LESSON 12 BANDHANI

STRUCTURE

12.0 OBJECTIVES

12.1 INTRODUCTION

12.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

12.3 RAW MATERIALS

12.4 PROCESS

12.5 REGIONS

12.5.1 RAJASTHAN 12.5.2 GUJARAT

12.6 CHANGE IN RECENT YEARS

12.7 ASSIGNMENTS

12.7.1 CLASS ASSIGNMENTS 12.7.2 HOME ASSIGNMENTS

12.8 SUMMING UP

12.9 POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS

12.10 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

12.11 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READING

12.12 GLOSSARY

12. BANDHANI

In the previous lesson we had studied about Patola where the yarn is tied and dyed. In this lesson we will learn about another technique called ‘Bandhani’, where the fabric itself undergoes the tie-dye process. This technique is popular in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Bandhani is a tedious process which demands time and patience. Here the fabric is knotted tightly with thread in a pattern and dyed repeatedly to produce the design. The tied parts do not take the colour and so the design is produced.

12.0 Objectives

After going through this lesson you will:

• Gain a basic understanding about the history, origins and regions where Bandhani craft is practiced.

• Gain an understanding about the raw materials and the process of Bandhani tie and dye.

12.1 Introduction

Rajasthan, the vibrant and colourful state of India, has a rich heritage that attracts tourists from all across the world. The state has not only conserved but also nurtured its ancient heritage of art, dance, music and crafts. One of the more famous textile art forms of Rajasthan is Bandhani, that is, the art of printing varied patterns on fabric using the Tie and Dye method. The Tie and Dye technique used on fabrics is no doubt a very old process for patterning textiles and the term Bandhani denotes both the textiles and the technique of tying before dyeing.

Bandhani is the expression used in Gujarat for textiles in which extremely delicate and intricate designs are produced by tying individual parts of the fabric before dyeing. The process entails folding the cloth, stamping the design on it, bunching minute portions of it along the design outlines, and tying each one of these with cotton yarn. This first set of ties is then dyed in the lightest colour, usually yellow. After rinsing and drying, the worker ties the fabric for the next darker colour, perhaps red or green. Again there is a renewal of the tying until the darkest parts are dyed and the entire design is complete. The cloth used for bandhani is thin cotton or malmal, georgette and silk (Fig. 12.1). The people of Gujarat engaged in making designs on fabric using the technique of tie and dyeing are known as Bandhani.

Fig. 12.1

12.2 Historical Background

In contrast to Patola, very little research has been done on the history of Bandhani textiles. The tie-dye technique used on fabrics is a very old process for patterning textiles, and the technique of tying before dyeing. We can read about the Bandhani in ancient literature, both Sanskrit and Prakrit.

One of the earliest references to bandhani fabrics is in Bana’s Harshacharita or life of king Harsha (606-648 AD). These garments are similar to those illustrated on Ajanta wall paintings (Fig. 12.2), where maidservants wear blouse with clearly tie-dye patterns- large bright dots and rings on transparent dark violet fabrics.

Self-check Questions

1. What do you understand by the term Bandhani?

2. Fill in the blanks:

Bandhani is the expression used in _________ for textiles in which extremely ________ and _________ designs are produced by tying individual parts of the fabric before dyeing.

12.3 Raw Materials

The fabrics used for Bandhani are muslin, handloom, silk or voile. Traditionally, vegetable dyes were used but today chemical dyes are becoming very popular. Various synthetic fabrics are also highly in demand. Mostly, cotton thread is used for tying the fabric.

The dominant colours in Bandhani are bright like yellow, red, green and pink, maroon is also popular. However, with changing times, as Bandhani has become a part of fashion, various pastel colours and shades are being used. The intricacy of the design varies according to the region and demand. Bandhani forms the basic pattern on the fabric which is decorated further by various embroideries. Aari and gota work are traditional embroideries done in zari and are popular with Bandhani (Fig.12.3). These days a lot of ornamentation is done on Bandhani fabric to make it dressy and glittery for ceremonial occasions.

Fig. 12.3 Ari and gota work in bandhani

Fig. 12.2 Bandhani in Ajanta

wall paintings

12.4 Process

The process, though relatively simple, is very time-consuming and highly skilled. The tying of the fabric is mostly carried out by women or young girls. The material generally used is a thin loosely woven silk known as georgette or cotton known as Malmal (Fig. 12.4).

