Ajrakh is a traditional resist-and-mordant block-printing craft historically associated with Sindh and with Kutch in Gujarat, with production also in Barmer in Rajasthan. It is known for dense geometric repeats and a palette built on indigo blue, madder red, iron black and the undyed white of the cloth. Where we stand, before anything else. We…
Put a Bagru print and an Ajrakh print side by side and most people see two versions of the same thing: wooden blocks, natural dyes, hand-printed cotton. Look a little longer and they could not be less alike. One is built on a pale, earthy ground and carries flowers, birds and vines. The other is…
A hand block printed saree is made differently from a machine-printed one, and it needs to be looked after differently too. The block, the dye and the hand behind both mean the print sits on the cloth in a way that rewards gentle handling and punishes shortcuts. None of it is complicated. This guide covers…
Bagru printing is a hand block textile printing tradition from the town of Bagru, Rajasthan, practiced primarily by the Chhipa (also spelled Chippa) community. It’s one of two hand block printing crafts from the Jaipur region — the other being Sanganeri printing — that hold official Geographical Indication (GI) status in India, recognizing them as…
