Bandhani of Gujarat and Rajasthan

1. HISTORY OF
DESIGN AND
FASHION

2. Bandhaniof Gujarat and Rajasthan

3. Bandhani in Gujarat

4. Bandhaniin Rajasthan

5. BANDHANI SARIS
The technique of tie-dyingcloth so that manysmall rsist dyed ‘spots’
produce elaborat patterns over the fabric is called bandhaniinGujarat,a
name whichalso refers to the tie-dyed fabric itself. Bandhaniis believed
to haveexisted inIndia since at least thelatefifth century AD because
such workis evident inthe fabrics depicted in the Ajantamurals, but
manyof today’s western Indian bhandej(bandhanicraftsperson) trace
their ancestry backonly twoor three hundered years, to Pakistan’s Sind
andPunjab.Most traditionalbandhejbelongto either the Khatri,
chippa(printing),PunjabiChavda,Rangrez(dyer) or Neelgar(indigodyer)
communities.

6. From left to right: madro daksh mandava bandhani sadlo/ red fabric
resist, woven gold border sari; memoni bandhani dupatta/ red fabric-
resist, gold border veil for memon community; chand bandhaniodhni/
central circular motif black ground, fabric resist veil.

7. In fact, about ninetotallydifferentsocial groups are involved with
theproduction of traditionalbandhanitextiles,whichis perhaps
why ther are stillmade for local communitiesin many areas, and
why thisparticular ethniccraft has not beenas badly decimated as
the traditional blockprinting industry.

8. Bandhanisaris andodhaniswere wornby womenof allreligions, castes
and tribes, and were made of cotton, mulberry silk, andevenwool in the
case of some ethnic odhnis. The traditional bandhanimarket has shrunk,
however, because of the rise of low-costsilk-screned imitations,and most
modern bandhanisaris are made withlarger designs and fewer ties than
inthe past. Yet even todaymanydifferent ethnic andtribal groups still
weraodhniswithspecific colours anddesigns, andbandhanisaris are
traditionallywornby wealthier oftenurban, womenfor special occasions,
includingweddings.

9. IMPORTANT CENTRES
The most importantmanufacturingcentres are : Jamnagar (
Saurashtra ), whichhas a reputationfor producing cloths of a very
bright red resultingfrom the quality of thelocal water; Bhuj
(Kutch),where some of thefinestknots are stillcreated;
Ahmedabad (centralGujarat), one of India’s major industrialtextile
centres where where many rural craftspeople migrate for work;
and Jhunjunu,Sikar, Bikaner, Jodhpur andJaipur(Rajasthan).

10. COLOURS
The maincoloursused inBandhaniare natural.In fact all
coloursin bandhaniare dark, nolightcolor isused, andthe
background is mostly inblack / red cloth.

11. Material:
cotton,silk, wool & even synthetic textiles,malmal (thin
cottontissue),georgette, looselywoven silk, artificialsilk
etc.

12. Process :
Tie and dye process of resist dyeing fabric.
The material used is thin mill-made cloth, either a loosely woven silk
(georgette) or a cotton (mal-mal). Firstly the fabric isbleached, if necessary,
then folded into several layers, mostly four, which are carefully placed one
above the other and then fixed by stitches and borders.
The rangara / colourer first marks off the fields with a cord dipped in a
fugitive mixture, which in Kutch is known as ‘geru’. Then he stamps out with
geru-coated wooden printing blocks the individual patterns. Any gaps inthis
printed pattern are made good by tracing over with a bamboo split.

13. Tying of the motif parts is done which have to remain in the original colour
of the fabric. The layers of the folded cloth are pushed from below with the
pointed nailof the smallfinger while the left thumb presses the material
together. Thus results an archingout of the material, which can now easily
be wrapped. This process is continued from one dot to the other.
The first dyeing is done in the lightest colour, mostly yellow. The fabricis
soaked in coldwater, wrapped in a cloth to make sure that the ties willnot
open and dyed in a hot solution of a synthetic dye, rinsed, squeezed and
dried.

14. Probably withthe use of modern fast dyes, which can be applied
cold, it has becomepopular to dye individual parts of thewhite
patternon the yellow ground by hand, with pink and orange. All
thesedots, along withthe ones left uncolouredare now tiedagain.
It follows thedyeing withnext darker colour, mostly red or green.
After dyeing, thefabric is washed and if necessary starched.

