As per the records, history of Block Printing goes back to the 12th century. Several centers in the south, western and eastern coasts of India became prominent for their admirable printed cotton. In the medieval times, printing and dyeing of cotton had gained special attention and developed in the state of Rajasthan. The state has a very long and distinguished tradition of printing with finely carved wooden blocks of varied patterns and unique designs.
This specific method is considered to be the laborious one to apply, but, is actually quite simple and fun to do. In this process, cotton cloth is laid out flat on a surface and a block of wood freshly dipped in a color of craftsmen choice is hand-pressed on to the fabric. This will form a continuous and interlocking pattern on the cloth. Block printed cloth is another craft item, which is held high in value and the best gift to be cherished with your loved ones.
You can find several colorful prints of birds, animals, human figures, gods and goddesses that are popular and extensively used for diverse craft purposes. The important centers of block printing are Jaipur, Pali, Bangru, Sanganer and Barmer.
Sanganer is well known for its Calico printed bed sheets, quilts and beautiful sarees. In this form of painting, the outlines of the patterns are printed very first repeatedly in diagonal rows, and then the color is filled in as per the specifications. You will stay amazed with its bold patterns and colors that are very much popular as well. Doo Rookhi Printing is another famous form of block printing in this region. In this technique, indian artist prints on both the sides of the cloth
Bagru is renowned for its Syahi-Begar prints and Dabu prints. These are former designs in a combination of black and yellow ochre or cream. The latter are prints in which portions are hidden from the dye by applying a resist paste. Barmer is known for its prints of red chilies with blue-black outlines, surrounded by flower-laden trees.
With the endeavors of the state government, these crafts or artifacts have survived with the setting up of the All India Handicrafts Board at New Delhi and the Rajasthan Small Scale Industries Corporation at Jaipur region. Here, almost every craft is well practiced and promoted in Rajasthan with its high held value due to nurtured traditions, which are reflected through them
