BANDHEJ
The “Bandhej” word has come from Sanskrit “Bandh” to tie or bind. As it mean tie the Bandhej in wholesome meaning of fashion is Tie & Die. Bandhej is one of the many Tie & Dye art like Mothara, Ekdali, Shikara etc… Bandhej also known as Bandhani a prominently practiced art in Gujarat and in various other states like Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and part of Pakistan too. In Tamilnadu the art is known as “Sungudi”
Earliest evidence of the art dates back to Indus Valley Civilisation one of the cradles of human civilisation & earliest use has been seen in depicting life of Shree Mahavir Buddha on walls of Ajanta Caves. The courtiers and ladies in the palace of Prince Siddharth some wear dotted blouse seems to be Bandhani dots and some wear wraps with strip patterns. Also in historical books the reference to Bandhani has been found in royal marriages and are believed to be bringing good future to a Bride.
The Bandhani process is simple but laborious and time consuming. The elements are bonded by small knots tightly with thread on fabric in certain pattern with the help of nail or metal ring. After tying the fabric is dipped into container of Dye usually natural dye for some period of time. Later it is allowed to dry in sunlight. After drying the knot threads are removed carefully.
The tie & Dye is a very skilled job in which the tiny dots are tied tightly with thread, ‘masking’ specific area of the cloth which creates desired patterns of design after dyeing and opening the thread. The skilled artisans have experimented various elements both natural or man made for creating variety of products.
According to apparel, designs, size of dots, distance between dots the finished products are classified as Gharchola, Chandrakhani, Ambadal, Shikari, Patori, Khombi, Chingudi, Piliya categories.
In North America & West Indies “Bandana” referred to the large piece of cloth for head gear. Many variation of word Bandhej/Bandhani appeared in various journals of those time. During 18th & 19th century large volumes of such Bandanas were being exported to parts of Europe though East India Company from Indian sub continent. Later industrialisation caused to loss of original meaning and also lost ground for Exports of truly hand made Bandhani. Nevertheless Bandhani has left indelible mark on the lexicon of Western textile design and the art is widely practiced and attracting modern consumers.