A river in India that can fix colour forever naturally. Sounds unbelievable? Welcome to Bagh, a tiny village in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh.
In 1962, a group of nomadic Baghi karigars travelling from Sind to Rajasthan and Manawar stopped in this tiny village. Here, by accident, they discovered a river that would change their craft.
Running through Bagh was the Baghini River, holding a secret: naturally high copper content. This one mineral made colours richer, deeper, and more permanent than any chemical dye.
From this discovery was born Bagh Print, Madhya Pradesh’s pride. Crafted using 200-year-old teak (Sagwan) blocks carved with motifs like chameli, leheriya, maithir, and jurvaria, inspired by Bagh Cave paintings and Taj Mahal jali work.
The process is a 16-step ritual passed down through generations. It begins with Khara — washing fabric on river stones, then soaking it in castor oil and mengni (goat droppings) to make it soft and absorbent.
Next is Peela — soaking the cloth in a solution of harada powder. It is then dried under specific, controlled sunshine. Too much sun, and the fabric turns green instead of the perfect absorbent yellow.
Colours come straight from nature: red from alum and tamarind seeds, black from iron rust, khaki from pomegranate. Mixed with dhavda flower gum, the dye turns thick and print-ready.
After printing, the fabric is boiled in alizarin and dhavadi extract. Then comes the final, magic step: a wash in the copper-rich Baghini River that locks the colours forever. This is known as thappa chappai — 100% natural, zero chemicals.
Today, Bagh Prints travel from a remote village in Dhar to global runways. But their heart remains in Bagh — a river, a community, and an art form kept alive by resilience, memory, and craft.