15. Sariand odhni bandhani designs fall into five main
categories:
1. Those of two contrasting colours, withborders, endpiecesand
one (or more) large central medallioncalled a pomcha or padma
(lotus flower). Red and black is the most common colour
combination, as in finelymade Khatriyaodhnis, but other pairs of
colours are found.For instance,the panetarsari is a Gujarati Hindu
weddingsari of satin-weavinggajji silkwith red borders,
centralmedallionsand a whitebody, which may containregularly
spaced red tie-dyedspots.

16. The brightred and yellowpomchapiliya(‘yellow veil withmedallions’)is
a traditionalodhniwornby Rajasthani and Haryanagroupssuch as the
Jat,andred andyellowmedallionsaris havealsoexisted since at least the
nineteenth century. Some traditional odhnis do not have central
medallions. Forinstance, a gajjisilk odhni with blackborders and afield
containingvarious foliate andzoomorphic patterns incorporating
elephants, peacocks, tigers and dancingwomen,knownas shikar
(huntingscene) design, was wornin Saurashtra inthe nineteenth century.

17. 2. Saris andodhniswitha single groundcolourandmulticolouredtie-
dyed spots are common amongcertain ethnic groups. Their grounds are
usually darkblue or black,beingdyed insuccessive indigobaths after the
paler dyes havebeen applied.For instance, the nomadicKutchRabaris
create ablack odhni(usingwoolfrom their herds) withred spots, inritual
mourning for a late medieval Rajputkingwhodied defending them. The
Khojacommunity ofSaurashtra traditionallywerablackodhniswith
yellow,whiteandoccasionallyred spots ingeometric designs. The
gometric designs and dominantlyblackwith white colour schemes of
their bandhanisare somewhat similar to bandhanifabrics traditionally
wornbytheParsi community.

18. 3. Single-coloursari andodhniswith white spots are alsocommon. The
most famous of this typeis the Gujaratisari called the gharchola.It is
usually red but occasionallygreen, and isdivided intoa network of
squares created by rowsof white tie-dyedspots orwoven bandsof zari.
Single motifs are created within eachcompartment – usually elephants,
dancinggirls, parrots and flowers – sometimes withdiscontinuous
supplementary-weft-zari wovenin.the gharcholais a traditional Hindu
and Jainweddingsari whichused to be made of cotton butis nowusually
silk, andthe number of squares inthe sari are riyuallysignificant
multiples of nine, twelve or fifty two.

19. 4. In Rajasthan,a type of bandhanicreated by tying thentire length
of cloth rather than tinysections produces diagonalstripes of
bright colours called lahariya (waves). These saris were
traditionally given as giftsduring thefestivals of Holi(March or
April) and Teej(June or July).

20. 5. Today, many modern bandhanisaris have multicolouredstripes
(patadar) in theborder and endpiece, created throughsuccessive
dip-dyeing into different dye baths.The number of tie-dyed spots
in thesesaris is usually very small.

21. Bandhanispots are givena variety of different names: some relate
more to size than shape, suchas very small spots withouta darkcentre
(bindi, bund); andthose with one (churi). Other names refer to the shape
of the spot,such as kori(cowrieshell) for a tear drop shape, chundadifor
round spots and ghatadifor square (all Gujarat); they are often found in
traditionalRajasthani kaledarodhnitied inregular geometric patterns.
Large square or circular spots with multiple layers of coloured concentric
ringscalled laddujalebi (coloured sweets) or dabbi(small box)are also
found inthe kaledar;while agroup of small spots tied closely together to
form a blockof colours is calleda matichar.

22. Saris of differentcolours are traditionally associated with different
festivals. For instance, dark blue and pink cloths were once given
for Diwali(the post monsoon Festivalof Lights); while gharchola
and panetar-likesaris withgreen grounds are stillgiven for Raksha
Bandhan(July or August), whena brother reaffirms his filial ties
withhis sister by giving her a green sari.

23. Althoughusuallyless finely tiedand intricately patterned, many
modern saris created for themiddle-class urban market use
traditional ethnicodhniand sari patterns.Cotton muslinor light-
to medium-weightsilk is dyed, since plain gajji silkis no longer
made. Gaj is a Gujarati for a yard, and gajji silkwas originallya 36
inch widesilksatincloth thatwas initiallymade in Chinaand
exported to India, but was later woven in Surat by weavers who
learned the technique.

