CONNECTING THE DOTS: A CASE OF BANDHANI

 

CONNECTING THE DOTS: A CASE OF BANDHANI

 

Name of the article - Connecting the Dots: A case of Bandhani
Name of Place - Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer, and Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Article written by - Ms. Radhika Malhotra
Edited by - Mrs. Srishti Safaya

 

The walls of various forts, havelis, and other buildings across Rajasthan are ornamented with paintings based on a myriad of themes which range from religious portraits to everyday life scenes to extravagant lives of royalties and the portraits of British officials.

In few of the paintings found on the walls of Jaisalmer Fort, it can be noticed that the portraits of Goddess Radha, Goddess Parvati and of a lady painted on the walls of the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, are bound by a common factor which are the clothes of the subjects embellished with the tie-dye technique called bandhani.

Bandhani is a type of patterned fabric that is crafted with expertise steeped in age-old traditions and knowledge system that has passed down from one generation to the other. This art of tying and dyeing has been in existence in the said region for centuries and its appearance on the wall paintings at Jaisalmer and Jodhpur only cements the continuation of this tradition.

With major centers of production situated at Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, and Jodhpur, the dotted pattern adorns fabrics like cotton, georgette, and chiffon to produce odhanis (veil), pag (turban) and ghaghras (full-gathered skirts) often influenced and demarcated by social hierarchy and regional variations.

The intricate process includes preparing, printing, or tracing the design on the chosen cloth either through wooden blocks or tracing them using a stencil. The areas which are to resist dye are pinched, knotted, and secured by a thread which is generally done by women. The cloth is then immersed in the dye, washed, and left in the sun. After having dried, the cloth is untied revealing a dotted pattern created by the tied areas. The process is repeated for each color incorporated in the design starting from a lighter to a darker shade. The intricacy, uniformity, and symmetry observed on the textile and the color palette employed completely relies on the skill of the artisan.

The patterns that have been popular in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and the surrounding areas include simplistic, concentric circles or squares assembled in a repetitive pattern called dabbi which were generally used on cotton, and muslin fabrics. The complicated versions of the same pattern adorned chiffon and georgette materials which were often meant for the royalty.

The same can be observed in the wall paintings that have been executed in the ala-gila technique which requires the artist to paint on fresh lime plaster with pigments mixed with binding agents.

(Left) Fig. a)- Painting of Goddess Radha clad in bandhani attire. (Right) Fig. b) A close up image of Fig. a) (Location-Jaisalmer Fort)

(Left) Fig. c)- Painting of a lady dressed in a traditional garb ornamented with bandhani  (Right) Fig. d)- A close up image of Fig. c) (Location-Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur)

In Fig.(a), Goddess Radha is shown wearing a ghaghra embellished with light-coloured dots against a bright orange background while a georgette/ chiffon odhani falls gracefully over her shoulders, patterned with an intricate and complex bandhani design. Similarly, in Fig.(c), the lady is decked in a dark blue attire speckled with bright yellow coloured dots and a translucent odhani decorated with the same pattern covering her head and her torso.

The dabbi pattern is also observed on the ghaghra and odhani sported by Goddess Parvati in Fig.(e) and Goddess Radha in Fig.(g) respectively in a color palette that suits and contrasts the terrain of the region in context. 

(Left) Fig. e)- Painting of Lord Shiva seated on a tiger skin with river Ganga flowing from his hair and Goddess Parvati looking at him in adoration. (Right) Fig. f)- A close up image of Fig. e) (Location-Jaisalmer Fort)

(Left) Fig. g)- Painting of Lord Krishna trying to persuade an exasperated Goddess Radha by combing her hair. (Right) Fig. h)- A close up image of Fig. g) (Location-Jaisalmer Fort)

The bandhani textile and its patterns were diversified for the consumption of various communities with the colour, design, and fabric acting as a source of identification of the social position, communities, and marital status of the person. Its popularity has only led to the mass production and consumption of the coveted textile so much so, that the industrious and traditional process has been compromised to produce the same. Now, factory-made and printed versions have flooded the market mainly due to the time-consuming process and the specialised skills that are required to commission the original versions.

However, several artisans continue to practice the traditional process that has been transferred intergenerationally, safeguarding their legacy and are a flickering ray of hope who would ensure the continuity of this centuries-old craft.

The wall paintings depicted here also stands a testimony to the culture and tradition that was and subtly highlights the need for preservation of the traditional craft of bandhani.

REFERENCES

- Chattopadhyaya, K. (1980) India’s Craft Tradition. Internet Archive.
Available at: https://archive.org/details/indiascrafttradi00chat/page/n8/mode/1up(Accessed: 21 November 2022).

- Ghose, R. (2017) Mapping Indian Textiles: Approaches to Display and Storage of Indian Textiles in Public Museums.

Available at:https://ignca.gov.in/PDF_data/Report_Mapping_Indian_Textiles.pdf (Accessed:21 November 2022).

- India InCH. (no date) Bandhani/ Lehriya/ Shibori/ Tie-Resist Dyeing of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

Available at: https://www.indiainch.org/craft/bandhej-and-leheriya-cloth-tie-resist-dyeing-of-jaisalmer-rajasthan/ (Accessed:22 November2022).

- Map Academy. (no date) Bandhani.
Available at: https://mapacademy.io/article/bandhani/ (Accessed: 22 November2022).

- Rajasthan Textiles. (no date) Dyed Textile- Social Significance in Culture of Rajasthan.
Available at: http://www.rajasthantextiles.com/bandhani-change.htm (Accessed: 18 November 2022).