Bagh Prints Sarees - fascinating and inimitable

Bagh is a unique style of block printing on handloom fabrics, that originated and is practiced mainly in Bagh village of Madhya Pradesh, India. The art is traditional, designs contemporary, the form of presentation novel, the execution is with finesse, creating a revolution of sorts in fashion fabrics.

It was Ismail Khatri who gave the Bagh its present form by staying on in the practice of this art and experimenting with designs.

In a brave move he altered the concept, the process and the look of these printed fabrics and brought the turnaround of a doomed art. He happened to get 200 year and 300 year old blocks which were based on traditional motifs that had been inspired by the 1500 year old cave paintings of nearby regions.

The Nariyal zaal, ghevar zaal motifs (Designs from Taj Mahal paintings), and others like Saj, Dakmandwa, Chameli or Jasmine flower, Maithir or the mushroom, leheriya or jurvaria (designs of small dots on a field) were experimented as block print designs. He also had blocks made based on the Jaali work found in the Tajmahal and local forts. Initially he made use of Red and Black colors from alum and corroded iron and discovered green and yellow from vegetable dyes.

Till then it was an art of drawing and designs on paper. With his transfer of the block designs to fabrics he revolutionized the art.

Never before had such beautiful, exotic and captivating designs been seen on fabrics and by the use of these fast colors he got Bagh Prints to be noticed and accepted as a new form of adorning fabrics. To prove his point that handloom fabrics were well-suited for such prints, he printed 1230 different blocks on a single bed cover with imagination and logic.

This fetched him the National Award and then on appreciation nationwide for the Bagh Printed sarees.

Today Bagh side by side incorporates modern day designs, involving geometrical patterns, captivating bootis, floral scapes and what not, to keep in the race.

Bagh Prints got their name from their origin in the village of the same name. Despite the art being from another region brought by travelers who happened to settle in Manawar, the present style of Bagh printing is said to be from the early 60s when some Muslim Khatris migrated from Manawar to settle in this village.

Bagh was practiced by these tribal muslims and the print subjects were mainly geometrical prints and floral compositions. There was a lull in between that led to many of these traditional practitioners deserting the art and being lured away to the production of synthetic fabrics that also came up at that time.

The process of Bagh printing on sarees is elaborate. The fabric is soaked overnight in water and dried. Next a paste of goat droppings, raw salt, castor oil and water is made and the fabric is put in it, stamped upon till it is completely soaked. The fabric is laid out on a layered slope surface so that the water runs down and it dries. Again washed by water it is ready to be printed upon.

A wooden tray with a bamboo ‘Jaali’ fitted has red and black paste applied on it. Layers of thick wet cloth placed on these colors soak them up. The block is dipped in the colors and placed lightly on the stretched out fabric on a flat surface like a smooth stone slab table with seven layers of jute on it.

Printing of the designs done similarly across the length of the fabric, the sari is dried and kept aside for some days. Then it is washed in the nearby flowing Baghini river, dried, put in a cauldron containing a mix of Dhawadi flowers, Alzarin, and Tapai and dried one last time. The Bagh Printed fabric is complete.

Bagh Prints were initially made on handloom cotton fabrics. Looking to the successful outcome Bagh was also tried out on tussar silk and crepe to the same end. The Bagh process seems simple but is quite elaborate and with a lot of washes for the fabric.

Bagh Prints come out very well on the Maheshwari handloom cotton, georgette and chiffon fabrics as well as the Chanderi cotton and sico sarees. Single design motifs are printed on the field, the borders are matched with same color different shade or golden zari, but the pallu or end piece is like a designer affair. There are several block prints of different designs combined in a pattern and interspersed with large booti sections.

Plenty of colors, lots of designer fare!

Unnati Silk Prints Pvt.Ltd., manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer of genuine handlooms since 1981. Provider of Indian ethnic varieties in sarees, salwar kameez, Kurtas and kurtis, ethnic essentials and special Indo western apparel. Prices are attractive wholesale and retail, dispatch is within 24 hours, free domestic retail, worldwide express shipping.

UNNATI SILK PRINTS PVT. LTD, #3-4-360, Vajra Complex, General Bazar (Tobacco Bazar), M.G.Road, Hyderabad-500003.AP,India. 040-27814522.

Website: http://www.unnatisilks.com/