There’s a kind of quiet geometry in bandhani. A map drawn in dots, each one a mark of patience and precision. The cloth is bound, pulled tight, and then naturally dyed—again and again—until what was once plain becomes something luminous. A sky of stars.

Ajrakh is a traditional block printing technique that has been practiced for centuries. Natural dyes are used to create eloquent geometric patterns on cotton that reveal a remarkable play between figure and line.  

Blocks are hand-carved from hardwood and then used in a printing process that can involve between thirteen and twenty-one distinct steps. The many processes of scouring, washing, printing, dyeing, and final washing can take up to three weeks to complete. Much of the beauty and depth of ajrakh cloth comes from the intricacy of the imprint that is left by the artisans hand. Instantly recognizable—there is nothing like an ajrakh.