1. The cloth is washed in water to remove any finish applied in the mill
or workshop. If the cloth has a heavy finish on it, steam treatment may
be required. Cloth is then put in a solution of castor oil, soda ash and
camel dung. This is known as saaj. It is left overnight to soak. The
following day, cloth is laid flat to dry in the sun. When it is semi-dry, it
is returned to the solution of castor oil, soda ash and camel dung. Saaj
and the drying stage are repeated (7-9 times) until the cloth foams when
rubbed. It is then washed in plain water.
2. The cloth is dyed in a cold solution of myrobalan (powdered nut of the
harde tree). This stage is known as kasanu. The cloth is then calendered,
after which it is laid flat to dry in the hot sun. If the cloth is to be
printed on both sides, it is turned over during drying to ensure sun
treatment for both sides. The myrobalan powder is then brushed off the
cloth.
3. A resist of lime and gum arabic is printed on to the cloth to define the
outline of the design. This is known as rekh.
4. Rekh resist printing is applied to both sides of the cloth.
5. A paste is made by fermenting scrap iron (horse shoes, etc), jaggery
(raw cane sugar) and besan (gram flour). This mixture is left to ferment
which takes about one week in the hot season and two weeks during the
cold season; a yellowish scum on the surface of the mixture indicates
that it is ready for use. The liquid, or “iron water” is drained off and
added to tamarind seed powder. The iron and tamarind solution is
thoroughly mixed, and then boiled for one hour. The resulting “iron
paste” is printed on to the cloth (kat)the colour is black.
6. Tamarind seed powder is mixed with alum (aluminium sulphate) and
then boiled for one hour to produce a printing paste for red areas of the
design. A small amount of a fugitive dye is added to this in order to aid

registration when used for printing. Traditionally geru (red clay) was
used but chemical dye is now more common. Printing of the alum paste
is known as kan.
7. A paste of alum, millet flour, red clay and gum arabic is printed on
the cloth where there are large areas of red in the design. A resist of
lime and gum arabic is also printed at this time; this combined stage is
known as gach. Sawdust is sprinkled on to the printed areas to protect
the design from smudging. After gach printing, the cloth is left to dry
naturally for several days. The paste used for gach printing is made
from local clay which is filtered through muslin, millet flour and alum.
The millet flour is boiled and then red clay and alum are added and the
paste is filtered to achieve the required consistency for printing.
8. The cloth is dyed in indigo (bodaw).
In order to establish an indigo vat, natural indigo, sagikhar (a salt),
lime, casiatora (seed from kuwada plant) and water are mixed in a clay
vessel, plastic barrel or concrete vat. The dye bath is left to ferment for
about one month; sometimes jaggery is added to this to aid
fermentation. It is ready to use when the colour of the solution is
yellowish (best quality) or greenish (medium quality). With an
established indigo vat, indigo, jaggery and water are added as required
to maintain the strength of the dye colour.
A faster alternative is to the above, is to make a solution of natural
indigo, caustic soda and hydrosulphate, which is ready to use in one or
two days.
9. Cloth is washed in running water and laid flat to dry in the sun. This
stage is known as vichharnu.
10. Traditionally, this stage is either madder or al dyeing, depending on
the availability of the dye stuffs. The cloth is boiled in a solution of
tamarix (from the dhawri tree) and either madder root powder or al
root powder and is then washed and sun-dried.
But for some ajrakh, alizarin (synthetic madder) may be used, in which
case the cloth is boiled in a solution of alizarin and tamarix powder.

In all cases, the cloth is washed in plain water after dyeing and dried
flat in the sun. At this stage (rang), the red and black areas of the design
develop and the resist areas are revealed as white.
11. Gach (alum printing – see 7) is repeated. The cloth is left for several
days after this. This stage is known as minakari (from Persian, refers to
enamelling but used in Kachchh to mean ‘double work’)
12. Second indigo dyeing (bodaw). Cloth is sun-dried.
13. The cloth is washed in running water and laid flat to dry in the sun
(vichharnu).
14. Rang stage (stage 10) is repeated.

Green Ajrakh

Traditionally Kachchhi ajrakh is predominantly a blue textile but the
family of Khatri Mohammad Siddik has developed green ajrakh. This is
made in the same manner as blue for the first 10 stages; stages 11 to 14
are as follows:
11. Resist printing (lime and gum) for white areas of the design.
12. Cloth is dried flat in sun. Pomegranate skins are boiled and the
resulting liquid is sprayed on to the cloth. It is then dried flat in the sun.
This stage is repeated two times.
13. A solution of turmeric + lime is then sprayed on to the cloth.
14. The cloth is dyed in alum solution and then washed in plain water
and dried.