At a glance
- CET 2022 match: Ajrakh with Barmer, power-loom fabric printing with Balotra, mothda with Jodhpur, masuria with Kaithun.
- GI: Kota Doria, Sanganeri hand block printing, Bagru hand block print and Jodhpur Bandhej are registered GIs.
- Royal workshops: among Sawai Jai Singh's 36 karkhanas, cloth was sewn in the seevan khana, dyed in the rang khana and printed in the chhapa khana.
Methods and makers
| Tie resist | The cloth is tied before dyeing: bandhej (knots), leheriya (stripes), mothda (crossing stripes) |
|---|---|
| Mud resist | A mud paste, dabu, is printed with blocks to keep the dye off: Akola, Bagru |
| Dyers | Rangrez and neelgar |
| Printers | Chhipa |
Tie-dyed cloth
| Type | Centre | How it looks | Remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandhej | Jodhpur; Sikar (Shekhawati) | Cloth tied in small knots before dyeing (the 'baddh' method); the chunari is its best-loved form | Jodhpur's chunari has bright, lasting colours and fine ties; Sikar's bandhej is also counted among the fine ones |
| Leheriya | Jaipur | Diagonal stripes running one way, in one, two, three, five or seven colours | |
| Mothda | Jodhpur | Diagonal stripes that cross each other from both sides | |
| Rajashahi and samudra lahar | Jaipur | Rajashahi: bright pink diagonal lines · samudra lahar: broad diagonal stripes | Leheriya designs dyed by Jaipur's rangrez and neelgar · the Pratapshahi leheriya is named in literature |
| Pomcha | Odhni with a lotus-flower motif |
Printing centres
| Centre | Remember | |
|---|---|---|
| Bagru (near Jaipur) | Red and black flowers, leaves, animals and birds on a muted (matiya) ground | Chhipa printers; mud resist (dabu) |
| Sanganer (near Jaipur) | Fine, flowing floral buti on a white ground | Chhipa printers |
| Akola (Chittorgarh district) | Mud-resist (dabu) printing on a large scale | Known as 'Chhipon ka Akola' |
| Barmer | Ajrakh: red and blue geometric designs printed on both sides | The designs look like Turkish tiles |
| Balotra (then Barmer district, now Balotra district) | Printing of power-loom fabric | |
| Pipad, Jodhpur and Pali | Large, bold designs, mostly in red, black, blue and green | |
| Ahar and Bhilwara | Chunari printing, mainly in red and black; odhnis with parrot, peacock and flower motifs |
Kota Doria (masuria)
| Place | Kaithun, about 15 km from Kota, the oldest and largest centre; also villages of Kota, Bundi and Baran districts, such as Mangrol, Siswali and Anta (Baran) |
|---|---|
| Cloth | Light cotton-and-silk cloth in small square checks called khat, woven on pit looms |
| GI | Filed 22.07.2004, certificate 05.07.2005; the Kota Doria logo is a separate GI (filed 10.12.2009) |
| Name | 'Masuria' is said to come from weavers of Mysore, or from checks as fine as a masoor (lentil) seed |
| Origin (tradition) | Weaver families are said to have been brought to Kota by Rao Kishore Singh (1684–95); another account credits Jhala Zalim Singh, in 1761 |
Remember: often mixed up
- Masuria or mothdamasuria is the woven cloth of Kaithun (Kota Doria) · mothda is tie-dyed cloth with crossing stripes.
- Leheriya or mothdaleheriya stripes run one way · mothda stripes cross from both sides.
- Akola or Bagruboth print with a mud resist · Akola is in Chittorgarh district, Bagru near Jaipur.
- Ajrakh placeBarmer in the RBSE book and the CET 2022 key · RajRAS gives Balotra.
- Mangrolonce in Kota district, as the RBSE book has it · now in Baran district.
Test yourself: asked in exams
CET Graduation Level 2022 · Q84
Match these – (1) Ajrakh Print (I) Kaithun (2) Power loom fabric printing (II) Jodhpur (3) Mothda (III) Balotara (4) Masuria (IV) Barmer Choose the correct option –
- (1)(1) – (I), (2) – (II), (3) – (III), (4) – (IV)
- (2)(1) – (II), (2) – (III), (3) – (IV), (4) – (I)
- (3)(1) – (IV), (2) – (III), (3) – (II), (4) – (I)
- (4)(1) – (III), (2) – (IV), (3) – (I), (4) – (II)
Show answer
✓ (3) (1) – (IV), (2) – (III), (3) – (II), (4) – (I)
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