Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing

The Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing occupies a restored haveli at Kheri Gate in the village of Amer, near Jaipur in Rajasthan, India, close to the foot of Amber Fort. The building is a 17th- and 18th-century merchant's haveli that was derelict before it was restored by the Anokhi fashion company and its founders, with the museum opening in 2005 under the guidance of Rachel Bracken Singh and John Singh, who led the restoration. The museum documents the history, techniques and artistry of Indian block printing, a craft practised in Rajasthan for centuries, especially in the villages of Sanganer and Bagru, where the printers use different dyes and motifs. It covers the period from early Indian trade textiles, which were exported across Asia and Europe, to the revival of the craft in the 20th century. Its galleries show antique printed cloth, hand-carved wooden printing blocks, dye materials and tools, and photographs of the process. Displays explain how teak blocks are carved, how mordants and natural dyes such as indigo and madder are applied, and how resist and dye techniques create patterns. A working area on the upper floor lets visitors try printing a small piece of cloth under the guidance of craftspeople, and a shop sells printed textiles and publications. The arrangement is thematic and educational, moving from raw materials and tools to design, regional styles and finished cloth, within the preserved courtyard, carved doors and painted walls of the haveli. The architecture itself is part of the display, since the restoration kept the lime plaster, stone brackets and jharokha windows, and it won heritage conservation recognition. The museum is small, with a few galleries, so a visit takes about an hour, and it is easily combined with the Jagat Shiromani Temple and Amber Fort. It is closed on Mondays and public holidays.