The traditional craft of Ajrakh block printing has reached great heights of excellence in Ballotra, Rajasthan, due to the availability of good water needed for the hand printing process. Ajrakh printing involves laboriously block printing both sides of the fabric simultaneously using natural dyes in a resist dyeing technique. This makes the hand-printed fabric from Ballotra very exclusive and expensive. Ajrakh printing is one of the oldest block printing techniques still practiced in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India and Sindh in Pakistan.

2. The traditional block-printing technique of
Ajrakh (double sided print) has attained a peak
of excellence at Ballotra. One of the main
reasons for this is the good waters available
here which is so important for hand-block
printing.
The reverse side is block-printed even as
the other side is wet as otherwise the designs
would be different. The hand-block printed
fabric from Ballotra is therefore very exclusive
and relatively expensive.

3. Ajrakh is one of the oldest types of
block printing on textiles still
practised in parts of Gujarat and
Rajasthan in India, and in Sindh in
Pakistan. Textiles printed in this style
are hand-printed using natural dyes
on both sides by a laborious and long
process of resist printing (a method
of printing in which designated areas
in the pattern are pre-treated to
resist penetration by the dye).

5. The bust of the king
priest dating 2,500-
1,500 BC excavated at
the site of the ancient
town of Mohenjo-daro
is deemed by many to
depict the earliest
possible use of an
ajrak.

6. • Early human settlements in the region which is
now the province Sindh in Pakistan along the
Indus River had found a way of cultivating and
using Gossypium arboreum commonly known as
tree cotton to make clothes for themselves. These
civilizations are thought to have mastered the art
of making cotton fabrics as early as 3000 BC. A
bust of a king priest excavated at Mohenjo-daro
shows him draped over one shoulder in a piece of
cloth that resembles an ajrak.

7. • Excavations elsewhere in the Old World
around Mesopotamia have yielded similar
patterns appearing on various objects most
notably on the royal couch of Tutankhamen.
This symbol illustrates what is now believed to
be an edifice depicting the fusion of the three
sun-disks of the gods of the sun, water and
the earth. Reminiscent geometry of the trefoil
is evident on most of the recent ajrak prints.

8. • The level of geometry on the garment comes
from the usage of a method of printing called the
woodblock printing in which prints were
transferred from geometric shapes etched on the
wooden blocks by pressing them hard on the
fabric. Block printing is thought to have been first
used in ancient China, at least as far as moveable
type is concerned. On its way through the
populous regions of the Indus Valley, this
technique of fabric printing was adopted at
Mohenjo-daro.

9. The tradition still prevails centuries
later, and people still use the same
methods of production that were
used in the earlier days to create
an ajrak. The garment has become
an essential part of the Sindhi
culture and apparel of Sindhis

10. . Men use it as a turban, a
cummerbund or wind it around their
shoulders or simply drape it over one
shoulder. Women use it as a dupatta or
a shawl and sometimes as a makeshift
swing for children

11. • Traditional Ajrak Prints of Rajasthan
• Ajrak Process- The basic Difference is that the
white process is a very fine Dabu as
compared to the processes mentioned earlier
• 1. Desizing- It is done as explained in the Dabu
Process.

13. • 2. Myrobalan Process- Myrobalan is applied in
the same manner as explained in the Dabu
Process.
• 3. White Process: In this the outline is done
with a paste of (Chuna+Babool Gum+Dhawai
Gum+water)

14. • Black Process: In the process the fabric
is Printed with ( Ferrous Sulphate+ Tamarind
Seed + Lemon extractBlack Process: In the
process the fabric is Printed with ( Ferrous
Sulphate+ Tamarind Seed + Lemon extract)
Black Process: In the process the fabric
is Printed with ( Ferrous Sulphate+
Tamarind Seed + Lemon extract)

15. • Red Process: In this process the fabric is printd
with Local (Chikni Mitti)+ Alum( If more, the color
is darker, if you want blacker tone, add more hara
kashish)+ Dhawai Gum+ Alum.
• On it Dried Gobar is sprinkled so as to avoid
smearing.

16. • Red Process: In this process the fabric is printd
with Local (Chikni Mitti)+ Alum( If more, the color
is darker, if you want blacker tone, add more hara
kashish)+ Dhawai Gum+ Alum.
• On it Dried Gobar is sprinkled so as to avoid
smearing.

