Ajrakh, the Gujrati cloth print from Kutch, now define modern fashion.

Do you know who Raja Bhalmalji is?

History would remember him for many reasons. His political alliances, his diplomacy, and even his extreme fondness for art and culture.

But what makes him more interesting is his patronage of Ajrakh print.

Yes, dear reader, you heard it right, even the most effective political diplomats can also be artistic- history proved. 

You must be wondering why I am calling him the most effective diplomat of Indian history.

So, here is the reason.

He is the father of Harkha Bai, commonly known as Jodha Bai, one of the most prominent begums of Akbar's harem.

Being a Hindu Raja, he made a muslim mughal, Akbar, his son-in-law, to ally with the Mughals. 

What more drastic could a king do to save his emperor?

He was also one of the early rulers, under whose guidance the Amber fort complex was built in 1558. 

His contribution is not only constrained to architecture, but also in cloth printing.

History of Ajrakh print

Yes, Ajrakh printing, which has reached its zenith of global fame today, has come to the limelight during Raja Bhalmalji’s era.

In the salt-crusted plains of Kutch or the bylanes of Sindh, you’d still spot such fabric glorifying its indigo and deep sky blue print upon it, and showcasing its authentic bluish beauty.

Though the archaeologists found the same printed fragments in Egypt, which date back as far as the 12th century BC.

And even the famous statue of the ‘King Priest’ from the Indus civilisation, which still adorned our 6th-grade history page, was seen in an Ajrakh print shawl.

This narrates that the five-thousand-year-old fashion hasn’t gone out of style, even today. 

What is the meaning of Ajrakh?

Ajrakh, the name itself is a linguistic cocktail. Some claimed that this name came from the Arabic word, ‘Azrak’, which means blue. 

Others claimed this name has a local flair. One day, a grumpy king entered his suite to rest.While idly lying on the Ajrakh bedcloth, his servant knocked on the door, requesting to change the bedcover. But his love for his ‘indigo print bedding’ is so damn real that he replied to the servant with the phrase ‘Aj-Rakh’, which means, keep it today.

Thats how the name ‘Ajrakh’derived from.

Interesting right?

But the real gem about this print lies in its processing chemistry. The deep indigo or the deep sky blue, which is the generic colour of Ajrakh print, is not just for the show; it's for the natural cooling tactics. 

The magic of this is, if you wear it during summer, you will feel cool, but if you put it on in the scorching heat, you will feel even cooler. 

How was the Ajrakh print done?

Historically, Ajrakh was basically printed for the local males of Maldharis, Jats, and Meghwals.

A special printing technique named ‘Bipun’ is introduced to make it user-friendly for gents.

They even developed a special printing technique named ‘Bipun’, which makes both sides of the fabric usable and beautiful to look at.

Woman also has their own version of Ajrakh. 

The female version of Ajrakh is called ‘Malir’, where the yellow and green dyes are used to make the fabric more vibrant, colourful and girly. 

And the interesting fact is, all the colours are derived from the pomegranate husks and turmeric, and then they are mixed with the chemicals to make it more sustainable.

10 to 14 stages are involved in making one Ajrakh print fabric. The process is complex enough to make a modern fashion designer cry. 

So most of the Ajrakh painters are from the ‘Khatri community’. They use wooden blocks to do outline (Rekh), and colouring. (Dalto) and the Gadh (background).

Ajrakh is all about mizan, which means balance in Urdu. The designs are often derived from the islamic principals. Geometric-shaped stars, coins and the flower buds are used to adorn the whole body of the saree.

FAQs

1. Which state has the Ajrakh print saree?

The Kutch region og Gujrat and the Barmar region of Rajasthan are famous for the Ajrakh print.

2. How to identify real Ajrakh?

In real Ajrakh, the prints are very consistent, and the dying quality is also very good, so that the colours wouldn’t fade even after a thousand washes.

3. What is pure Ajrakh?

Pure Ajrakh is a special block printing done by hand. Then the dying process is also done by using organic colours, like Indigo and Madder.

4. Which city is famous for Ajrakh?

The cities from Lower Sindh and Upper Sindh, like Matiari and Hala. Bhit Shah, Moro, Sukur, and Kandioro are basically famous for Ajrakh silk. In India, the Kutch, Gujarat, Barmar, Rajasthan and Hyderabad are also famous for 

Ajrakh print.

5. What are the different types of Ajrakh?

There are three types of Ajrakh, which are now famous in the fashion world. The 

Khachchi Ajrakh, Barmeri Ajrakh and the Sindhi Ajrakh.

 6. What is the price of an Ajrakh Dola silk saree?

Generally, it starts from 5k and goes up to 20k

7. How to wash an Ajrakh saree?

Hand washing would be best, but one should keep in mind that while washing, rubbing and scrubbing are strictly prohibited.  

8. What is the difference between Ajrakh and kalamkari?

Ajrakh print is done with wooden blocks, but kalamkari involves freehand drawing. So both are very different from each other.

9. Which type of Ajrakh garment is now very trendy?

Ajrakh saree, Ajrakh print kurti, Ajrakh kurti, Ajrakh blouse, Ajrakh mirror work saree, Ajrakh print saree, Ajrakh fabric, Ajrakh modal silk saree, Ajrakh saree cotton, Ajrakh saree modal silk, Ajrakh saree blouse are now the most trendy garments of today’s fashion.

10. Is the Ajrakh saree online good?

Yes, various options are now available online. So that you can not only verify options but also verify the price.