Tie & Dye

Origin of Tie & Dye

It is difficult to trace the origin of this craftto any perticular area. According to some references it first developed in Jaipur in the form of leheriya. But it is widely belived that it was brought to Kutch from Sindh by Muslim Khatris who are still the largest community involved in the craft.

Bandhani was introduced in jamnagar when the city was founded 400 years ago. This city has now become one of the principal centers of bandhani, creating new pattern and experimenting with modern colors.

The earliest reference to bandhani is in Bana Bhatt's Harshacharita, where he describes a royal wedding, "the old matron were skilled in many sorts of textile patterning, some of which were in the process of being tied (bandhya mana)". This material was used to make this skirts for women.

A bandhani garment was considered auspicious for the bride. One who also finds the maids in the Ajanta wall paintings wearing blouses of tie and dye patterns.

Tie & Dye Today

Today women and girls can be seen sitting in their homes with pieces of malmal (fine muslin), handloom or silk cloth. This cloth is first bleached andd then folded into two or four layers depending on the thickness of the cloth. A rangara or designer marks the layout of the pattern on the material using wooden blocks dipped in geru, a burnt sienna color mixed with water. The craftsman then begin tie the cloth, which is not to be dyed. The folds of the material within the small motif are lifted and tied together. The material with the first set of ties is dyed yellow. There is also a process, mostly followed in Rajasthan of the dyeing parts of the material by hand - lipai technique. The material is again tied and dyed into red and green. If the border has to be darker all the lighter parts are tied and covered with plastics foil and the edges are dyed with the required colors. Repeated tying and dyeing produces elaborated designs.