Bagru Block Printing: A Complete Guide
An Introduction
What is Bagru block printing? Bagru block printing is a traditional craft practiced in the town of Bagru, Rajasthan. Renowned for its natural dyes and an earthy colour palette, Bagru block printing is one of India’s oldest, and most recognizable, block printing traditions.
Hand block printing as a craft is done in several parts of India. From the intricate geometric patterns of Ajrakh, traditional Kalamkari, to Sanganeri florals, we have artisan clusters all over the country who have worked on their own hand block printing techniques for centuries. While the basics of all hand block printing techniques are similar, every craft has distinct differences in terms of motifs, colour palettes, dyeing methods, and even cultural influences that sets them apart and gives them all their own unique voice.
Bagru block printing is one of India’s most enduring traditions, and continues to be sought after by textile lovers from all over the world. In this article, we will cover:
- A brief history of Bagru and Bagru block printing
- The natural dye colour palette that defines the craft
- Dabu, the traditional mud-resist printing technique
- The step-by-step process behind Bagru block printing
- How Bagru differs from Sanganeri printing
- Why Bagru block printing remains relevant today
The History and Heritage of Bagru Block Printing
Bagru is an unpretentious town located about 30 kilometers from Jaipur, in Rajasthan. Block printing is said to have started in Bagru around 400 years ago, when the Chhipa community migrated there in search of a suitable home for their craft.
Bagru’s dry climate, abundant sunlight, and easy access to water might have made Bagru the ideal place for their dyeing and printing process, which over time emerged as one of the most famous natural dye block printing crafts in the world.
The Chhipa community are the custodians of Bagru hand block printing. Their name is believed to have originated from the Hindi word Chhapna, which means “to print”. Almost every Chhipa household in Bagru is involved in the block printing process, and most artisan families create their own natural dyes using recipes passed down through generations. As a result, no two workshops are exactly alike. Small variations in dye creation methods and printing techniques make every artisan’s work unique.
How Is Bagru Block Printing Done? The Step-by-Step Process
Bagru block prints are known for their natural dyes and an earthy colour palette. Black, red, and indigo are the cornerstone colours for Bagru printing. Kashish (earthy brown), a soft mustard, and green (made from pomegranate peels) are heavily used too. Unlike machine printing, a block printed Bagru fabric goes through several stages, all of it handheld and requiring manual skills that can only come from years of practice.
Pre-treatment of Fabric for Printing
The first step of block printing with natural dyes is prepping the fabric for the dye. Natural dyes need a mordant to absorb the dye. Without this step, the colour doesn’t bond with the fabric. The fabric is first washed to remove any impurities that can hinder dye absorption. Clean fabric is then immersed into a vat of harda (myrobalan). Harda, also called harad, is a natural plant product - a dried fruit that also has medicinal properties, harda is known as Harithaki in Ayurveda.
Harda is a great mordant and is widely used in textile dyeing. Natural mordants work especially well for cotton and plant based fabrics. The dried fruit is ground into a powder, mixed with water, and the fabric is then immersed thoroughly in this mixture. This treated fabric is then put outside to dry.
Block Carving
Blocks are the cornerstone of traditional block printing. Traditionally, floral motifs, paisleys, traditional Rajasthani motifs, geometric patterns, animals, and bird motifs are carved into blocks of wood with a handle on top for the artisan to hold and print. Seasoned teak wood is used to make the blocks. The blocks are painstakingly carved out by hand, with the more intricate motifs sometimes taking as long as 6 months to complete. Dedicated block makers work on bringing the blocks to life. Multiple kinds of blocks exist, enabling the block print artisans to bring their colourful designs to life.
To print a single design in, for example, two colours, the artisans might have to work with as many as five different blocks - gadh blocks provide the solid background, rekh blocks help with the outlines, and datta blocks fill the outlines with colours. At Shilpa Kalā Nidhi, we are taking a step ahead and creating blocks featuring endangered wildlife and motifs that resonate with our everyday lives.
