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.

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035. Rajkot Patola

Rajkot Patola is hand woven using vertical resist-dyeing technique also called single ikat patola origination from Rajkot, Gujarat. Design to be woven are plotted on graph and the same is woven on the warp yarns. 

The plain coloured warp and pre designed weft through tie-dye are woven in such a way that a beautiful design pattern emerges once it is finished. Around 20 design patterns of saree with unique design with various colour combinations are woven in this variety of sarees. 

The sarees are made up of either natural silk or synthetic yarn. Eco-friendly dyes are made of turmeric powder, iron rust, pomegranate skin, Indigo, kirmaj [cochineal], bojgar, and some Indian tree extracts are used to dye the yarn. 

The motifs comprise of sets of identically patterned threads, which results into the block-like quality of the patterns so characteristic of these fabrics. This quality increases as the number of threads per set grows larger and diminishes as the number of threads per set decreases. Motifs in these sarees are also unique as they are woven by adjusting the warp and weft with fingers. 

One of the uniqueness of the Rajkot Patola is the usage of jari either in Pallu, Border or Body also in all the three in the saree. 

GI Tag Registration Date         : 03 October 2018

GI Tag Number                         : 380

Certificate Number                  : 325

Geographical Area                  : Gujarat

Special Cover Release Date   : 06 April 2021

Cancellation                             : Dandi 396 439

Type                                          : GI Tag Special Cover

Cover Identification Number  : GUJ/10/2021

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.

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034. Patan Patola

Patan Patola are pure silk double ikat fabrics, whose gorgeous colours and striking patterns are the products of exquisite workmanship produced in the city of Patan, Gujarat predominantly by the members of Salvi Community. It is traced back to Vedic times and the term "Patola" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Pattu" meaning silk fabric.

Patan Patola are pre-industrial creations and are totally hand created and no machine is used. They are prepared on a special single loom operated by hand. The warp and weft are tied and dyed before they are woven.

Patan Patola have distinctive colour patterns and motifs including geometrical shapes, flowers, animals, leaves, etc and traditional designs that remain same on front and reverse sides permitting the sarees to be reversible with no change in the appearance. Geometric designs are such that the appearance is same regardless of which of the four corners it is worn from. Patan Patola have two pallavs (the end portions) with border and one side has golden jari patto.

The most common motifs in Patan Patola are parrots, elephants, plants, ladies, flowers, trellis, baskets, leaves, etc. These are used in many different permutations and combinations for the body, border and the pallav, making different designs. Patan Patola normally use red or vermilion as the background colour. The other colours that are used for dyeing along with red are yellow, orange, pink, green, blue, purple, white and black.

In the making of Patan Patola, no harsh chemicals or detergents are used but instead oil soaps and vegetable colours are used, which make Patan Patola softer than other silk fabrics/sarees available in the world, even though the Patan Patola are thicker than those available silk sarees. Durability of Patan Patola is about 300 years.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 09 September 2013

GI Tag Number                         : 232

Certificate Number                  : 195

Geographical Area                  : Gujarat

Special Cover Release Date   : 06 April 2021

Cancellation                             : Dandi 396 439

Type                                          : GI Tag Special Cover

Cover Identification Number  : GUJ/08/2021

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.

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Image of the Postage Stamp issued by India Post is furnished below

Postage Stamp issued on 15 November 2002 

Handicrafts of India

033. Jamnagari Bandhani

Jamnagari Bandhani is an ancient, dyeing technique dating back to Indus Valley Civilisation. The fabric is tied in intricate patterns with the help of nails, beads or grain, which prevents the colour from seeping into the tied areas during dyeing. The technique has been so perfected that the most intricate patterns emerge with vibrant backgrounds. 

Jamnagari Bandhani is very closely associated with deep rooted social customs. It is a must in the marriages of Hindus and Muslims. They are produced in two regions, namely, Saurashtra and Kachchh in Gujarat. Jamnagar Bandhani is well known for its red colour as the water of this area is known to give a particular brightness to colours, specifically reds and maroons.

The production process on the woven fabric using tie-dye method is unique in nature. The cloth either, cotton or silk is procured from the market in bleached form and is printed with design through wooden blocks. Different blocks are used for different designs. It is then tied with a thread by women and girls using the thumb and the forefinger of the right hand. The thread is made to run through a fine millet-stem bobbin, so that it runs smoothly and evenly. A metre long of cloth can have millions of tiny knots known as “Bheendi” in the local Kachchh language. Traditionally it is then resist dyed with vegetable dyes, but now chemical dyes are also used. 

