Bagh Printing

A few minor modifications excluded, such as using red and black instead of indigo, the process that was followed earlier has not changed now.

Red is made from alum, which acts as a mordant.

The colour black is prepared from iron rust, which is prepared by fermenting iron with jaggery.

Tamarind seeds are used to make the paste of the colours.

The traditional Bagh colour palette is limited to red and black on a natural-coloured background of the cloth.

Blocks for borders, an end piece called a pallu in a sari, and larger body surfaces are selected for a planned layout.

The pressure applied on the block while dipping it in the colour tray and registering it on the fabric laid out on the table will determine the intensity of colour in the final piece.

Printing is done on low printing tables, upon which the fabric is spread out.

Wooden blocks are used for printing.

The block is dipped in the colour paste before it is imprinted on the fabric.

Printing is done in stages, separately for red and for black.

As the printed area is exposed to air, oxidisation causes the colour to darken.

Printing is done according to a planned layout.

Large products, like saris, require great care while printing to ensure that the freshly printed fabric does not smudge.

The printed cloth is left for 10-12 days, which ensures that the intensity of the colours are well developed.

The Khatris believe that the clear water in the River Bagh and other water bodies in Bagh district have the optimal mineral composition to enhance the colours in printing.

The printed fabric is swished around in the running water of the river to wash off excess dye.

The fabric is also beaten on the rocks while being washed. This helps drain excess colours and make the fabric malleable.

Once the excess water is wrung out, the fabric is ready to be dried.

Once washed thoroughly, the fabric is spread out on the river bed to dry.

The cloth is boiled in the solution in large haudis, or tankers.

The Khatris have a series of haudis, tanks, at different levels, where the various stages of washing can take place simultaneously.

Alizarin is the mordant used in Bagh printing.

This stage of the process requires both skill and hard labour.

The process of mixing the solution for dyeing is labour intensive since a large quantity of thick liquid has to be mixed well to dye many meters of fabric.

By boiling the printed cloth in the mixture of alizarin and dhawda flowers, the red colour develops and the dyes get fixed.

The printed cloth is then given a final round of washing.

It is important to wash the excess colour off thoroughly in clean water before laying the fabric out to dry.

A large pile of fabric has been washed clean.

The washing process is labour intensive as well.

Once washed, the printed fabric is spread out to dry.

The printed fabrics are dried on the pebbled surface of the riverbed.

Once ready, the fabric is sorted and separated to be sent to different destinations, for sale to local visitors, or to be packed for faraway bazaars or retail stores.

Read more about Bagh Printing here:

- Bagh Prints
- Treating of the cloth for Bagh Printing