Bagru Block Printing Dabu

Dabu is a unique craft that involves a mud-resist process by using wood block for printing on specially treated textiles.

The Chippa community, the traditional printers of this region, use the mud-resist printing technique with vegetable dyes to create densely patterned and richly colored textiles that cater to the functional and sartorial requirements of  local communities. Today, it is considered to be one of the most traditional and widely used print techniques.

The motifs for the print are picked from nature and surrounding elements, and then crafted onto wooden blocks. This method of Bagru block printing gets its name from the word dabaana, meaning ‘to press’. Although all the motifs are derived from vegetable and floral forms, each bears a unique association with a specific community, thus serving as a means of identifying the wearer.

Bagru Block Printing Collaborators

Master Craftsmen Mentor: RK Derawala Chippa

Material: Fabric 

Technique: Block Printing 

Location: Bagru, Rajasthan