Dye Preparation
One of Bagru’s defining characteristics is its use of natural dyes and traditional formulations. Bagru’s dyes are created using completely natural ingredients. The most famously used Bagru natural colours:
- Black (Syahi)
- Red (Begar)
- Indigo (Dabu)
- Mustard
- Brown (Kashish)
- Grey
- Green
Let's go into details on Bagru’s natural dye colour palette and their ingredients.
Black (Syahi)
Locally called Syahi, Bagru natural black is one of Bagru block printing's most iconic colours. Unlike synthetic black dyes, syahi is made through a natural process using iron and tannins that are fermented to achieve the desired colour. The traditional ingredients used are iron fillings or scrap iron, jaggery, water, and natural gums like babool gum. These are left to ferment for a few days, and the paste is applied on fabric that has been pre-treated with harda. The dye reacts with the tannins in the fabric and the black comes out once the fabric undergoes the washing process.
What makes syahi special is its depth and variation. It's not monotonous and flat, in a single colour. The natural elements give it a smoky charcoal hue that is unmatched with synthetic dyes. So much character.
Red (Begar)
Traditionally called Begar, red is one of Bagru’s signature colours. Unlike Bagru Black, the red dye is made with alum-based mordants or madder root, and babool or natural gum. When the dye is initially printed, it is a pale shade of brown, or beige. The red is visible only after the fabric goes through heat treatment. The final result is an earthy, terracotta or rusty red - not the synthetic reds or scarlets that come from pigment printing.
Where syahi brings depth, begar is where Bagru's colour palette comes alive, developing into the warm, terracotta red that reminds us of Rajasthan's earth after rain.
Mustard
Now, mustard in Bagru is not a single colour, it’s a spectrum. There’s no universally accepted “recipe” for Bagru mustard like there is for Syahi (Bagru Black), or Begar (Bagru Red). Mustard can come from the simplest of base ingredients like harda - it gives the fabric a soft, yellowish-beige cast before printing even begins. Then we have dried pomegranate rinds, which, when boiled, give a muted olive yellow hue to the fabric. Of course, turmeric is added for richer shades but pomegranate is preferred for its better light-fastness than turmeric. Turmeric gives a vibrant yellow shade but has a tendency to fade out under the sun.
Brown
Kashish, Bagru’s signature brown. Again, there is no universal recipe for Bagru brown, but the most commonly used ingredients usually are harda, iron fillings, and plant dye extracts like babool bark. The dye can be applied to fabric either by direct block printing or dipping the fabric in a kashish dye bath. Common Kashish browns can range from a light camel brown to a deep, dark, chocolate brown with reddish undertones. Kashish is one of Bagru’s hero dyes because it complements so well with all the other natural colours, working harmoniously with Syahi, Begar, Mustard, and Indigo.
Grey
There is no separate dye source for Bagru grey - rather, the same ingredients that are used to create Syahi, or Bagru black, are used to create greys. Grey is created by controlling the reaction between the iron solution and the tannins. When the reaction is less intense than what is used to create black, we get shades of grey ranging from a pleasant dove grey to a deeper charcoal.
Green
Green is one of Bagru's most unusual natural dyes. There is no specific ingredient that directly produces the colour green. Instead, artisans achieve this look through a multi-layered process. To create green, the fabric is first printed in a mustard-yellow shade. Then, it is dipped into an indigo vat, where the indigo combines with the mustard to produce a rich, earthy green that is indicative of natural dyes.
The Bagru green is a wonderful example of of the skill and ingenuity of Bagru's artisans, and it is this sprit of innovation that has allowed Bagru block printing to survive and thrive for centuries - preserving traditions in an ever-changing world.
Dabu: The Art of Mud Resist Printing
Dabu is a traditional mud-resist printing technique extensively used in Bagru block printing. Artisans use a specially prepared mud paste to create patterns on fabric using specially carved wooden blocks. Sawdust is sprinkled onto the fabric that binds to the mud paste and prevents smudging. The fabric is then carefully set outside for the mud to dry, and is then dipped into vats of indigo dye. The printed areas prevent the dye from being absorbed into the fabric, creating beautiful resist patterns once the fabric is washed.
