Bandhej vs Bandhani

Bandhej — also called Bandhani — is a tie-dye technique: small sections of fabric are tightly tied before dyeing, which resists the dye and leaves a pattern of small dots or motifs once the ties are removed. It's one of the best-known resist-dyeing traditions in Indian textiles, and "Bandhej" and "Bandhani" are simply regional names for the same process.

It's often combined with other weaves and border techniques rather than used alone — a bandhej ground paired with a woven or embroidered border is a common pairing.

In our room, bandhej shows up combined with Banarasi weaving. Our Banarasi–Bandhej–Patola fusion saree (WCS-004 through WCS-007) has an all-over bandhej dot pattern on a Banarasi ground, finished with a Patola-style border, across four colourways — royal blue, vermilion, emerald and parrot green. The Magenta Banarasi Khaddi Bandhej Saree with Hand-Work Border (WCS-011) is a Banarasi Khaddi Georgette in bandhej, with a gold-zari diamond lattice and a hand-worked border of mirrors, sequins and gota.