The term "bandhani" derives its name from the Hindi word Bandhan which means tying up. Bandhani is an ancient art practised by people mainly of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer and Jamnagar are among the important centres producing odhnis, saris and turbans in bandhani. The wide variety was evolved over the centuries because of its close links with the religious and social customs of different people. Bandhani work involves tying and dyeing of pieces of cotton or silk cloth. The main colours used in Bandhani are yellow, red, green and black. After the processing is over, the final product of Bandhani work, results into an invention with variety of symbols including, dots, squares, waves and strips. The main colours used in Bandhani are natural. In fact all colours in bandhani are dark. At present, Rajasthan and Gujarat in India are the most large centres of tie and dye textile. Each state has particular areas and each caste and each tribe has its special design.

The work of Bandhani has a rich history and the work was initiated exclusively by the Muslim Khatri Community of Kutchh. Those Muslim Khatri women carried out the tradition from one generation to another and became the janitor of this art from. The main colours used in Bandhani are natural. The art of Bandhani involves using of a meter length of cloth with millions of tiny knots. These knots form a design when opened after dyeing in bright colours. The final products are renowned with various names. It is called "Khombi", "Ghar Chola", "Patori" as well as "Chandrokhani".

Bandhani has become a popular tie and dye all over the country. The art work is used for various occasions and imparts new meaning. Bandhani Woollen shawls are tie - dyed work which are presented by the khatris and worn by Rabari women. Suhagadi - yellow dots on chocolate brown is worn after marriage and before a woman first born, while the satbanteli red dots on black is worn after her first child. The bagida pattern and colour combination is traditionally worn only by harijan women. The common design in Bandhani is chains of grains represented by dots on the body called the dana pattern. The pallu, which is tucked inside known as the utaru pallu, starts with a red background after which there is a continuous repeat of semicircle motifs. The pallu that goes over the head called chavdhan pallu has two additional bands, one of which has the same above mentioned motif, but the other has dancing figures. The borders have only zig zags. When the chunari body is red the borders and pallus are indigo blue and vice-versa.

Another bandhani product is large - sized wrap called pillya used by women as an upper garment. It is folded lengthwise on one end, tucked at the left side of the skirt, while the other one goes over the back and then the head. Its ground colour is red which is fully filled with motifs such as leaves, flowers and dolls in the form of two big circles side by side. The same motifs are repeated on the border and pallu but singly, and detached in linear design. In the present days, the art work of Bandhani has attracted not only women but it is popular among the men too. The women apparels possess beautiful bandhani work and the dresses of men also feature the opulence of the art form. The garments that take in the gorgeous work of Bandhani include Saris, woollens, shawls, scarves, handkerchiefs, dupattas, odhnis, turbans, suhagadi, satbanteli, Bed-spreads, table cloths, jajams (floor-coverings), quilt covers, bed - cover, lungis, chunaries and pillya.

The production of Bandhani fabric is very tedious but appealing. Dyeing is accomplished by the tie-resist method as in bandhana and laheria where the patterns are made up of innumerable dots and weaves respectively. The manufacture of the Bandhani work is usually performed both by men and women. Men do the dyeing while women do the tying, which is very intricately done, each dot is as tiny as a pin-head. The cloth is first washed and bleached to prepare it for absorbing the dyes. After this, it is then sent to the bandhani, the women who does the tying, lifts a small portion of the fabric and tightly ties a thread around it. The tied textiles are then dipped in the light colour first while the tied areas retain the original ground colour. If a second dye is required, the areas to be retained in the first dye are tied for resist and the cloth dipped in a darker dye. This process is repeated, if several colours are to be combined.

Laheria in Bandhani is quite in style and refers to the wavy pattern of a fabric processed in the tie dye technique. The material is rolled diagonally and certain portions resisted by lightly binding threads at a short distance from one another before the cloth is dyed. The process of dyeing is repeated until the requisite number of colour is obtained. For a chequered pattern the fabric is opened and diagonally rolled again from the opposite corners, the rest of the process remains the same. The printing of residue on cloth with coloured powder, gold or silver dust is known as khari or tinsel work.

Tying of the border in the Bandhani is a special process known as sevo bandhavo. The border is tied according to the desired pattern by passing the thread from one end to the other in loose stitch so as to bring the entire portion together by pulling the thread from one end. The border portion is then covered up. This is process especially used to make sarees and have broad matching and contrasting borders. The style is applied to the pallus too. This tradition in India of Bandhani print dresses is practised in Jamnagar, in the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan.