Sanganer in Jaipur is synonymous with the Jaipur International Airport and the bed sheets that are exported world over. But Sanganer has many other facets to it that are hidden from the world and definitely from the tourists who visit Jaipur; because Jaipur itself has so many wonders to explore that one does not even get to visit Sanganer in the rush of covering the other end of the Pink City. Let us today take you on a walking tour of Sanganer and in turn invoke your interest in visiting this small district that exports more goods than the entire city of Jaipur put together. Sanganer has the maximum number of manufacturing units that produce Sanganeri Printed fabrics, Hand Made Paper and Blue Pottery artefacts. Besides the manufacturing units, Sanganer has some centuries old monuments and temples too that must be visited.
Let’s begin our journey on foot and go on a learning expedition through our “school without walls”.
Part One : Sanganeri Prints
The printing technique aptly named after the city itself originated in the late 16th or early 17th century. The craftsmen who hailed originally from Gujarat, were displaced due to the upheavals caused by Maratha and Mughal tussles and migrated and settled in various places in Rajasthan including Sanganer. The wooden blocks that are used in printing are made by artisans from Uttar Pradesh, Farrukhabad to be precise. The fine craftsmanship of these men and women has been passed onto them from generations and generations of highly skilled hands. The block printing industry took a beating in Uttar Pradesh but was thriving in Rajasthan owing to which these craftsmen migrated to and settled in Rajasthan. The skill with which these wooden blocks are carved is unmatched. Very fine and intricate patterns are carved onto the blocks giving Sanganeri prints a distinct identity.
The printing industry in Sanganer found its patrons in the East India Company as long ago as the turn of the 18th century when the exports of these fine printed textiles initiated. From thence the industry got a boost and found its way with exports which is still going strong and earned Sanganeri Prints a GI Tag too!
The prints usually are of fine flowers and human and animal figures. Cavaliers, horses, camels, elephants and peacocks are the most common motifs. Printing is done in ek-rukhi and do-rukhi patterns, which simply means printing on one side of the fabric or both sides. Paisleys are another very popular print pattern. Sanganeri prints can be easily identified by their typical use of bootis (small motifs) systematically printed all over the fabric with distinct borders bracketing the bootis. The printing is usually done on off-white or beige backgrounds that makes the bright colours really stand out. Sand and water is used to prep up the raw fabric for printing. This pre-treatment in Calico printing enables the fabric to absorb the dyes properly with a lasting effect. 
Sanganeri printing primarily uses wooden blocks but screens also are preferred for fine prints. The outlines are printed first and then the colours are filled into the patterns. For the blocks, the fabrics are stretched and marked to make it easier for the artisan to print at equal distances.
Most preferred fabric material is cotton, mulmul and silks. The prints can be seen on anything and everything from wearables to tapestry to upholstery to wall papers and even on gift wrapping material. The classiest and most stylish prints, favourites of top fashion designers across the world are Sanganeri prints. Do not forget to pick a dupatta, a scarf, a skirt, a shirt, or maybe a lively bed spread to enliven your room back home.
Part Two : Hand Made Paper
As we move on after a detailed tour of the printing units, we come to the Kagzi Mohalla - the settlement of Paper craftsmen. The skilled craftsmen use natural fibres (cotton waste, wood chips and other such cellulose fibres) and water to make a suspension which is then drained and dried and matted, pressed into sheets and kept out to dry thus making unique interwoven patterns of fibres on the sheet of hand made paper. These sheets are then decorated with various colours and prints and are ready to be retailed or exported. The craftsmen make paper and cardboard with this very simple technique. The hand made paper ranks pretty high on the artistic scale and finds its use among all things beautiful and stylish. This industry not only supports the artisans involved in the manufacturing but also helps keep our planet clean and green by recycling various kinds of wastes to produce much useful paper. A great souvenir to carry from here would be a hand -made paper bound diary or gift packing material.
Part Three : Blue Pottery
Under the encouragement of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II, artisans were sent to Delhi to learn the craft. Initially the craft was used to make decorative tiles. Many heritage buildings in Rajasthan have walls and floor decorated with these tiles. Later the craftsmen became a bit creative and innovative and used the craft to design decorative plates, vases, pots and figurines of animals and people. Some of the designer studios in the Blue Pottery lane in Sanganer make attractive buttons, jewellery and door knobs too. Exported world over, the blue pottery has seeped deep into the daily lives of locals as well. A blue pottery pot for making curds is a very standard piece of crockery that can be found in most of the Jaipur homes. You may pick various articles from an array of decorative things made with this craft. But ladies, you must have a blue pottery bead necklace and ear rings in your jewellery box.
Part Four : Heritage
Sanganer though is more of a manufacturing town now, but it holds within itself some cherishingly safeguarded historical monuments. The main gates called Tripolia, are now in ruins but the structure still reflects the architectural wonder they once were.
Walk a little towards inside and beautifully carved Jain temples will beckon you for a closer look. Often compared to the Dilwara Temples of Mount Abu, these temple complexes also are ancient and very beautifully hand-carved out of Red Sand Stone. The temple is seven storied and has sky-high spires or shikharas. The inner sanctum of the temple has eight shikharas. It is a stone shrine with three beautifully decorated pinnacles. Jain architecture uses a lot of arches and Toranas at all the entrances and doorways. The same can be seen here too. The temple holds a little secret as well. It has an underground chamber where idols of Teerthankaras made out of precious stones are kept. These idols can be touched only by a saint / sage and can be brought out to the main temple only by him.
Besides the Jain temples, Sanganer also has the ruins of what once was a majestic fort. Visit the fort ruins before you bid adieu to the quiet and calm town of Sanganer which keeps humming with the life of hubbub of the many manufacturing units that support many families.
Picture Source : Wikipedia
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