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CHAPTER I . DYEING TEXTILES

Tie and Dye - Bandhani

In the Kutch region of the Gujarat state, in India,

the tie and dye craft is known as Bandhani.

ONCE UPON A TIME...

Bandhani arrived to this region in the 12th century when the Khatri community migrated from Pakistan. However, there are strong suggestions that in about 2000 BC resist dyeing was already practiced.

Bandhani tie and dye became an important local source of income, in the 18th century, with the export to Europe via the English East India Company. By this time, Bandhani artisans, and block printers, used local and vegetable dyes like madder and pomegranate.

After the 1956 earthquake in the Kutch region, the craft has been completely altered by the introduction of the cheaper and less time-consuming chemical dyes. It's here that the original knowledge of using natural resources starts to disappear...