Hand block printing is the Jaipur craft the world knows. Cotton is printed by hand with carved teak blocks, one colour per block, in the two towns on the city’s edge: Sanganer, with its fine floral patterns on white, and Bagru, with its mud-resist dabu work in indigo, red and black on cream. The Chhipa community have done it for three centuries, and the Sanganeri print carries a Geographical Indication.
The craft runs from the block carver, who cuts the pattern, to the printer, the dyer and the washer; the cloth is dried on the ground beside the river. Anokhi, the block-print house founded in Jaipur in 1970, and its museum at Amer, brought the craft to international fashion; the Sanganer and Bagru workshops supply designers everywhere and sell from their doors.
Where the trade is
| Name | Where | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|
| Sanganer workshops | Sanganer | Floral prints on white; the Sanganeri GI. |
| Bagru workshops | Bagru, Ajmer road | Dabu mud-resist, natural dyes. |
| Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing | Amer | The craft explained; demonstrations. |
| Block carvers | Sanganer and the walled city | The teak blocks, carved by hand. |
| Emporia and Anokhi shops | MI Road, C-Scheme | Finished garments and home textiles. |
| Bapu Bazaar print shops | Walled city | Printed cloth by the metre; check for hand work. |
Worth knowing
- Hand block print shows slight misregistration; a perfect repeat is a screen print.
- Natural-dye Bagru cloth may run on the first wash; wash cold and separately.
- Buy at the towns for price; buy at the emporia for finished garments.
Named houses on this page
Sakshi International
Sanganeri hand block-printed fabrics and home textiles · Sanganer
Bagru Textiles
Natural-dyed, hand block-printed textiles · Bagru
Chhipa Textile
Bagru and dabu hand block-printed textiles · Bagru
Rajasthali
Rajasthan government handicraft emporium · MI Road, opposite Ajmeri Gate
Anokhi
Hand block-printed clothing and home textiles · C-Scheme (shop); Amer (museum)
Related pages on this site
Check the current position
Shops close, kitchens change hands and timings move. These open a search in a new tab.
A note on this page. This is an independent reference page compiled from published information, current as of 2026. WelcomeToJaipur.in is not connected to any shop, restaurant or institution named here, takes no commission and does not rank or endorse. Check addresses and hours before you travel.
Names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.