There will be many iterations of this process of dyeing, washing, bleaching and tying depending upon the designs and the colour scheme needed. The designs and colour patterns are so unique that the craft persons use their skill and ingenuity to make unique designs. The entire manufacturing process is manual and so cumber-some and time consuming to make the final product. 

GI Tag Registration Date         : 10 November 2016

GI Tag Number                         : 221

Certificate Number                  : 273

Geographical Area                  : Gujarat

Special Cover Release Date   : 06 April 2021

Cancellation                             : Dandi 396 439

Type                                          : GI Tag Special Cover

Cover Identification Number  : GUJ/09/2021

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.

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032. Tangaliya Shawl

Tangaliya Shawl is an age-old weaving and a very indigenous craft evolved in the Surendranagar district of Saurashtra region, Gujarat around 700 years ago. The shawls are woven in pit looms at homes and knot a contrast color thread with the warp, which are woven into the textile to create the effect of raised dots, which have become the signature style of the textile.

‘Tangaliya’ is derived from the word ‘Tangalio’ meaning the lower part of the body. The textile is usually used as shawl and wraparound skirt by women. Traditionally, Tangaliya was a 10 by 4 cloth which was draped around the waist. Later on, due to loom size constraints, the cloth was woven 20 by 2 in size and then cut into two parts and joined together to form a shawl for women.

The Tangaliya products are made up of natural and synthetic material or a combination of both. Since ages weavers have designs inspired by nature and their surrounding. Tangaliya motifs have a very geometric and graphic feel to it. The emphasis is on basic shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles and circles. The placement of each dana is done precisely by calculating the distance between the warp and the weft yarns. 

Lots of contrasting colors are used in danawork. Commonly used colors are Blue, Green, red, pink, black, grey, maroon, purple and orange. White is used most prominently along with other colors. The most basic motif of Tangaliya is the Ladwa – it refers to a ladoo, an Indian sweet. The other predominant motifs are peacock, felt of peacock, Ambo tree (Mango tree), Khajuri (Date palm tree), peacock on bush, peacock with diamond shape motif, peacock on bunglow and peacock on aeroplane motif.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 04 September 2009

GI Tag Number                         : 127

Certificate Number                  : 111

Geographical Area                  : Gujarat

Special Cover Release Date   : 06 April 2021

Cancellation                             : Dandi 396 439

Type                                          : GI Tag Special Cover

Cover Identification Number  : GUJ/06/2021

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.

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Image of the stamp released by India Post on Tangaliya Shawl is furnished below

Postage Stamp Issued on 15 August 2018

Handlooms of India

031. Kutch Embroidery

Kutch Embroidery is one of the most distinctive and easily identifiable craft styles of India and derives its name from the source of its origin, the Kutch region of Gujarat. It is an evolving expression of the craft and textile traditions of the nomadic tribe in Gujarat, practiced normally by women. It is characterised by its use of bright colours, mirrors and beads and intricate and extensive embroidery that embellishes the entire fabric on which it is based.

Usually crafted on cotton or silk fabric, it is done with silk or woollen thread using fine stitches to create detailed and elaborate patterns. Certain styles use silk and a satin-like material too. Motifs and designs draw inspiration from architectural and human motifs, as well as Persian and Mughal art. The colours used are mainly green, indigo, deep red, black, yellow and ivory. 

The embroidery is further embellished with its use of mirrors, shells and beads, which are placed strategically in between or around the patterns. Mirrors or abhla are an inherent part of many embroidery styles in Kutch, making the fabrics glisten and shine. Square chain, double buttonhole, pattern darning, running stitch, satin and straight stitches are used to create intricate patterns.

Kutch embroidery is unique in the sense that a net is woven on a cloth using thread. The net is then filled in using the same thread by intricate interlocking stitches. The patterns are usually built around geometric shapes.  Kutch work embroidery has different varieties, styles, motifs and colours that vary from community to community and region to region.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 10 July 2008

GI Tag Number                         : 103

Certificate Number                  : 82

Geographical Area                  : Gujarat

Special Cover Release Date   : 06 April 2021

Cancellation                             : Dandi 396 439

Type                                          : GI Tag Special Cover

Cover Identification Number  : GUJ/07/2021

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 in Cover

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The following are few stamps released by India Post on Kutch Embroidery

Postage Stamp Issued on 31 December 2018 ,
 Handicrafts of India 

Sheetlet Issued on 19 December 2019
Embroideries of India

Enlarged View of the Stamp