• In this rather elaborate process the fabric is carefully folded and twisted first across its length and then its breadth. In the traditional technique the pattern is laid out on nails set upon a wooden block over which the dampened cloth is placed and then pinched-up. The patterns emerge by means of carefully pinch-knotting fabric parts using cotton thread. The craftsperson then pulls on a small area of the fabric where each hole is placed and winds the thread tightly around the protruding cloth to form a knot or bindi.

• After tying the knots the fabric is thoroughly washed.

• The fabric is then dyed; the dyeing is done in stages starting with the paler shades and moving onto the darker ones.

• The cloth is dipped in yellow or another light colour for two minutes. Next, it is rinsed, squeezed, dried and then tied again and dipped in a darker colour. This is kept for three to four hours (without opening the knots) to allow the colour to soak in.

During this process the small area beneath the thread resists the dye leaving an un-dyed dot.

• After the last dyeing process has been completed the fabric is washed and dried. The folds are pulled apart in a particular way releasing the knots and revealing their pattern. The result is a deep-coloured cloth with dots of various colours forming a pattern.

Tyeing knot in the fabric

prior to dyeing

Dyeing the cloth Dyed and printed cloth

washed in the pond

Fig. 12.4 Bandhani process

Very elaborate motifs are made in tie-and-dye work. These include flowers, creepers, bells and jalas (Fig. 12.5). Knots are placed in clusters each with a different name, for example, a single dot is called Ekdali, three knots is called Trikunti and four knots is called Chaubundi. Such clusters are worked intricately into patterns such as Shikargah (mountain-like), Jaaldar (web-like), Beldaar (vine-like) etc.

Bandhani is considered to be the most important of the crafts in Kutch in terms of employment. More than 10,000 people are employed in making bandhani.

The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the craftsperson, the number of knots and the fineness of the cloth. A saree made of georgette can give up to 40,000 knots whereas a woven woollen shawl may have less than 100 knots only.

Geometric designs are possible, but most of the cottons and silks carry motifs such as peacocks, elephants, fruits and interlocking circle patterns. Kutchi craftspeople are said to have the best skills for the very fine work. Sarees, shawls, odhanis and cloth lengths to be made into clothes, are the main products.

Self-check Questions

3. Which thread is used for tying the fabric in Bandhani?

4. Fill in the blanks:

The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the ____________, the number of ______ and the fineness of the _________. A saree made of georgette can give up to ________ knots whereas a woven woollen shawl may have less than ____ knots only.

12.5 Regions

The bandhani is known as chunari in Rajasthani or chundali in Gujarati. The best known and largest bandhani workshops are found in Saurashtra, particularly in Jamnagar. It is said that the water there can bring forth the brightest red. Therefore, the dyeing is often done in Jamnagar, while the tying is done in smaller centers in nearby towns. Other traditional centers of bandhani work are found in Kutch, where the patterns are generally finer and more traditional than those of Saurashtra. Rajasthan also has a number of bandhani production centers. The technique is also found in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Madurai in South India.

Fig. 12.5 Elaborate motifs

12.5.1 Rajasthan

The art of Bandhani is practiced widely in Rajasthan; the main centers being the cities are Barmer, Jaipur, Sikar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Nathdwara and Bikaner. Bandhani comes in a variety of designs, colours and motifs and these variations are region-specific. Each district has its own distinct method of Bandhini which makes the pattern recognizable and gives it a different name.

Rajasthan has developed a different range of colours, and has mastered another technique in which the background is in light colour while the patterns are in dark colours. This is done by dyeing sections of the saree in the desired colour with the use of a piece of a felt and then tying. The cloth is bleached and only the tied sections retain the colours. After this is the background colour is dyed and the finished bandhani emerges, with dark coloured doted pattern on a light background (Fig.12. 8). The red chundari, which is used as a veil by young married women in rural areas, is never dyed in fast colours bandhanis.

12.5.2 Gujarat

Saurashtra has important bandhani centers such as Jamnagar and Rajkot. Kutch produces the finest bandhanis in India. Mandvi and Bhuj are important bandhani producing centers. The Khatri community of dyers is known for their fine quality of work. They control the trade and the craft, purchasing and processing the material themselves. The dress of the Khatri women, the aba, loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist, carries the finest bandhani (Fig. 12.6). It is tied and dyed at the neck, the side

openings, the lover border and the sleeves.

