'Bandhani' (tie and dye fabric) of Jamnagar, Mandvi and Bhuj are famous for their intricate designs and patterns, which are used, in wedding outfits called as 'gharchola odhni' and sarees. The tie-dyed fabrics of Gujarat are perhaps the best produced in India. Also known as 'Bandhej', it is produced on superfine cotton 'mulmul', muslin sometimes combined with gold checks and motifs worked in the 'jamdani' technique.
Dyeing is a hereditary art. In the past cloth was dyed in colours extracted from trees and flowers. The Sarkhei suburb of Ahmedabad was one of the indigo manufacturing and exporting centres.
TIE N' DYE: THE PROCESS
The highest intensity of Bandhini dyeing is in Kachchh, but some of the best works are from Jamnagar and Saurashtra, on the Southern coast of Gulf of Kachchh. The printed portion of the fabric are pinched and pushed into small points and then knotted with 2 or 3 twists of thread. The knotted parts remain uncoloured and the fabric is dyed in the lightest shade first, retied and dyed in the darker colour.
The fabric may be tied and dyed several times, depending on the number of shades in the final colour scheme. The price of the 'bandhani' depends not only on the fabric, but also on the number of times it has to be tied and dyed and on the intricacy of the design.
BANDHANI SAREES: THE POPULAR WOMAN ATTIRE
The Bandhani, tie and dye variety of sari is a very popular women's wear. It involves an intricate process of tying knots on the fine white fabrics, which are dipped in colours. The hues of deeper shades are used over the previous ones to form the coloured background of the cloth.
'Bandhani' sarees are easily available in all the bazaars and shopping centres of Jamnagar and here you can also find them brocaded with fine gold thread zaris.