Textile Tour of Jaipur with workshop

The city of Jaipur has, since time immemorial, been known as the textile capital of the world. Artisans in and around the city have been practising their respective crafts for many generations and continue to keep alive the tradition of using natural dyes such as Indigo, despite the technological progress in their field.

The tour will begin with a visit to the Anokhi Textile Museum which is dedicated to the art of hand-block printing. The small museum is placed inside a restored 16th-century haveli, the Indian term for a mansion. Here, exhibits spread over three floors display the intricate workmanship and the painstaking process of different styles of hand-block printing.

You will continue to the villages of Sanganer and Bagru known as the main centres of block printing. The craft of block making and printing developed in the region around the 18th century. The basic carving tools are made by block makers themselves form iron rods, bicycle spokes etc. The ‘design' is first drawn on paper and stretched out on a smooth surface of the wood. The motif or design is then pierced through the needles so that the 'impression' is transferred on the smooth surface of the wood. Later, the unwanted areas are carved out. This is followed by ‘Ageing’ which is the process of naturally drying the fabric for penetration of colour, ‘Washing’ to get rid of excess mordant and ‘Dyeing’ (fixing of colour) to react with the mordant and give new colours.

A workshop will be organized for you to understand and learn this fascinating technique. You will also get the chance to try your hand at preparing the block and then printing a souvenir.