17/11/2025
Bagh is the name of a block printing technique unique to a small village called Bagh in Madhya Pradesh. The craft as well as the village derive their names from the River โBaghiniโ that flows through the village and serves as a spine for the craft. Bagh printing is an array of dynamic floral and geometrical prints made using finely cut wooden blocks and vegetable dyes.Bagh print has a cultural and religious importance in the tribal communities of Dhar.
The traditional Bagh prints with their characteristic red, black, white colours and religious motifs are used by the โAdivasisโ (tribes) for important festivals and special events like marriages.
Bagh prints, earlier known as โThappa Chapaiโ or โAlizarine Printโ are created using natural dyes, which are eco-friendly and non- hazardous. The wooden blocks used for printing consist of 200 to 300 year old blocks based on traditional motifs, inspired by 1500-year-old paintings found in the caves of the region. Another characteristic feature of the Bagh textiles is their extremely soft texture, which is achieved through repeated washes in the Baghini River. The high content of lime and iron in river water acts as cleansing and fastening agent. This prevents the loss of colour even after successive washes, especially in the red and grey tones. In fact, it is this specific chemical composition of river water that makes the vibrance of bagh prints so unique.
Block printing in India is an ancient craft, dating as far back as 3000 BC. It can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization and some historians are of the opinion, that India may have been the original home of textile printing. Archaeological evidences collected from รขโฌหMohenjedaroโ establish that the complex technology of mordant dyeing had been known in the subcontinent from the second millennium BC. Block printing was practiced in places like โKukshiโ, โDharampuriโ and โThikriโ by a group of people known as โChhipasโ or โBhavsarsโ.