24. The expansion of bandhaniboth in range of patterns and area of
production is unprecedentedparticularly since the late1960’s.
From being an area of Khatriexpertise, Gujarat has attracted not
only thr Harijans and Jains but also the traditionalBhavsar printers
and dyers. This is partly due to the deecline in printing, which has
been overtaken by themill prints. Though mills triedto imitate
bandhanias well, thevisible quality and variety of hand resist
patterns seems to have helped retain its presence in the market.

25. A good bhandaniisrecognise by the consistency of the formand
scale of its ties, which maybe perfectly circular, square, star-
shaped, elliptical. The perfectly round, fine ties withor withouta
coloured centre are considered superior, as they are completely
non-directional.From Kachchh,Jamnagar and Porbandar,
bandhanihas moved on to Rajkot, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar,
Kheda,Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat.

26. From left to right : nau khand bandhani gharchola/
nine-square formation, fabric-resist dyed sari; nau
khand bandhani gharchola/nine square formation,
fabric-resist dyed sari; saat khand bandhani gharchola/
seven square formation, fabric-resist dyed sari

27. By far the finest are the bandhanisof Kachchh,of whicha classic example
is the popatvel bandhanisadlo. This maygoupto 40,000kandisa square
metre (I kandi=4bindhis/tied spots). With the rato (deep red ground)
with blackties preffered by the Bhatia,Bania,Lohana andMemon
communities, andkado(blackground) for the Khojasandyellow-and-
greenties for the Marwaris. The intricate density of the patterningwith its
stark colourcontrast is what distinguishes the Kachahhbandhanis.

28. Khoja dani
bandhani
dupatta
Mor vel
jamnagar
bandhani sadlo

29. The Jamnagar bandhanisuse brilliant multiplecolours which may
go up to nine,referred to as naurangchunari.With red,
yellow,green and even bluein theground, the tying is more
dispersed and can be done on cotton, wool and silk.
Porbander bandhanishave predominantlyred grounds with
widely dispersed spots, laid out inlinear grids oftentouched at the
tips with various colours.

30. From left to right : Fancy
jamnagar vel bandhani sadlo;
nava aada vel bandhani sadlo

31. Technically, the process of fabric-resist is reversed in Porbander as
we find red dots on a green ground, or green dots on a yllow
groundrequiring thedischarge process. Singlesor groups of three
or four ties strewn all over the ground with simple fabric resist
border bands is the norm, as seen in paan kor vel bandhanisadlo.

32. Bandhanisfrom Jamnagarand Porbandar oftengo to Katchchhfor
tying, if notdyeing. The tiers are paid for every thousand kandis,
whichare calculated by the numberin each motif.The tying is
mostly done by women, but thefinesttiers are few and there is a
hierarchy of skill. Workload fluctuatesthrough theyear reaching
its peak duringthewedding season. Presently,theratio between
traditional bandhanisand those made for theurban market export
is fifty-fifty.

33. Putli bhat
bandhani
sadlo
Ghatri
bandhani vela
kor odhni
Gajji
bandhani
panetar

34. The madro with a narrow zari gold border woven by Saurashtra
BrahminsinMadurai is tied-dyed inTera village for Kachchhi
Bhatias and theDasavaniya business community.The common
patternof the madro is a diagonalbandhanigrid all over the body
on a maroonish cotton sari, worn with ivory bangles by the
suhagan(married women) who has sufferedthedeath of someone
close other than her husband.

35. Madro daksh
mandva bandhani
sadlo/red fabric
resist, woven gold
border sari

36. Gharchola is a prime wedding sari also called zari chowkda(gold
checks)in Kachchh.Previously thechecks were tie-dyedon the5.5
yard/4.62 metre sari in red, and it was given to the bride by her in-
laws, especially among Marwaris and Jains, in cotton or gajji silk.
Thebandhanion this sari is done in all the major centre of
Kachchhand Jamnagar.

37. The variations of bandhaniare :
- Paanchkhandgharchola with5-square formationsacross the
width;
- Saath khand gharchola with7-square formationsacross the
width;
- Nau khandgharchola with9-square formationsacross the width.

