Dabu & Bagru Block Printing: The Art of Rajasthan

Beautiful imprinted designs have been found on scraps of cloth in the ruins of Mohenjo Daro which was an ancient city of the Indus Valley Civilization. This is evidence  that block printing in India was practiced as long as 3000 B.C. This labour intensive, painstaking process is still practiced in 21^st century by many artisans which makes India one of the largest manufacturers of block printed fabric. One of the main forms of block printing include the Dabu & Bagru Block printing of Rajasthan.

Amidst the dry barren desert land are places abundant of colour, heritage and culture. 30 kms south-west of Jaipur and along the Ajmer highway is a small village called Bagru. The residents of Bagru are the Chippa community who have been into the block printing art form for about 350 years. Also 60 kms from Chitthorgarh there is a small village named Akola where the first forms of Dabu printing was practiced. Dabu is a form of mud resistant block printing which is practiced mainly in Rajasthan. The uniqueness of Dabu print lies in its sublime quality and appearance. Also the printing involves lots of natural dyes and pastes made from vegetables which makes it environmentally friendly. The process of making these printed fabrics  includes a lot of manual labour and sheer hard work. It begins by mixing a special clay paste called “dhabu”. A particular design is then sketched on the cloth and is covered with clay and wooden blocks after which saw dust is sprinkled. Once dried the cloth is dyed with the chosen colour. After dyeing the cloth can again be dyed with a lighter colour to give patterns. The process is so lengthy and labour intensive that the end result is worth it.

Bagru is a named derived from “Bagora’” which is the name of a island where the city was built originally. It’s famous for palm fans and fadat patterns. Bagru block printing are usually practiced by the local women folk. Bagru prints can be characterized by their rich colour prints and patterns. Using indigenous methods of dyeing and printing beautiful colours like indigo blue, bright yellow, alizarin etc. are imparted to the cotton fabric. The three main colours in Bagru include black, maroon and red. Patterns involve geometric patterns combined with flora, animal and bird forms. Synthetic dyes have now replaced some of the natural dyes but the process of making the final products continues to be the same. Some of the motifs and styles too have been adapted with the changing trends. New bases like fabrics, motifs and layouts are now experimented instead of cotton and silk as traditional bases.

With many institutes such as the National Institute of Hand printed Textiles, NIFT, NID and other boutique owners and exporters, this traditional form of block printing is being given encouragement. With changes in traditional market the chippa community has successfully adapted to its customer’s needs..

 We offer a huge and exciting gamut of Dabu and Bagru print Stoles and Dupatta’s

This season we bring you Dabu and Bagru Hand block printed Chanderi Cotton silk and Soft mul mul Dupattas. 

- Contributed by Antorik Roy for Banna Creations !