India · Textile Arts / Block Printing

Sanganer Fine Block Printing on White Ground

सांगानेरी छपाई (Sanganeri chhapai); outline block = rekh, filler block = datta; sun-bleaching = tapai

Fine hand block printing of Sanganer, south of Jaipur, in which the Chhipa community stamps delicate floral and geometric repeats (buta, buti, jaal, bel) on white or cream cotton and muslin with small teak or sheesham blocks, one color pass at a time. Sanganeri is distinguished from the mud-resist printing of nearby Bagru (CRAFT-0046) by finer lines, lighter grounds and pastel colors; sun bleaching (tapai) gives the cloth its brightness. Registered as a Geographical Indication in 2010.

Risk level: Vulnerable · Not inscribed

Alternate Names
Sanganeri hand block printing; Sanganeri print
Geographic Center
Sanganer, about 10 miles south of Jaipur, Rajasthan
Community / Ethnic Group
Chhipa (Chippa) printers, Rangrez dyers, block carvers (many Muslim), and dhobis
Estimated Origin
Accounts differ. Tourism sources say Chhipa artisans migrated from Gujarat to Bagru, Sanganer and Jahota in the late 16th or early 17th century; Impart says Gujarati artisans fled the Mughal and Maratha campaigns of the mid-17th century; the Jaipur royal family under Sawai Jai Singh is said to have invited printers from Andhra and Gujarat in the 18th century. By the end of the 18th century the industry was fully developed. Watt (1903) called Sanganer 'the very metropolis of calico printing craft'.
Cultural Function
Prints once signaled caste and occasion: syahi begar (black and red on white) for the local community, floral prints for the Jaipur court, red designs on white or yellow for temple offerings
Primary Materials
Cotton, voile and muslin; dyes and mordants; teak or sheesham blocks
Primary Tools
Carved blocks (outline blocks rekh and filler blocks datta); a printing table; a tray (saaj) with a felt and cloth color pad; brass-strip blocks for the finest lines
Process Overview
Wash and prepare the cloth → stretch it on the table → print the outline → print the filler colors one block per color → dry → wash and fix; traditionally followed by sun bleaching (tapai).
Traditional Applications
Safa turbans, shawls, veils, bedspreads for the court and the local community
Contemporary Applications
Saris, salwar suits, scarves, dupattas, quilts, cushion covers and tablecloths
Notable Practitioners
Ram Lal Das (credited with bringing screen printing from Ahmedabad in the 1960s); Sanjay Chippa (printer interviewed in a 2015 field study)
Key References
C. B. Greru and B. Kalkreuter, 'Design and the evolving tradition of Sanganer hand block printing' (design research study), https://scispace.com/pdf/design-and-the-evolving-tradition-of-sanganer-hand-block-5fg367xdre.pdf ; DSource (NID), 'Block printing — Sanganer', http://dsource.in/sites/default/files/resource/block-printing-sanganer/downloads/file/block_printing.pdf ; Impart, 'Sanganeri', https://imp-art.org/articles/sanganeri/ ; Incredible India, 'Sanganeri hand block printing', https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/rajasthan/sanganeri-hand-block-printing ; Craftmark, 'Block printing', https://www.craftmark.org/cms/public/uploads/1595674531.pdf ; Handicrafts India, 'Chaap print' ; G. Watt, Indian Art at Delhi 1903 (Calcutta, 1903)
Verification Status
Desk-Researched

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