The bright and colourful traditional attires is an important cultural identity marker for anyone living in Rajasthan. The barren landscape is laden with colour every day by a selection of bright dyes and colourful embroideries. The Jaipur cottage industry is home to many communities of artisans with a different arsenal of skill including the; resist dyeing practice of bandhani, embroideries like gotta patti, aari tari or zardozi, as well as the practice of block printing.
The whole process is carried out in phases, the first one being dyeing the cloth. Communities of dyers from Bagru are settled in the city and trade in cloth. The area specializes in a distinct shade of indigo dye for cotton textile. It is at this stage when mud resist dyeing techniques which employ the use of black mud that resists the dye, lime water that prevents cracking in the mud paste applied to the cloth and wheat powder that improves the adhesion quality. Resist dyeing techniques have been used to create elaborate patterns especially in the Bagru region, a short drive from Jaipur.
Any trip to Jaipur, therefore, is not complete without going to the streets of Kishanpole bazaar and markets in the old city and indulging in a pocket-friendly shopping spree.
Tie and Dye
Jaipur is also famous for the tie and dye cottage industry. Lehriya and bandhini being the most famous prints.
Zardozi
Jaipur is famous for the many different kinds of embroiders that live in the city from zardozi embroiders that use metal wires on a silk base to gotta Patti applique embroidery
Chapai
Thappa chapai employs the use of the hand-carved wooden blocks to create an array of designs
Quilting
Jaipur’s claim to fame is the extremely lightweight quilt known as the Jaipuri Razai (Quilt).