Exploring the Roots of Akola – A Hidden Gem for Indigo & Dabu Printing

Far away from the hustle and bustle of the Lake City, Udaipur, the mythical town - Akola, is situated at the Khriki Chowki Highway; also known as the Chippon Ka Akola.

This place is a hidden gem for Indigo and Dabu Prints. The Chhipa Community has been living the legacy of printing and dyeing extraordinary fabrics for ages here.

The community derived its name in India from the Gujarati word Chapa which means to print. Amongst all the craftsmen, residing deep in the village, only a few master in Indigo printing while the rest are mostly indulged in producing Dabu prints. 

Dabu Printing 

Bagru Dabu is a known name and has been our all time favourite craft amongst the Indian textiles. Bagru is the name of the town while Dabu is the art form.

Another hidden town that excel in the art of Dabu printing is – Akola!
What makes Akola’s Dabu unique is their intricate motifs and premium quality dye.


The artisans painstakingly carve the wooden blocks – giving each block a matchless design. The premium quality dye extracted from plants and fruits make these fabrics bleed lesser than the usual ones.

Indigo Printing 

From Indus Valley Civilization to the British Raj, Indigo has been in the hearts of people for eternity. Due to its imperial acceptance, Indigo is not just a color, but a craft in itself.

The vibrant deep blue dye is extracted from the plant family, inidgofera tinctoria. However, with the change in time, synthetic` indigo dyes have come into play.

What make these families stand out, are their dedication and respect for Indigo printing. Despite the soaring demand, these craftsmen have been deliberately confined to a minimal production quantity per day, to retain the quality of the fabric. Immersing the fabrics in organic dyes, they pay unconditional devotion to each and every fabric they produce.

Knowing the fact that indigo bleeds like sin, the quality of the Indigo fabric available here is eighty percent better than the usual ones. The Indigo fabrics produced here bleed less and are more durable.

Moreover, the hand blocks carved here are different from the usual ones! They are very precise and intricately carved in a plethora of designs. In fact, in a glance, it is hard to believe that the designs are hand printed! These properties make the Akola Indigo matchless and treasurable.  

The Process of the Akola Magic

Before the printing process starts, the cloth is thoroughly washed and soaked for 36 hours, to make it soft and absorbable

The fabrics are first drip-dried, then placed on these printing tables, ready for Hand-block printing

Intricately carved hand-blocks, in numerous designs, these are dipped in a mixture of mud and tree gum and are imprinted on the fabrics

Once the block printing is done, the fabrics are dipped in indigo water craters

Indigo Hand-Block printed fabrics are ready.

Craft Your Story

We pay great attention to each and every fabric that we bring to our patrons. Knowing the fact that these fabrics usually bleed a lot, our designing experts delved into this hidden gem, Akola. Here the Indigo and Dabu fabrics are printed with utmost patience and skill, making them high-quality fabrics (with 80 percent less bleeding). 

You can explore Akola Indigo and Dabu prints and Craft Your Story! Do share your look and tag us on  &