This intricate and exclusively handcrafted block-printing technique came to Kutch from Sindh some 400 years ago at the behest of the King of Kutch, who invited craftsmen from Khatri community to come and practice their art on the banks of Dhamadka river. It is hard to believe that the artisans use rusted iron to create dye! Scrap iron, jaggery and tamarind is soaked in water for two weeks and then cooked over flame to create the black dye for Ajrakh.
