From Cave Walls to Cotton: The Story of Bagh Print

Around 100 km from the district headquarters of Dhar is a small hamlet called Bagh in Madhya Pradesh, India. Notable for the famous Bagh caves built during the 5th to 7th century AD, and its proximity to the tourist hotspot of Mandu, the village has a little rivulet passing through it called the Baghini. It is also bestowed with a rich cultural legacy eponymous with its name - the age-old Bagh print. 

A form of block-printing, this labour-intensive craft entails several processes of repeated washing, dyeing, and printing, depending on the number of colours to be used on the fabric. To begin, time-honoured designs inspired by nature, the ancient Bagh cave paintings, and the jali (lattice) work of the Taj Mahal are precisely carved into wooden blocks to suit cotton, tussar, jute, chanderi, crepe, silk, and other fabrics. Each wooden block (some even 200–300 years old) possesses a name: chameli (jasmine), maithir (mushroom), leheriya (waves), keri (mango), and jurvaria (small dots).

Natural dyes and pigments are then extracted from fruits, flowers, seeds, and iron, and are carefully mixed to create a range of hues, which are then applied to the fabric using the block. One of the most important aspects that sets Bagh apart from other traditional prints is that the desired colours on the decisive material are applied directly to the undyed base fabric, instead of using a resist dye technique - and the fabric is printed on one side only.

The rudimentary craft of thappa chappai, or block printing from Bagh, has evolved into an invaluable part of the heritage and cultural identity of Madhya Pradesh (India). The Geographical Indication (GI) tag granted in 2008 further helped it gain love and attention internationally. Now, Bagh has come straight to the fore, and one can find a plethora of home furnishings and fashion attire on the market that reflect the skill and sophistication of this heritage textile craft.

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Words by Sanjukta Ghosh - @s_a_n_j_u_k_t_a

Photo's by Navaldeep Thareja - @behrupiaa

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Discover more about specific regional artisan techniques of India in Selvedge Issue 77