The Gharchola is a saree traditionally woven for a Gujurati bride’s wedding and is traditionally bought for her by her bridegroom (Fig. 12.7). The Gharchola generally has a square of gold thread, with a small ethnic motif or an auspicious symbol like a lotus or a peacock embroidered in gold in the centre. The Gharchola has intricately woven zari designs within the square. Most Gharcholas have traditional patterns such as “bavan bagh” or Fifty-Two Gardens, “Ras Leela” or the depiction of Lord Krishna dancing with his Gopis, etc.

The simple tie and dye patterns worked on the ordhnis used by the different tribes are produced in a large number of centres. The Bhil wear a brilliant red ordhni with black borders and roundels. The Rathwa community also wears a similarly style ordhni, though of a thicker material. The nomadic Rabaris and Bharwads, who keep sheep and use their own wool, also have tie and dye ordhnis and skirts which are worn by married women. The main colour worn by the Rabaris are black with red or maroon tie and dye worked in simple patterns. The Bhawards have more elaborate design with bordered running the length of the ordhni while the body has elaborate

Fig. 12.7 Gharchola

Fig. 12.6 Gujarati Aba

patterns of parrot, women and trees, as well as flowers. The colour is generally a deep russet brown with the designs worked in yellow, green and orange.

One of the most popular results of this process is the design known as the Leheriya (Fig. 12.8), which literally means waves of the sea and shimmers before you as enchantingly as the rippling waters of an ocean in bands of two, five (panchrangi) or seven (saptarangi) colours. India produces a huge variety of designs rendered by this process, from geometrical patterns, flowers and creepers to animals, birds, kites and dolls in colours deliberately contrasted with the background colour.

In this rather elaborate process the fabric is carefully folded and twisted first across its length and then its breadth. In the towns of Bhuj, Anjar and Mandvi, the Muslim Khatri communities have many families running businesses that carry out the whole process. Some of these businesses work for dealers, others have their own retail and wholesale outlets. By controlling the whole process they have been less prone to exploitation and some have become relatively well off.

Self-check Questions

5. What do you understand by the term Gharchola?

6. Fill in the blanks:

Saurashtra has important Bandhani centres such as __________ and ________. Kutch produces the finest __________ in India. _________and _______ are important Bandhani producing centres.

12.6 Changes in Recent Years

The majority of the market is in Gujarat where most women wear Bandhani saris, shawls or odhnis. The odhnis are also decorated with mirrors, gota and tassels to give it a richer and more decorative look, but bandhani is also known throughout India. However, with the advent of the cheaper process of silk-screen printing (Fig. 12.9), many of the poorer women now wear printed cloth with a bandhani design. These are made by a group of people who originally came

Fig. 12.9 Silk screen printing

Fig. 12.8 Leheria

from Saurashtra. It was considered essential to wear a tie and dye sari at the time of marriage.

Many of those involved in Bandhani production are dependant on dealers from Jamnagar and Rajkot (in Saurashtra) and Ahmedabad. Because of the skills in Kutch, the dealers send agents to the towns of Kutch to give cloth, with the designs already marked out, and thread to men and women to carry over the tying process. The workers are paid by the kadi (four knots). In an eight-hour working day, a worker may complete up to 800 kadi on silk or 1200 on cotton. The finest sarees may take up to 12 days to knot.

Dealers have better dyeing facility in their own towns so the knotted cloth is taken back and dyed. The workers therefore, never see their finished work. Without any union organization, these workers are in general very low paid and are exploited. Sales go up during the festive and wedding seasons in India.

12.7 Assignments

12.7.1 Class assignments

i) Make a replica on a drawing sheet of Bandhani dupatta.

ii) Draw sketches of various motifs used in Bandhani.

12.7.2 Home assignment

i) Find samples of Bandhani fabrics in your house, a sari shop, books, magazines and internet which represent different Bandhani styles and techniques of you have studies so far. Paste them neatly on clear pages

with labels under each photo or picture.

