A Natural Dye- are either substantive or adjective. Substantive dyes need no mordant (metallic salts like alum, chrome,iron and tin) to fix the colour to the cloth fibre and sources include certain lichens, the bark and heartwood of trees and most importantly, the indigo shrub indigolera tinctoria Historically of great commercial value the indigo species yields more than thirty times the quantity of the blue dye agent indicant than the plants endemic to the West and further to the East. The Indigo bush is found throughout India, however its supply was closely associated with market towns of Ahemdabad and Biana south-west of Agra.
The dye is processed by way of an exacting technique which leaves little margin for error. Indigo itself is not soluble in water. To dye the cloth – the precipitate from the immersed leaves of the indigo plant is mixed with an alkaline solution to create “ indigo white” The cloth or yarn is then dipped into the solution and colours blue as the white indigo oxidizes on contact with the atmosphere. A repeated dipping into the vat darkens the blue colour. Although fast, the indicant merely coats the surface of the fibres of the cloth; it therefore tends to rub off and is prone to leaching when washed.
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