17. • Then it is kept for 1 day in Sunlight. Then it is
folded and kept for four more days , so as to
ensure Rachna.
After that it is dipped in Indigo
To prepare Indigo solution, hot water is taken.
Indigo powder is dipped and “ghonto” to make
a paste then caustic(Sodium Hydroxide) is
dissolved in it. Then one piece (dali) of
Choona is added. Then hydro (Sodium
Hydrosulphide) is added. It will then turn into
golden color. It is then put in Matka. The fabric
after dipping in indigo will look something like
this:

18. • When there is no Red (
Only Indigo, Black and
White is there – Indigo
background, Black and
white foreground), the
following Sequence is
followed:
•
• Wash-->Dipped in
Myrobalan-->White
Process-->Black Process--
>Dipped in Indigo--
>Boiled only in Dhauri
Flowers to Open Black
and to make the white
become yellow--
>Washing and ready

19. After dipping it is washed 20 times in
“Narkasar Taalaab”
All Dabu will be clean and outline
becomes white
Then it is boiled in Alizarin ( Alizarin +
Dawdi Flowers). The alum process
will become red
Then it is washed and dried. To get a
green color it is treated with Haldi
and Anaar ka Chilka. Then it is
dipped in Alum
Then Full washing is done.

20. • When you want to decrease the
Yellowness, a small bleaching
powder is added
• To get Red Background, white
and Black Motif, the following
sequence is followed:
• Wash-->Myrobalan Dip-->White
Process-->Black Process-->Dipped
in Alum ( White Alum Dip
Brown, Black Alum Dip Red,
One can get a combination of
these to get colors from maroon
to rust)-->Boil in Alizarin--
>Washed and Dried
• To get the green color in the
motif, Haldi is mixed with Dabu
and rest of the process is the
same.

21. • Orange Back ground,
white and red motif
• In this process, the
motif is done with
Black fitkari and the
background orange
color is obtained
with white fitkari

22. • Alternative Process of
Ajrak
• 1. The greige fabric
is dipped in NaOH and
boiled for desizing.
• 2. It is then treated
with castor oil mixed
with soda ash. For 3-4
days
• 3. Outline is done
with Choona+ Babool
Gum+ Dhauri Gum +
Multani Mitti

23. • 4. The Black Process is
done with the water of
iron+ Tamarind Seed
Power+ Baajre Ka aata
• 5. Red Process is done
with Fitkari+ Multani
Mitti+ Choona + Dhauri
Gum. Dried cow dung is
sprinkled over it and kept
by reverse folding it for 4
days
• 6. It is then dipped in
Indigo with Chuna +
Jaggery+ Soda Ash

24. • 7. The it is washed thoroughly
so as to remove all the Dabu.
• 8. It is then boiled with Alizarin
+ Flower of Dhaudi + Sakur
• 9. If green then it is treated
with Haldi + Anaar ka Chilka for
12-14 days. It will make Indigo
green, the red and black will
remain as it is. The white process (
Dabu ) becomes yellower.
• 10. To get maroon on the
background- Alum + Tamarind
Seed powder is made in the paste
and applied as a pocha. After that
it is treated with Alizarin.

25. Ajrakh printed cloth is
one of the softest
textiles to wear against
the skin, as it's fibres
soften during the
rigourous process of
printing. In Sindh, it is
used as swaddling cloth
for new borns. Other
than its comfort, it also
has a lot of aesthetic
appeal since its
vegetable colours are
almost glowing and
jewel like.

26. • It is important to sustain crafts
like Ajrakh by developing their
market, as they are slowly dying
out. This ancient and time
consuming craft involves so
much labour with such low profit
margins that the younger
generation of Ajrakh printers is
now seeking more lucrative work
with short-term gains. Many are
also taking short cuts by
reducing the number of essential
stages in the making of Ajrakh;
others have simply switched to
printing cheap silk-screen
version

27. • Cultural Significance of
Ajrakh
• The people of Sindh have
a deep reverence for
Ajrakh. From birth to
marriage, until death,
Ajrakh celebrates all
significant events of the
life cycle. Ajrakh is worn
as a turban, a shawl,
spread as a bed-sheet or
tablecloth and when
worn out, it is recycled as
a

28. hammock for babies,
cover for a bullock cart
and most commonly
used as a backing to
patchwork quilts. It is
used and reused till
threadbare. It is worn
by the wealthy as well
as the poor — the
colours, patterns and
design-format remain
the same, only the
quality of the fabric is
different.

