Selvedge Textile Tour of India: Week Two, Jaipur to Rajasthan
During the second week of the Selvedge Textile Tour of India, Jaipur and Rajasthan reveal themselves through texture and touch. Moving between workshops, forts and observatories, participants encounter textiles as living practices shaped by human hands.
'Nura', SilaiWali Handcrafted Afghan Heritage Doll.
The week began in conversation at SilaiWali, the New Delhi social enterprise co-founded by Iris Strill and Bishwadeep Moitra. Over tea and textiles, participants learned how women refugees transform apparel waste into delicately stitched objects. As an official partner of UNHCR’s MADE51 initiative, SilaiWali balances design and dignity. Stories of displacement and resilience were shared alongside embroidery techniques, grounding sustainability in lived experience.
The cascading steps, Chand Baori. Photo: Gerd Eichmann
Descending into Chand Baori, the group paused in awe at its 3,500 symmetrical steps. Built in the 8th–9th century, the vast inverted pyramid offered cool relief from the Rajasthani sun. Participants traced the geometry with their eyes, noting how repetition and rhythm echo the logic of woven pattern and block print.
Climbing the spiral staircase of Swargasuli Tower, breath quickened as the landscape unfolded below. Built in 1749 as a victory monument, the tower’s height offered perspective — terracotta façades, market streets and distant hills. Cameras emerged, sketchbooks opened, and conversations turned to how trade, architecture and textiles have long intertwined in the Pink City.
Textiles in practice at Nila. Image courtesy of Nila House
At Nila, participants engaged with the journey from soil to spindle. Here, an invitation into an evolving moment revealed indigo vats, hand-spun yarn and woven samples illustrating a regenerative textile system. Discussions around indigenous cotton, natural dyes and women’s livelihoods highlighted craft as both ecological and social practice.
The adventure continued at the Jantar Mantar observatory. Standing beside the monumental instruments, the group watched the shadow of the Samrat Yantra shift almost imperceptibly. Built in the 18th century, the observatory’s precision sparked reflection on measurement and timing in textile processes — dye fermentation, loom tension, counted threads — where science and craft converge. Winding upward to Amber Fort, participants moved through courtyards of sandstone and marble. In the Sheesh Mahal, mirrored fragments caught the light like sequins on cloth.
From the exhibition 'Reinventing Jajam: A Collaborative Approach', currently on show at the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing
Later, within the restored haveli housing the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing, participants leaned in close to study fine block impressions. Archival textiles and carved wooden blocks revealed centuries of innovation. Here, considered conversations underscored the importance of sustaining this living craft tradition.
Juhikadevi Bhanjdeo, The Unlived, 2025. On show at The Scuplture Park.
At The Sculpture Park in Jaigarh Fort, contemporary sculpture met ancient battlements. Walking through austere stone chambers, the group reflected on dialogue between past and present. The juxtaposition felt familiar — much like textile practice itself, where heritage techniques meet modern interpretation.
Injiri 'Nilgiri' collection. Fall/Winter 2023. Image courtesy of Injiri.
In the calm of her studio, Chinar Farooqui of Injiri spoke about hand-weaving as storytelling. Participants handled textiles, examining selvedges and subtle variations in weave. Discussions of antique garments and regional codes revealed clothing as archive — shaped by geography, labour and memory. Later, hands grew busy at Studio Bagru, where participants tried their hand at printing with carved dhok wood blocks, aligning rekh and datta with careful concentration. Indigo-stained fingers bore witness to the labour behind each repeat. Watching dabu mud-resist crackle in the sun made the alchemy of natural dye deeply tangible.
Hand block printing in Saganer. Photo courtesy of the Times of India
In the serene marble interior of the Gyan Museum, the pace slowed. Participants moved quietly among 3,000 years of objects — embroidered shawls, woven carpets, antique jewellery. The intimacy of the collection encouraged contemplation: textiles here were treasured lives made visible.
The week closed in the rose pink city of Sanganer, the block-printing hub of Jaipur. Participants strolled through printing workshops fragrant with dye and damp cotton. Delicate floral buttas bloomed across white grounds as artisans worked with practised rhythm. Conversations drifted between tradition and adaptation, leaving the group with a vivid sense that Rajasthan’s textile story continues to unfold — one careful impression at a time.
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Further information:
Read more about the Selvedge Textile Tours of India here.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Injiri Fall/Winter 2022 'Shekhawati' collection. Courtesy of Injiri.
All further images as credited in captions.