Face of India's Heritage - Textile Prints

Our love for colours and prints is legendary, since our country has always been associated with rich weaves and unique textiles. What gives our fabrics their unique identity is the weaves and prints that is one of a kind to the region. Inspired from the architecture of the temples, nature and rural life, forts and geometric patterns, these prints are rich in vibrant colours and is capable to speak a thousand words to the beholder.

We have hundreds and thousands of prints to choose from with talented craftsmen from every part of the country pouring out their imagination on the cloth. Our craftsmen and artists endeavour to produce something new every time be it floral, animal prints or abstract, they will always put their thinking caps on. So, here comes the list of some of the most popular Indian prints that have found much appreciation and love across the world.

• Ajrakh

 Ajrakh is originated in the very ancient Mohenjo-Daro civilisation and the legacy has carried on every since. This is a particular kind of block printing shawls from India’s states in the west. This unique technique of block printing is popular is Kutch, Barmer and many more places. Ajrakh includes design and patterns made using block printing method with natural dyes that include both vegetable dyes and mineral dyes, with Indigo being the key dye.

• Bagru Print

 Bagru print is popular is Jaipur, Rajasthan. This technique of printing is laborious but produces exquisite results. Bagru block printing has been alive for centuries creating some of the best Indian prints being the brainchild of the Chippa community in Rajasthan. This hand block printing technique is all natural right from the beginning from dying the wood blocks. Bagru print is celebrated all over the world for its effortless elegance and simplicity.

• Bandhani

 Bandhani is popular amongst all, a tie and dye technique that dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. With this hand printing technique the cloth is plucked by fingernails into tiny bindings and then dyed. Primarily the design made up of dots of variety of sizes against a backdrop of bright colours marks bandhani.

• Leheriya

 A simple hand dyeing technique which results in striped textiles in a huge variety of vibrant colours. Silk or cotton cloth is subjected to resist dyeing. The cloth is folded and tied in such a manner that the colour is applied only in a particular pattern. This hand dyeing technique is names after the pattern it forms after the process, that is, waves, which is called Leheriya in Rajasthan.

• Batik

 This hand printing technique revolves around selective cloth soaking in colour and preferentially printing it with the use of wax. A wax-resist dyeing technique process is applied to the whole length of the cloth. 

• Dabu

 Deesa, in the North of Gujarat, a small predominantly farming community, is famous for its distinct mud resist printing technique called Dabu. The designs created with this technique is quite similar to the batik style of printing, but the techniques used for the two are vastly different.

All hand block printing techniques and tie & dye prints that are practised in India boast of the rich heritage and culture of the country. Craftsmanship, creativity and a whole lot of effort go into keeping these hand printing techniques trending and alive around the globe. The variety of different colours with intricate designs is a rich source of culture that has been delicately preserved and handed down in the country.