Block Printing

Bagru , Rajasthan

Sejal Goyal
F.P.Tech , NIFT Delhi
 • Bagru, A small village
down in Rajasthan is
situated at a distance of
32 km east of Jaipur
city.
• Its traditional processes
of hand block printing
on textiles with rich
natural colors have
been known for many
centuries.

• The hand printers known as chippas came from Sawai, Madhopur, Alwar,
Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan to settle in Bagru and make it
their home some 300 years ago.
 No authentic literature is available here to indicate when block printing
started here exactly.
 Origins of Block Printing in Bagru
• According to a legend, two families of chippas were brought by the thakur of
Bagru to settle in Bagru from Isarda, a village 4 miles from Jaipur and then
more families of chippas continued to migrate from different places.
• Bagru Prints were initially worn by mainly by females . These designs to
indicated the season , their martial status and occupation.

Angoccha printed in syahi begar variety

 Sanjaria River
• They perhaps came for the then royal patronage and for the abundant
availability of water and a clean sunny bank which are important
requisites for dyeing and printing and the Sanjaria river provided that.
• Sanjaria river, with its origin some 5 kilometers from Bagru westwards
was then watering this village town
• Its water then surrounded the place then known as Bagora island from
which the name Bagru is perhaps derived.

The Big Nala ( Drain) through which the

water of the river Sanjaria used to come
 Motifs
• Most of them derived from the flora and fauna and are natural in
origin.
• Blocks of motifs were seldom made locally and were imported from
Pethapur, Farukkhabad , Mathura , Jaipur , Delhi which explains how
these motifs came to Bagru .
• Bagru motif can be arranged in five distinct groups.
1.Motifs of Flower Leaves and Buds:

Patashi Mugal Nargis

2. Motifs of Inter-twisted Tendrils

Mayur (Bel) Komal Kali (bel) Machhi (bel)

 3.Motifs of Trellis Designs

4. Motifs of Figurative Design

5.Motifs of Geometrical Design

Colors, Dyes and Pastes

• Patterns in which colors like Indigo blue colors produced work
produced on course cotton cloth by indigenous processes of Dyeing
and printing .
• Resist pastes , natural dyes obtained from the bank of Sanjaria river
and the excreta of the animals were used. Even though centuries have
gone by the same processes in the chain resist printing continue.
Syahi beggar
Ground Color - Creamish Yellow/White
Color in design motifs - Black & Red

Motif- Bada Bunta Motif- Hajura Motif-Payala

Group-Floral
Asmani
Ground Color - Blue
Color in design motifs – Red, Black, White & Blue

Motif - laharia Motif-Jal

Group- Geometrical Group-Trellis
Hariadana or Hara
Ground Color - Green
Color in design motifs – Chocolate, Red & White

Motif - Keri Motif - Badi Chatai

Group -Floral Group- Geometrical
Pilimen
Ground Color - Black
Color in design motifs – Red & Yellow

Motif- Am Motif-Pankhi
Group- Floral Group- Floral
Dakbel or Lalbel Jamardi or Menki

Ground Color - Red Ground Color - Black

Color in design motifs – Black & Red Color in design motifs – Red & Black

Motif- Macchi (bel) Motif- Patti

Group - Inter-twisted tendril Group- Floral
 Contemporary changes to motifs
 In the old style motifs are generally arranged in linear pattern
with a comparatively small size. In the later period, different
geometrical patterns like circle , square, cone etc were
introduced due to Persian influence.
 In recent use , motifs don’t have distinguishing names. Even
motifs bearing the same name as those used by printers in
Bagru vary considerably in linear dimensions , sometimes in
shapes and contours, although their natural form is retained.
General Tools used are-
• Pathiya or mej – table
• Gadi – movable rack for carrying material
• Katli- bamboo frame which serves as springy cushion when
printing block is pressed on cloth
• Bunta- Block printing block
• Handi- Vessel used for carrying paste
• Dastana- Thick rubber gloves to protect dyer's hands
• Khottan & Mogri – Used for beating the dyed cloth
 Wooden Blocks
• Hand printing blocks locally called
buntas or buntis are made of wood
and are mostly rectangular in
shape.
• Circular, oval and segmented
forms are also used, although
these are recent origins.
• The wood preferred is gurunjun,
form the forests of sawai
madhopur, rajasthan. Other woods
like teak and sisum can also be
used. Printers get blocks prepared
by kharaudis (carpenters).

A local block carver ( kharaudi )

carving the motifs on a wooden
block
For any motif ,3 kinds of blocks are required :

Gad blocks -To print outlines of

motifs

Rekh blocks – To •Data blocks- To

print fine details print solid color or
inside the outline daabu (resist)
Process
 Washing- to remove impurities
 Harda dyeing- Fabric is dyed in cold water
and Harda powder
 Drying the cloth in sun
 Dyeing And printing- Multiple dyes, resist
paints, Motifs and color combinations
possible.
Printing Tilting the
the Harda cloth with two
treated sticks in the
cloth with hot alizarine
the Syahi liquor during
Begar the alizarine
Paste dyeing

Printing Dyeing the

with resist
dabbu printed
cloth in
indigo
 Drying the cloth
 Washing and Beating of cloth
 Boiling the cloth – to fasten the color

Kundi Karna- Beating process

being conducted over the
khottan with a mogri
Products
• The printed clothes of Bagru mostly catered to the needs of
the folk, trading, artisans and agricultural communities that
constituted the local population. Some commonly made
products are as follows.

Chadar (Bedcover)
Angoccha(Towel)
Jazam
Tea Mat Napkin Table Mat Rezai (Quilt cover)

Part of Midi rapron Part of Kaftan Fadat

Contemporary Changes
in Products
• The craft of block printing has retained its traditional
vigor. The production method and traditional motifs
have undergone a change .
• The entire production of the chippas then engaged on
the production of the local varieties mostly of fadats,
lungdies , angochas , bichaunnis , rezais etc., is now
largely engaged in the production of running dress
materials, kaftans , raprons midis etc.

Dupatta- Stoles
 Bibliography
• Block printing and dyeing of Bagru, Rajasthan; Author: Birjoy Chandra
Mohanty , Jagadish Prasad Mohanty
• Handmade in India; Author: Ranjan & Ranjan
• Crafts Atlas of India; Author: Jaya Jaitly