Bagru is a city as well as a municipality in Jaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. The district headquarters of this district is the city of Jaipur which is the largest city and the capital of Rajasthan. The total area of the district is 11,152 square kms. It has a population of 5,252,388, and the population density is 471 persons per square kms. It is surrounded by the Sikar District on the north, the state of Haryana on the extreme northeast, the Alwar and Dausa districts on the east, the Sawai Madhopur District on the southeast, the Tonk District on the south, the Ajmer District on the west, and the Nagaur District on the northwest.
Bagru, which can also be called a village, is positioned at a distance of 30 kms from Jaipur, on the road that links Jaipur to Ajmer. The exact location of the town is 26.82° North and 75.55° East. It has a mean elevation of 341 metres (1118 feet). As per the 2006 India census, Bagru records a population of 1,28,498. Males and females respectively comprise 52% and 48% of the population. The mean literacy rate of the town is 52%, lower than the national average of 59.5%. 66% of the males and 34% of the females are literate. 18% of the population is children below six years of age.
Bagru does not harbour any palace or fort, but is popular in the whole world for natural dyes and hand block printing. The characteristic wooden prints of Bagru are commonly referred to as the Bagru prints. These prints of Bagru involve a procedure that is different from other prints. This exclusive technique of printing utilizes wooden block in it. In the beginning, the desired design is carved out on the wooden block first and then this carved block is used for reproducing the design in the chosen color on the fabric. Chippa Mohalla (printer`s quarter) is an area in this town where most of the people are textile printers by occupation. If one walks along this quarter, one can always find people absorbed in artistry with dyes and blocks. This tradition of hand block printing, which is more than three hundred years old, has still been kept alive by the ardent efforts of the Bagru artisans. Sticking to the original convention, these artisans obtain Fuller`s earth got from the bank of a river, smear the cloth with this earth and then immerse it in turmeric water to get the customary cream color backdrop. After that, the cloth is stamped with gorgeous designs using natural dyes of earthly shades.
Bagru prints are more renowned for their outstanding quality of being environment friendly. Still today, artisans employ conventional vegetable dyes for printing the cloth. For instance, the color blue is prepared from indigo, red from madder root , green from indigo mixed with pomegranate and the yellow colour from turmeric. Generally Bagru prints have cultural floral patterns in original colors. These prints form the indispensable part of the block printing trade of Rajasthan. The village manufactures some of the magnificent bed covers and other materials. The excellence of this craft has made this small village near Jaipur a much-reckoned name in International fashion. These prints have also made Bagru an important place of tourist attraction. The name of this place will always be remembered by craft lovers as one that faithfully sticks to the rich tradition of the centuries gone by.