Dabu is most commonly used with indigo dyeing and is responsible for all the natural dyed indigo-and-white textiles that have become synonymous with Rajasthan's block printing traditions.
Indigo Dyeing with Dabu
One of the most famous and recognized colours from Bagru's natural dye palette, indigo is not like syahi, begar, or kashish. The other colours are printed directly onto textiles; indigo is a vat dye. The fabric is immersed into an indigo vat.
What makes indigo particularly fascinating is that when the fabric is removed from the vat, it is greenish-yellow. As it comes in contact with oxygen in the air, the dye slowly transforms into the iconic blue we all know and love. Watching the colour change before your eyes is one of the most remarkable aspects of the entire indigo dyeing process.
The Printing
This is where art comes to life. Every block, every dye, needs to be handled differently. Artisans rely on their experience and touch to maintain consistent pressure and alignment throughout the process rather than relying on any machinery.
Once the fabric is prepped, the dye is ready, the designs are a go, and the blocks are at hand, the artisan begins the process of printing. The fabric is laid out and stretched evenly on long, padded printing tables and kept in place by pinning it along the edges. Experienced artisans make sure that the fabric is stretched evenly to prevent misalignment in the prints. For example, borders are usually printed continuously in a single run. Uneven spacing can cause the lines to appear wavy rather than straight, ruining the overall aesthetic. Geometric patterns are particularly unforgiving.
If a design requires multiple colours and uses multiple blocks, the artisan has to wait for each colour to dry before moving on to the next one to prevent smudging. The infinite beauty of Bagru hand block printing is in the subtle variations that come from human error. We are not machines, and we are not meant to be perfect. Perfection in handmade, therefore, comes from the imperfections. Tiny misses in alignment, a smudge here, a smudge there. It is evidence of the artisan’s hand, making each piece unique.
Washing and Sun-Drying
Once the fabric is printed it is laid out to dry. The fabric is allowed to dry completely, preferably in the sun, letting the colours soak into the fibers and prevent smudging. At this point the colours are far from their final appearance. Red looks like beige. Black is muted, uneven, and might look closer to grey. Fabrics are then treated in large vessels traditionally over a furnace or a kiln. The heat binds the colours, improving durability.
The treated fabrics are then washed thoroughly, removing any excess dye and softening the fabric. This stage reveals the final colours and patterns of the fabric. It is then laid out to dry under the sun, ironed, and is ready to be shipped out.
Why Bagru Block Printing Is More Relevant Than Ever
Most printed textiles today are produced at industrial scale. Keeping all the natural vs chemical dyes and machine vs human debates aside, as a consumer, what pulls me towards Bagru block printing is the rarity. The comfort of a cotton saree, no matter the weather. The pride of wearing a craft with over 400 years of history. The joy and honour of owning something someone made by hand. These are not merely “prints”. These are the real deal. 
When you wear a Bagru natural-dyed, hand block printed textile, you are not just wearing another piece of clothing. You’re wearing generations of skill, dedication, and passion. In a world of mass production, it is a statement in itself.
Explore Bagru Block Printing at Shilpa Kalā Nidhi
When we started, we knew very little about the world of block printing. We were certain that we wanted to work with natural dyes and hand block printing, and equally certain that we did not want digitally or screen-printed fabrics. Beyond that, however, we had more questions than answers. We didn't know the process, who to approach, or even how to identify genuine hand block printed fabric.
Now, nearly two years into this journey and after multiple visits to Bagru, we are excited to share what we have learned so far, so you can avoid the mistakes we made and gain a deeper appreciation for this remarkable craft.
Our goal is storytelling via textiles - and what better platform than Bagru to tell our stories. We have long admired the commitment displayed by the Chhipa community towards their craft. Their natural dyes are beautiful, pure, and embody the heart and soul of Indian craftsmanship, preserving techniques and traditions for generations. 
_____________________________________________________________________________
© Shilpa Kalā Nidhi. The stories, research, photographs, and content published on this blog are the intellectual property of Shilpa Kalā Nidhi. Please do not reproduce or republish any part of this article without prior written permission.