BANDHANI-TIE-RESIST-DYEING Production Clusters Bhuj Mundra Mandvi Nakhatrana taluka: Moti Virani Abdasa Taluka: Tera Barad Naliya

Anjar Taluka: Anjar Dhamadka Bachau taluka: Manfara Choubar Products Odhani-veils Abho-garments Rumal-square cloths Sari,Yardage Stoles,Shawls Salwar and kameeztunic and loose pants Tools Stencils Wooden blocks Nakhani-pointed rings Dye vats THE TERM BANDHANI refers to the techniques of creating patterned textiles by resisting parts of a fabrics by knots on it before it is dyed.This anicent craft is believed to have travelled from Sindh to Gujarat via Rajasthan,and from Gujarat further on to Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.The Kachchhi bandhani,traditionally practiced by the khatri community,is renowned for its extremely fine dots and sophisticated sense of composition.The execution of a bandhani piece begins with the demarcation of the border and then progresses to the patterning of the central fiedld and the smaller filler motifs that surround it .Although many different sizes of dots may be employed in a single textile;the quality of the craftsmanship can be judged by the contours or kaff of the dots formed,as well as by the uniformity of their size and spacing.An apprentice proceeds from learning how to tie the pabbad or chakheri,large dots,to the tying of the naani bindis,or the finer dots;irrespective of size,a square dot is considered preferable to a roundd or irregularly shaped one.The tying is generally undertaken by women while the dyeing is done by men.Bandhani forms both everyday and ceremonial clothing of a number of communities;the social,economic and cultural connotations of a particular bandhini is determined by the base fabric(gajji silk,fine cotton,muslin or wool),the design and its associations with festivals and rites of passage such as marriages and death.For instance,the red bridal gharcholu odhni comprises bandhani on a gajji silk textile with a gold border at one end,which was worn over the panetar,a white sari with an orange-red border.Khatri brides wear a black background with the central moon-shaped medallion that gives the textile its name,chandrokhani;the motif on this bridal textile is believed to create a visual anology between the moon and the bride`s beauty.The chandrakhani is worn along with the abho,a loose shirt-like silk gown and a salwar with specially tie-dyed patterns outlined with gold embroidery;this garment has now been adapted to resemble the urban tunic and leg wear.Other traditional bandhani include the bavanbagh(the52 gardens) and the rasamandali(associated with Raas,the traditional dance form of Gujarat),both of which have patterned red backgrounds teames with contrasting borders,and the intricate all-over pattern of the amba dal(mango branches) with peacocks,elephants and women dancing with raised hands.The Rabari women wear woollen bandhani odhni or veils embellished with embroidery;they also create exquisite bags,blouses,quilts and door hangings using old or damaged pieces.Due to the skilled labour and time involved,bandhani has always enjoyed an elevated status;consequently block printed imitations were made for the use of communities that could not afford bandhani

1 Cotton with zari checked gharcholu has been dyed in yellow and tied to have patterns inside squares.Some squares have been spot dyed in green and tied to retain colour.The sari will then be discharged to remove yellow and green from the untied areas and dyed in a red. 2 A craftswoman smearing dye on specifically localized areas of the tied fabric;known as tikadi,spot dyeing,this process facilitates the controlled application of a number of colours in very small sections of fabric. 3 A bride from the Lohana community of traders wearing the mandatory gharcholu. 4 A cotton bandhani textile traditionall worn by the Bhanushali community. 5 A silk khombi or veil with the circular motifs that are also used in the chandrokhani design worn by the khatri women. 6 The pattern of this intricately patterned bandhani textilde indicates that it was made for the Jain community. 7 The rare bandhani design made for the women of the Parsi community is distinguished by its pink tinged dots and the use of badla,the technique of ornamenting textiles with wound strips of metal.