Dabu Mud-Resist Indigo Block-Printed Cotton Rug

Printed using the Dabu technique, an ancient mud-resist method from Rajasthan dating to the 7th century CE, in which a mixture of clay, gum, and wheat chaff is applied to the cotton to block dye penetration, then the fabric is dipped in indigo. Where the mud sits, the cloth stays white. Where the mud is absent, the indigo takes hold. The mud is then washed away, leaving the resist pattern behind.

Dabu, also written Daboo, is a mud-resist printing technique practiced in Rajasthan since at least the 7th century CE. The artisan applies a paste of black clay, gum, and wheat chaff to the cotton surface using carved wooden blocks; when the fabric is immersed in indigo dye, the paste resists penetration, and the undyed areas become the geometric pattern. This rug carries that process, indigo ground, resist-print geometry, the faint texture of a textile that has been immersed and washed and sun-dried more than once.

Flat-woven and firm, it anchors a bedroom or sits under a coffee table without lifting at the edges. The indigo deepens in the first few months of exposure to light, this is the chemistry of natural dye, not a defect of the object.

Dabu Mud-Resist Print · Indigo Dye · Hand Block-Printed · Rajasthan

Care Instructions

• Spot clean with mild detergent and cold water.
• Blot, do not rub, to avoid spreading stains.
• Air dry flat. Do not machine wash.
• Vacuum regularly on low suction to remove dust.
• Rotate periodically to ensure even wear.