29. • Laborious Craft
• The process by which the
fabric is made is considered
intuitive to Ajrakh makers.
Ajrakh literally meant aaj ke
din rakh, or 'keep it for today'
because that is what the
process is. At every stage of
the tedious dying process, the
fabric should dry for three to
four days. Nature plays an
important role in the making
of Ajrakh. Craftsmen work in
total harmony with their
environment, where the sun,
river, animals, trees and mud
are all part of its making.

30. • First, cloth is torn into sheets
and taken to the river to be
washed. These are steamed in
copper vats for one night and a
day to open the pores of the
cloth and soften it. This process
is called khumbh in Sindh.
• Next, the fabric is soaked in a
mixture of camel dung, seed oil
and water. The dung enables
the cloth to become softer and
acts as a bleaching agent. This
stage is very crucial in
determining the quality of an
Ajrakh. The wet cloth is then
tied into an airtight bundle and
kept for five to 10 days,
depending upon the weather. A
distinct smell of mango pickle
emanating from the bundle
confirms that the fibres have
been well soaked with oil. This
is called the saaj.

31. • The cloth is then sun-dried and
soaked in oil that has been
curdled with carbonate of soda.
After a day, the cloth is washed
and re-soaked in a home-made
mixture of dried lemons,
molasses, castor oil and water,
amongst other things.
• Now, finally, the cloth is ready
for printing.
• Using the outline block, the
printer dips his block in kiryana
(a resist made with rice paste,
Acacia gum and lime) to print
on both sides of the cloth. The
printed pattern remains white.
The black areas are stamped on
the cloth with a filler-block.

32. • For the next stage, gum is
mixed with rice paste, alum,
molasses, fennel, Fuller’s earth
and other herbs to form the
mud resist-paste, called the
kharrh, which is printed on the
areas that are to be protected
against indigo dye, that is, the
areas meant to be white, black
and red.
• The cloth goes through the first
indigo dye. It is soaked in water
for at least an hour. To a
rhythmic count, craftsmen
swish and thrash the Ajrakhs in
water for an hour or more until
the gum and the excess dye
have been washed off and the
white areas become clear. This
stage is called vicharrh.
• In a large copper vat, the
Ajrakhs are dyed with madder
(Rubia Cordifolia).

33. • On the riverbank or near a tank,
the red Ajrakhs are spread out to
partially dry in the sun. These are
wet again before they have
completely dried. This alternate
drying and drenching bleaches
the white areas and deepens
other colours.
• The mud resist mixture is again
printed to cover the red areas
and immediately sprinkled with
the sifted, dried cow dung to dry
the wet areas, called meena. The
thick, mud-encrusted cloth is
folded and slowly lowered into
the indigo vat for the second
time. The Ajrakhs are dried, rolled
into a bundle and then taken to
the river for the final wash. The
craftsmen fold the Ajrakhs while
still damp and the weight presses
them as they become dry.

34. Ajrakh Blocks
• These are hand carved from
the wood of Acacia Arabica
trees. Several different
blocks are used to give the
characteristic repeated
patterning. Making the
blocks is a considerable
challenge since the pattern
has to synchronize perfectly
with the whole of the
Ajrakh as well as cover
various areas against dye.
Block makers (or poregars)
use the simplest of tools,
and carve each block that
can register an exact
inverted image on the other
side.

36. Maintaining Ajrakh printed
textiles
• Ajrakh prints require some
extra care while washing, like
most Indian block printed
fabrics. Here are some tips --
• Wash in cold water. If hand
washing is not possible, wash
the textile in the gentlest
possible cycle of your washing
machine. Wash with like
colours.
• In order to maintain the
colour of the textile, add a
handful of salt to the first
rinse. Do not use fabric
softeners or dryer sheets --
these could coat the fabric
with a whitish residue that
would dull the luminosity of
the dyes.

44. Ajrak print accessarry