By the time sawan, the Indian monsoon season, arrives in Rajasthan, the desert begins to wear its own version of the rain. Bright leheriya saris, odhnis or traditional draped veils, and turbans appear in markets and festive wardrobes, particularly around Teej, the monsoon festival. Its waves of pink, yellow, green and blue seem almost made for the season: a little movement, a little colour, a suggestion of water in a landscape where it is precious.
Even the name carries that image. Leheriya comes from leher, meaning “wave”. But the waves do not come from the rain. They are made by hand, through a centuries-old tie-dye technique practised in Rajasthan.
A length of cloth is rolled diagonally and tied tightly at intervals before being dipped into colour. When the bindings come off and the fabric is opened, the straight lines have become waves. Tie it across a second diagonal and the pattern becomes mothara, a variation of leheriya in which crossing lines create a checked, rippling design.
The craft dates back several centuries, with surviving examples from the 17th century. It was particularly favoured by Rajput courts, where saafa, the traditional Rajasthani turban, became vivid canvases for the technique. The colours and patterns could even carry associations with particular royal households.
There is a curious impermanence built into the process, too. Traditional leheriya uses kaccha colours, meaning fugitive or less colourfast dyes. Their impermanence is useful, allowing colour to be removed during the dyeing process and helping artisans achieve the crisp lines that make the pattern so recognisable.
The waves have also been linked to Rajasthan's desert landscape, where wind leaves ripples across the sand. But come monsoon, they acquire another meaning. Worn during Sawan and Teej, leheriya becomes a celebration of the rains, its vivid colours echoing the sudden transformation of the landscape.
Perhaps that is why it feels so at home in the monsoon. It carries the memory of waves even in a place where the sea is nowhere in sight.
Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com
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