Bandhani is a type of tie-dye practiced mainly in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, India. The term Bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit word banda ("to tie"). Bandhani is also known as Bandhej or Tie & Dye or Bandana, etc. as per the regional pronunciation. Tie and Dye is one of the oldest textile techniques where portions of cloth are tightly tied before dyeing.
The art of Bandhani is a highly skilled process. The technique involves dyeing a fabric which is tied tightly with a thread at several points, thus producing a variety of patterns like Laheriya, Mothara, Ekdali and Shikari depending on the manner in which the cloth is tied. The main colours used in Bandhani are yellow, red, blue, green and black. Bandhani work, after the processing is over, results into a variety of symbols including, dots, squares, waves and strips. Bandhani pieces can be dyed by natural and artificial colours.
The main colours used in Bandhani are natural. In fact all colours in Bandhani are dark, no light colour is used, and the background is mostly in black / red cloth.
Bhuj and Mandvi of Kutch District & Saurashtra of Gujarat State in India are well known for the finest quality of Bandhani. Bandhani work is also done in Rajasthan state but having different types of colours In Bandhani, different colours convey different meanings. While red represents a bride, a yellow background suggests a lady has become a mother recently.