Bagh Natural Dye Block Printing of Madhya Pradesh

## Bagh Print — Earth Colours from the Forest Bagh print is a natural dye hand block printing tradition from Bagh village, Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, practised by the Khatri community. Unlike Bagru print (Rajasthan), Bagh uses a different mordant system and has a distinctive dark red and black colour palette. ### The Bagh Process 1. **Scouring**: Fabric is washed with soda ash and oil repeatedly for 10–14 days 2. **Mordanting**: Dipped in a solution of alum, myrobalan, and harda — creates chemical bond sites for natural dyes 3. **Block printing**: Carved teak wood blocks print red (alum mordant) and black (iron mordant) patterns 4. **Dye bath**: Cloth is boiled in water with dried flowers of dhawda (Woodfordia fruticosa) — this develops the red colour 5. **Rinsing**: In the Bagh River — artisans say the specific mineral content of the Bagh river water brightens the colours uniquely ### Motifs Bagh print uses floral and geometric motifs influenced by Mughal carpet designs: butis, creepers, fish scales, and temple border patterns. ### GI Status Bagh Hand Block Print received GI tag in 2010. Ibrahim Khatri and his family are internationally recognised master printers. About 100 artisan families practice this dying tradition.