036. Pethapur Printing Blocks

Pethapur printing blocks represent the traditional handicrafts of the Pethapur region, few kilometres away from Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The designs that are carved on the blocks range from simple leaf and floral motifs and geometrical patterns to complex village scenes of desired colour combinations. 

These blocks in order to enable thin beautiful outline of the design are carved to the detail delicately and very skillfully to give the printed design thin outline. These blocks, as a set for coloured designs, when used for printing on the textile produce flawless, nonoverlapping colours as perfect as a drawing created by a skillful artist on a piece of paper. The handicraft Pethapur Printing Block carving, to this day involves only manual labour and does not include the use of any power in any form. 

A block of teak is first smoothened and polished with sandstone, water and a file. Teak wood from Valsad district is the wood of choice since it is strong, seasoned and waterproof. The block is then painted white to make the design more visible to the artisan. The design is first hand illustrated, then transferred onto tracing paper. From here it is engraved on the wooden block by using a small pin that is pierced through the design and onto the wood. Following the pin-holed design, the wood is carved with the help of a hand drill and a range of chisels with painstaking perfection. The carved blocks are immersed in the groundnut oil for a period of 2-3 days to remove any moisture and provide strength.

For a single motif, several blocks are prepared, based on the number of colours to be used. Three different styles of blocks exist, one for the outline, one for the background, and several for filling in the various colours of the motifs. These blocks have to fall on one another flawlessly to complete the pattern. The finesse with which these blocks are made and the quality of finish to the detail along with its durability make the pethapur block stand out of the crowd.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 07 November 2018

GI Tag Number                         : 585

Certificate Number                  : 328

Geographical Area                  : Gujarat

Special Cover Release Date   : 06 April 2021

Cancellation                             : Dandi 396 439

Type                                          : GI Tag Special Cover

Cover Identification Number  : GUJ/11/2021

This cover has QR Code which when scanned leads to Garvi Gurjari website which is Gujarat State Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation. Issued in a special presentation pack with 5 other covers related to GI Tag from Gujarat.

Enlarged View of Illustration

Enlarged View of Cancellation