Sanganeri Hand Block Printing
Fine, delicate floral butas printed on white cotton — the refined face of Rajasthani block printing.
Sanganeri printing, from the town of Sanganer near Jaipur, is the fine, delicate branch of Rajasthani block printing: small, precisely carved floral butis and all-over jaal creepers, printed with clean registration on a white or pale-cream ground, in madder red, indigo blue, yellow, green and black. The style favours realistic flowers — rose, poppy, iris, marigold, sunflower — and neat borders, and is used for sarees, dupattas, suit lengths, bed and table linen and yardage.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Jaipur, Rajasthan
Also Known As
Sanganer print, Jaipur block print, Sanganeri chhapa
Craft Type
Hand block-printed textile (fine floral printing)
Practising Community
Chhipa (block-printer) families of Sanganer, working in family units along the Amani Shah nala
Materials
Fine cotton and, increasingly, cotton-silk and mulmul; finely carved teak blocks; and natural dyes (madder or alizarin, indigo, pomegranate, harda, iron) alongside pigment and reactive colours.
Known For
Sanganeri prints — small, precise floral butis and jaals on a white or pale ground, in madder, indigo and pigment colours
Where It's Made
Sanganer town, near Jaipur, Rajasthan; closely linked to Bagru and the Jaipur printing trade
Time to Create
Three to seven days per length
GI Status
Sanganeri Hand Block Printing is a registered GI of Rajasthan
Process Steps
Preparing the cloth
Cotton is boiled and washed to strip starch, and for natural-dye work soaked in myrobalan; the white ground is kept clean.
Carving the blocks
Fine outline and small filler blocks for the delicate floral designs are cut by specialist carvers.
Printing the outline
The rekh block is charged with mordant or colour and struck along the cloth, aligned precisely by its pins.
Printing the fillers
Small filler blocks add the petals, leaves and shading of each floral buti in register.
Dyeing
Mordant-printed cloth is dyed in madder or another bath, and indigo grounds are vat-dyed.
Washing
The cloth is washed repeatedly so the white ground stays bright and only the printed areas hold colour.
Finishing
The cloth is dried flat, checked for register faults, and cut to length.
Technique Glossary
Buti
A small, precisely carved floral motif, the hallmark of Sanganeri printing.
Jaal
An all-over trellis or creeper pattern covering the field of the cloth.
Rekh block
The fine outline block that defines a motif before the small filler blocks add its detail.
Registration
The precise alignment of successive block impressions, on which the neatness of Sanganeri work depends.
Harda (myrobalan)
A tannin used to pre-treat cloth so natural dyes take fast and even.
Chhipa
The hereditary block-printing community of Rajasthan.
White ground
The clean, bright unprinted background that is part of the Sanganeri style.
A Craft Through Time
16th–17th century
Printing at Sanganer
Chhipa printers establish Sanganer as a dyeing and printing centre, aided by its soft water.
Pre-modern
The fine-print reputation
Sanganer becomes known for the most delicate floral printing on white, in contrast to Bagru nearby.
20th century
Screen printing and export
The trade grows large with screen printing and export, alongside the hand-printed work.
Late 20th century
Natural-dye revival
Designers and export buyers revive vegetable-dye Sanganeri printing.
2010
Geographical Indication
Sanganeri Hand Block Printing is registered as a GI of Rajasthan.
Present
A large printing town
Sanganer supplies hand and screen-printed cotton to Indian labels and export buyers, the fine floral buti its signature.
Did You Know?
Sanganeri and Bagru sit only a short distance apart near Jaipur but developed opposite reputations — Sanganer for the finest, most delicate floral printing on white, Bagru for earthy dabu mud-resist and dark grounds.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.