A village built after the 2001 earthquake by Khatri block-printing families who relocated from Dhamadka, now the centre of natural-dye Ajrakh printing in India.
Ajrakhpur sits about fifteen kilometres east of Bhuj in Kutch district, in the Gujarat region of India, and it exists because of a disaster. The Khatri block-printing families who had worked for generations at Dhamadka lost their water source and much of their village in the earthquake of January 2001, and rebuilt here around better water, naming the new settlement for the craft itself. Ajrakh is a resist print of extraordinary complexity, built up through as many as sixteen sequences of mordanting, resist-paste printing, washing and dyeing, with madder producing the deep red, indigo the blue and iron the black. Because the resist is printed rather than tied, the same hand-carved wooden blocks must register precisely on both faces of the cloth for double-sided Ajrakh, which is the most prized form. Visitors can watch printers working long tables, see blocks being carved, and find the open washing and dyeing yards behind the workshops. The workshops sell finished stoles, dupattas, yardage and garments directly, and several of the families are nationally recognised, with work held in museum collections. Natural-dye Ajrakh has a distinctive soft smell and a slight irregularity of registration that screen-printed imitations lack. Mornings are the working hours, so an early visit shows the craft in motion rather than only the shop.
| Hours | Workshops generally open daily 9AM-6PM; printing happens mainly in the morning |
|---|---|
| Price | Stoles INR 1,200-4,500 (approx USD 12.50-47); yardage INR 400-1,500 per metre (approx USD 4.15-15.60) |
| Address | Ajrakhpur village, Bhuj-Bhachau highway, Kutch, Gujarat 370105, India |
Location
Ajrakhpur village, Bhuj-Bhachau highway, Kutch, Gujarat 370105, India
23.1800, 69.7900 View on map
Highlights
- A village founded by Khatri printers who relocated after the 2001 Kutch earthquake
- Up to sixteen stages of resist printing, washing and natural dyeing per length of cloth
- Madder red, indigo blue and iron black from plant and mineral dyes
- Double-sided Ajrakh printed in exact register on both faces of the cloth
- Open washing and dyeing yards behind the printing workshops
Tips for visiting
- Come in the morning, when printing tables and dye yards are actually working
- Natural-dye Ajrakh smells faintly of the dye bath and has slight registration irregularity; perfect edges usually mean screen printing
- Ask which dyes were used; some workshops offer both natural and chemical versions at different prices
- Combine with Bhujodi 8 km from Bhuj and Nirona about 40 km north in a single day by car
- Prices are fixed at the workshops and already fair to the printer
When to visit
Between 9AM and midday on a weekday, when printing and dyeing are underway, and between November and February for the cooler Kutch season.
Accessibility
Workshops are open-sided sheds reached over unpaved or gravelled ground, and the dye yards are wet and uneven, which makes wheelchair access difficult; the retail rooms at the larger workshops are more manageable.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ajrakh?
A resist block-print worked through as many as sixteen stages of mordanting, resist printing, washing and dyeing, using madder for red, indigo for blue and iron for black. The finest form is printed in register on both faces of the cloth.
Why was Ajrakhpur founded?
The Khatri printing families of Dhamadka lost their village and water source in the January 2001 Kutch earthquake and rebuilt around a better water supply here, naming the new village after the craft.
How can genuine natural-dye Ajrakh be identified?
Natural dyes give a softer, slightly uneven colour, a faint dye-bath smell, and minor irregularity in block registration. Screen-printed imitation is flat, perfectly regular and considerably cheaper.
When is the best time to visit?
Mornings, when the printing tables and dye yards are in use. November to February gives the most comfortable temperatures for a day trip out of Bhuj.