38. Bavanbagh
bandhani
sadlo

39. The mainmotifs in gharcholaare : phool (floral), pachak (five
circular forms) motifs witha central spot, keri (mango), chulful
(four-petalled) and laduda (circular form withspotted centre).

42. The bavanbagh literally ‘52 gardens’ or baarbagh, is generallya
red-and-greenbandhanisari divided into diagonal squares, with
various motifswithinthechecks,but inthis case the checks are not
in gold. It is a five-metresari worn across business communities
such as theMarwaris, Lohanas,Thakkars, Jains and Patels, as well
as by the middle classes, at timesenriched further with gota and
zari bands/borders and embroidery.

43. Woman
in
bandhani
(fabric-
resist)
woollen
drape.

44. The motifsin the bavanbagh are thechaklichaklo(square); hathi
(elephant);putli(doll); mor (peacock); popat (parrot); pachak(five
circular forms); panihari(figure with waterpot);leher (wave) and
kharek (grape like).

45. BANDHANI
SILK : Popat
vel
bandhani
sadlo /
parrot vine
pattern
fabric-resist
sari

46. Since the mid-twentiethcentury, there has beena transition from the
odhini to the sari. This is visible inthe case of the panetarwhichis a large
silk veil, usually witha white ground anda broad fabric resist patterned
red portion onall four sides. There are a number ofother fabrics that
share this designdirectory, includingthe khombi(veil), misar (scarf),
aabha(tunic),ejhar (lower stitched garment), phetapharia (half-width
woollenswith extra weft work,usually twopieces stitched together to
makeone), andbagiraphetaandbepotapachheda(veils).

47. Nava aada vel
bandhani
sadlo
Jamnagar
bandhani
sadlo

48. The bandhaniis also done on woollen veils, mainly for the Rabari,
Bharwad and Charan communities,and is called chundadi.

50. BANDHANI SILK : Popat vel
bandhani sadlo/ Parrot vine fabric
resist sari,.

52. Tie And Dye
Tie and dye work, known as bandhej or bandhani is popular
all over Rajasthan inj the form of colourful odhanis and saffas.
Places for bandhejwork are –
Jaipur- Jaipur city, Bagru,Sanganer,kaladera.
Churu- Churucity, Navalgarh.
Kota- Kota city
Sawai Madhopur- Sawai Madhopur
Sikar-Sikar, Fatehpur, Ramgarh,Lakshmangarh
Alwar- Alwar
Bharatpur- Bharatpur
Jhunjunu- Jhunjunu
Tonk- Tonk
Udaipur- Udaipur
Jodhpur- Jodhpur
Nagaur- degana
Pali- pali, padarali
Jaisalmer- jaisalmer
Chittorgarh- chittorgarh

56. Woman’s veil.
Tie-dyed
cotton. The
palest colour
is resisted
first and the
shades grow
successive
tying and
dyeing,
producing this
multicoloured
effect .

57. Woman’s
veil. Tie-
dyed
cotton.
Placement
of the
bindi or
dot.

58. Married
Rajput
women’s
bandhani
in the
centre.

59. The flame-
colored gown was
tie-dyed in
traditional
Rajasthani style
in the workshops
of Jaipur.

60. BANDHANIIN THE STREETSOF PATNA…

64. . AT PRESENT…
. Geetanjali, the famousfashion designer has
donea lot to promote bandhani work
Geetanjali SareeHouse Specialisein BandhaniSarees. An
ExclusiveHouse of BandhaniSarees & Dresses. They sellall
type of ladieswears - Gown,Maternity Wear, Middie,
Salwar-Kameej,Saree and 9 yards sarees.

65. Bandhaniwork has beenacknowledged in
lakme fashionshows, kolkata fashion
shows and wills fashion week collection.

66. REFERENCES…
THE SARI- LINDA LYNTON, THAMES AND HUDSON
INDIAN SARIS- VIJAI SINGH KATIYAR
COSTUMES, TEXTILES AND JEWELLERY OF INDIA-
VANDANA BHANDARI
COSTUMES AND TEXTILES OF ROYAL INDIA- RITU
KUMAR
SARIS OF INDIA- RTA KAPUR CHISHTI.

67. THANK YOU