your attention with a vibrant palette of printed color on a plain white background. Diverse hues are achieved using natural and vegetable dyes. Bagru, Rajasthan, is most famous for producing this type of mordant printed textile. Yet, Kachchh has been a producer district of Bela-style cloth for as long as people can remember. Long ago, East Kachchh produced many mordant resist fabrics commonly referred to as Patthar, which were used in dowry gifts.

Red and black colours are iconic of Bela printing, colors which were used the most for their color fastness. Bagru often features large scale and graphic prints, characterized by strong a strong mordant-printing technique wherein the printer applies vegetable dye directly to a piece of cloth with a hand wood block.

Originally, Batik prints were made by dipping a block into hot piloo seed oil, which was then pressed onto fabric. After dyeing, the oil paste was peeled off to reveal a print. Over time, wax was adopted in the technical process of Batik printing as a more practical alternative to oil, which had to be pressed from thousands of small seeds. The adoption of wax changed the appearance of the textile. In wax printing, thin webs of dye run through the motif creating a beautiful veined appearance. Wax print batik flourished in Kachchh in the 1960’s due to the crafts rising popularity in foreign markets coinciding with the hippie movement and the emergence of chemical dyes, which worked in tandem with wax printing in contrast with vegetable dyes that were unfit for Batik making.

Local legends share stories of the Batik practice of block printing being carried to Kachchh during the time of the Ramayana by seasoned, master craftsmen. For years, people have enjoyed the floral and figural motifs of Batik textiles by Khatris, a community creating Batik, Ajrakh, Bagru and Bandhani all over Kachchh. The port of Mandvi is one reason Batik probably became a main industry in Kachchh. It was a popular textile export to Indonesia from Gujarat as early as the 1500’s. Indonesian populations were particularly fond of the Gujarati madder, a deep red colored dye that was meaningful to their community.

Kutch has long been an established centre for Batik, a wax resist dyeing and block printing craft also practiced in Indonesia among some other cultures. A majority of Batik artisans in Kutch — if not almost every single one — are Khatris; Kutchi-speaking Muslims.

Bandhani (Hindi: बांधानी) is a type of tie-dye textile decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design.The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root bandh (“to bind, to tie”). Today most Bandhani making centers are situated in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sindh, Punjab region and in Tamil Nadu where it’s known as Sungudi. Earliest evidence of Bandhani dates back to Indus Valley Civilization where dyeing was done as early as 4000 B.C. The earliest example of the most pervasive type of Bandhani dots can be seen in the 6th century paintings depicting the life of Buddha found on the wall of Cave 1 at Ajanta. Bandhani is also known as Bandhej, Bandhni, Piliya, and Chungidi in Tamil and regional dialects. Other tying techniques include Mothra, Ekdali and Shikari depending on the manner in which the cloth is tied. The final products are known with various names including Khombi, Ghar Chola, Patori and Chandrokhani.

In Kachchh, tie and dye craft is known as “Bandhani.” Bandhani dates back to the Bandhani 12th century, and came to Kachchh when members of the Khatri community migrated from Sindh. Bandhani tie and dye became a staple local source of income with the export of bandhani bandannas to Europe via the English East India Company in the 18th century. Much like the local block printers, bandhani artisans used local, natural resources like madder and pomegranate to dye their cloth in a brilliant range of hues. The technique of tightly winding a thread around a section of cloth, dyeing it, and then removing the thread to reveal a circular resist motif has remained the same since bandhani was first practiced.

Bandhani has long been culturally important to Kachchhi communities. The most revered type of bandhani is the gharcholu, which is the traditional wedding odhani of Gujarati Hindu and Jain brides. The chandrokhani is worn by Muslim brides.

Bandhej saree which is also known as “Bandhani saree” is especially found in Gujarat and Rajasthan. As per the region of manufacturing, the patterns of Bandhej saree may vary. Fine varieties of Bandhej are created in Pethapur, Mandvi, Bhuj, Anjar, Jamnagar, Jetpur, Porbandar, Rajkot, Udaipur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, etc. Bandhani Saree, Bandhani Dupattas are most popular products of Bandhani.

Traditionally, Ajrak is the name of a block printed cloth with deep crimson red and indigo blue background, bearing symmetrical patterns with interspersed unprinted sparkling white motifs. An ancient craft, the history of the Ajrak can be traced back to the civilizations of the Indus Valley that existed around 2500 BC-1500 BC.

Ajrakh cloth carries many meanings. The popular story amongst local printers is that Ajrakh means “keep it today.” It is also linked to azrakh, the Arabic word for indigo, a blue plant that thrived in the arid ecology of Kachchh until the 1956 earthquake. Ajrakh patterns use complex geometry to create starry constellations in indigo, madder, black, and white across lengths of cloth. The shapes and motifs of Ajrakh echo the architectural forms of Islamic architecture’s intricate jali windows and trefoil arches.

After the partition of India, the production of Ajrak was carried out in Kutch, Rajasthan, and Gujarat which was once the easternmost portions of Sindh. The names and Patterns are fairly similar to those found in Sindh. There are no indications of different Traditions developing in terms of patterns used, as the influence of the Sindhi culture is still very strong in Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan. Block printing is an ancient Indian textile tradition. Cloth with block printing has been found dated back as early as 2000BC. Today this cultural tradition has been kept alive in villages Block printing represents a craft that provides a sustainable livelihood to the local families and We are dedicated to keeping that craft a viable part of India’s village economy.
The wood-blocks are hand-carved in elaborate designs; each colour is printed with a different block to complete the motif. A high degree of skill is required for both the placement of motifs and the application of pressure. Altogether there can be as many as 16 blocks to create a 5 colour design. A set of blocks can be used to print on average 1500-2000met of fabric. Colours used for printing are derived from non-toxic chemicals, minerals, and vegetable origin. Chemical dyes have replaced vegetable pigments to withstand present-day washing care and colourfast requirements. A block printed cloth reflects the touch of the human hand, the sensibility, and skill of the craftsman; every piece unique.

Each piece of fabric is hand-dyed, block-printed, and finished at Real Handicrafts Ajrakhpur, Kutch-Gujarat, India by grass-roots artisans using skills and techniques passed down through the generations.

Ajrakh Block printing undergoes various stages of process of printing and dyeing. The selected cream (any light color) cotton fabric is soaked in water for overnight and lashed with the wooden beater (bat shape wood) in the flowing water to remove the starch content and impurities in the fabric.