known to the
Indian dyers 5,000 years ago. This form of dyeing was responsible for making India famous all over the world for
its dyed and printed fabrics.
Printed fabrics have also been found in Fostat, the old Cairo City. Recent excavations of
Red Sea ports have also brought out a greater range of printed textile. These date back to 800 A.D. There technique
and design point to western Indian origin. Indian dyers had mastered the art of dyeing with fast colors from ancient
times whereas in Europe this was unknown. Indian dyers were considered magicians by travelers, who saw them putting a
white cloth into a pale liquid of indigo dye and when the cloth appeared from the dye bath it was still white. It was
only when it came into contact with oxygen and it became blue. Multiple immersions and exposure to the air enriched
the color. People felt this was a magical transformation. Printed fabrics were in common use throughout North India,
as well as for home use. They also became important export items.
A number of printing technique have been developed in different
centers. They are direct printing, resist
printing, and screen printing. In certain cases, the cloth is painted by using by using a pen with dyes and mordants.
This method is known as kalamkari, a pen work. In others, the techniques of printing and kalamkari are combined by
printing the outline of the design and filling in the details with a kalam, a pen.
Direct printing is practised all over India where a bleached cotton or silk fabric is printed with the help of
carved wooden blocks.
The batik technique is a development from this form of resist printing. Here the fabric is painted with molten wax
and then dye in cold dyes after which the cloth is washed inhot water. This results in the melting of the wax and
emergence of the patterns cloth. The effect of the resist technique in printing is soft and subdued and the outlines
are not so clearly defined in the case of the painted batik.
The important centers for hand printing in Rajasthan are Jaipur, Sanganer, Bagroo, Pali and Barmer and many others.
In Gujarat state, Mandvi, Dhamadka, Mundra, Anjar, Jamanagar and Surendernagar, Jaitpur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and deesa
are important centers of printing. In Kuch, printing on silk and cotton was perfected a long time ago. The local handloom
satin, known as gajji, was used for printing ordhnis, chaddars and yardage material for skirts. Farrukhabad, in
Uttar Pradesh is an important printing centre. Nearly 15 different tree-of-life patterns have been evolved here and
even today large wooden blocks for printing a five-foot long tree-of-life with foliage, flowers, birds and animals are
available with the printer.
Kolkata has developed its own motifs for printed saris, based on the folk tradition of the area as well as its textile
weaves. Alpana design done on the floor and Daccai design have been adapted for printing.
The kalamkari technique was used mostly in the large painted hangings used in temples, which depicted scenes from the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
The printed sarees are an extremely versatile garment.
Printed sari is the traditional outfit for women in Bangladesh. It simply consists of a single, rectangular piece of material, five to
six yards in length, accommodating any size. The style, color, and texture of this material vary according to region
and caste. Different draping styles convey the status, age,
occupation, region, and/or religion of the wearer.
In printed Saree, avoid big prints, as it gives a gaudy and a huge look. Delicate print on a printed sari, gives a delicate
look. Dark skin color women should generally buy dark colours like maroon, green, dark pink etc. Red/yellow
printed sarees are hot this season. Lehariya saree is
yet another option of printed sari. Lehariya sarees/saris are
catching the eyes of young girls. Saree dealers in India are getting more demand of printed sarees.
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