12.8 Summing Up

Bandhani is one of the most famous textile art forms of Rajasthan. It is the art of printing varied patterns on fabrics using the tie and dye method. The fabrics used for Bandhani are muslin, silk and voile. Cotton thread is used for tying the fabric. The process involves folding the fabric carefully first across the length and then along the width. Pattern is laid by tying individual areas of the fabric with cotton thread before dyeing. The area below the thread resists the dye, leaving undyed dots. The fabric is washed, and the knots opened to reveal the pattern. The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the craftsman, number of knots and fineness of the cloth.

Dominant colours are yellow, red and pink. The basic pattern formed on the fabric bytie and dyeing is further decorated with various embroideries. aari and gota works in Zari are popular with Bandhani.

There are many Bandhani production centres in Rajasthan and Gujarat with their distinctive features. The largest Bandhani workshop is in Jamnagar, in Saurashtra.

12.9 Possible Answers to Self-check Questions

1. The term Bandhani denotes both the textiles and the technique of tying before dyeing.

2. Bandhani is the expression used in Gujarat for textiles in which extremely delicate and intricate designs are produced by tying individual parts of the fabric before dyeing.

3. Cotton thread is used for tying the fabric before dying in Bandhani.

4. The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the craftsperson, the number of knots and the fineness of the cloth. A saree made of georgette can give up to 40,000 knots whereas a woven woollen shawl may have less than 100 knots only.

5. Gharchola is a Saree traditionally woven for Gujrati brides wedding and is bought for her by the bride groom.

6. Saurashtra has important bandhani centers such as Jamnagar and Rajkot. Kutch produces the finest bandhanis in India. Mandvi and Bhuj are important bandhani producing centres.

12.10 Terminal Questions

1. Fill in the blanks:

i) The term __________ denotes both the both textiles and the technique of tying before dyeing.

ii) The cloth used for Bandhani is ________, _________ and silk.

iii) Mostly _______________ thread is used for tying the fabric.

iv) Traditional costume worm by the women of kutch is __________.

v) Traditional woven saree for a Gujarat bride’s wedding is known as _________.

vi) Tie and dye technique is also use in Tamil Nadu for _____________ sarees.

vii) The dyeing is done in stages starting with the _________ shades to ________ ones.

2. Comment whether the following statements are True or False:

i) One of the most famous textile art forms of Rajasthan is Bandhani.

True / False

ii) Aari and gota work are traditional dyeing method. True / False

iii) Bandhani is a new resist-dyeing technique. True / False

iv) The Khatri community of dyers is known for their fine quality of tie and dye of work. True / False

v) The Gharchola has intricately woven zari designs within the square.

True / False

vi) Tying work sketching a design with red chalk or geru. True / False

vii) The main centre of Gharchola sarees is in Kutch. True / False

viii)The Chaniya Choli traditional costume consist tree pieces.

True / False

3. What do you understand by the term Bandhani?

4. Which cloth is used for Bandhani work?

5. Where are the Bandhani practiced in Rajasthan & Gujarat?

6. When does the sale of Bandhani work go up?

7. Write a short note on Leheriya?

8. Explain the process of Bandhani?

9. Describe the Gharchola?

10. In which technique Rajasthan craftsman has mastered?

11. Write the note on recent condition of Bandhani & its worker.

12. How the motifs are made in tie-dye work and which kind of patterns are made?

12.11 References and Suggested Further Reading

1. Buhler, A. and Oth. 1980. Indian Tie-Dyed Fabrics – Historic Textile of India. Calico Museum., Ahmedabad.

2. Colchester, C. The New Textiles Trends + Traditions. Thames and Hudson Ltd., London.

3. Gillow, J. and Barnard, N. 1991. Traditional Indian Textiles. Thames and Hudson Ltd., London.

4. Hatanaka, K. Textile Arts of India. Chronicle Books, San Francisco.

5. Kothari, G. 1995. Colourful Textiles of Rajasthan. Jaipur Printers Pvt. Ltd., Jaipur.

6. Murphy, V. and Crill, R. 1991. Tie-Dyed Textiles of India – Tradition and Trade. Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad.

7. Singh, M. 2000. Handcrafted Indian Textiles: Tradition and Beyond. Roli Books, New Delhi.

12.12 Glossary

1. Vibrant Full of enthusiasm

2. Dampened Make less strong or intense

3. Protruding Stick out from a surface

4. Roundels Small discs

5. Tassels Decorative tuft of threads knotted at one end