The sarees of Jaipur, Sanganer and Bagru

What is woven here

Sanganer prints are fine, often floral, on a white ground, and are printed with carved wooden blocks. Bagru prints use natural dyes, with an earthy palette of indigo, madder red and black on cloth that has been resist-printed with mud. Both are used for cotton saris, and the Jaipur area also makes bandhani, leheriya and kota-style cloth for the local market.

The craft and its people

Block printing is done by families of printers, called chippas, who work in the open on long tables. Block carvers cut the designs into teak or other wood by hand. Dyes and water are important, and the river or a well-fed pond has long been part of the process. Prints are washed and dried in the sun.

Seeing it

Visitors can see printing in both villages and can often try a block themselves. The Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in Amer, near Jaipur, is dedicated to the craft. Check its opening days before going. The city bazaars sell finished cloth and saris.

A trail idea for Jaipur, Sanganer and Bagru

1. Sanganer printing houses See fine floral blocks printed on white cotton and washed in the open.
2. Bagru A village known for natural dyes and mud resist, to see the process from block to wash.
3. Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing, Amer A museum in an old haveli, devoted to the history and method of block printing.
4. Johari Bazaar, Jaipur A busy market street in the old city for jewellers and cloth sellers.