Buying bandhani from India when you live abroad

Almost everything sold abroad as bandhani is a screen print, and the difference is visible from the back of the cloth.

Yes — you can buy bandhani from Indian shops even if they do not deliver to your country. India Rabbit gives you a free delivery address in India. You order to that address as an ordinary domestic customer, we receive and hold the parcel free for 30 days, combine it with anything else you buy, and forward the lot to you.

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Why this is hard to buy where you are

Bandhani is GI-registered twice over, as Kutch Bandhani and as Jamnagari Bandhani, and it is made by tying thousands of individual knots before dyeing. That takes days to weeks, which is why a real piece costs what it does and why so much of what is sold under the name is simply printed cloth. The check is easy once you know it, and the sellers working directly with the Khatri community in Kutch are open about which of the two they are selling you.

Where to buy it

Shop	What they are good for
iTokri	The largest accessible range of genuine Kutch bandhani, explicitly credited to the Khatri community, with gram weights published per product.
Khamir	A not-for-profit craft platform based in Bhuj. The closest thing to buying at source, and it carries ajrakh, mashru and kala cotton alongside.
Rana Saree	Jaipur studio at the upper-mid end, notable for stating artisan attribution and fabric per saree and publishing its own hand-against-printed guidance.
Kaisori	Small and specific: a short line of hand-knotted, naturally dyed Kutch bandhani cotton sarees worked by women artisans.
India Handmade	The Ministry of Textiles marketplace. Thin for this craft but useful for provenance. If any of these cannot deliver to your country, your Indian address makes it a domestic order.

Craft sellers and co-operatives rarely have an overseas checkout, and the ones that do change it. A free Indian address turns the order into the domestic sale they are actually set up to handle.

What to check before you order

Look at the reverse. On genuine tied-and-dyed cloth the dye penetrates unevenly, knot impressions are visible, and the colour is not flat. On a print the back matches the front, the ink sits on the surface and there are no knot marks.
Examine the dots. Hand-tied dots vary in size and spacing with soft edges; printed dots are identical and perfectly spaced. That regularity is the biggest giveaway there is.
Expect texture. Real tied cloth puckers slightly and has tiny raised points where the knots were. Printed cloth is smooth and flat.
Be suspicious of a very low price. Tying and dyeing a piece takes days to weeks, so anything sold as hand-tied bandhani at a printed-cloth price almost certainly is printed cloth.
Genuine bandhani is usually on gaji silk, mashru, modal, chiffon or georgette. The base fabric is part of what you are paying for and sellers who work at source will name it.

Weight, customs and getting it here intact

Weight

Light to moderate. A pure georgette Kutch bandhani saree with added zari work and blouse material is about 830g, measured by a seller that weighs its stock; a plain cotton piece is substantially less. Dupattas and dress material are lighter again, so several pieces move in one cheap band.

Volume

Soft and compressible, so volumetric weight rarely governs. Bandhani is traditionally sold still knotted in places, and we leave those knots alone rather than pressing them out.

Customs

Usually modest declared values, often under the threshold where you live for a single piece. A set of several sarees can clear it, which is worth knowing before you order six at once. Check what your destination allows.

Condition

Naturally dyed pieces can transfer colour, so anything dyed is wrapped on its own rather than packed against pale cloth. We do not press bandhani, because the puckering is the craft rather than a crease.

Work out the exact cost to your country

Where we send it

Pick your country for transit times and customs notes.

Questions

How do I tell real bandhani from a print?

Look at the back of the fabric. Tied-and-dyed cloth shows uneven dye penetration and visible knot marks, and the dots vary in size with soft edges. A print matches front to back, sits on the surface and has perfectly regular dots. Ask for a photograph of the reverse.

Why is genuine bandhani so much more expensive?

Because every dot is a knot tied by hand before dyeing, and a single piece takes days to weeks of work. That labour is the whole price difference, and it is the reason a cheap hand-tied claim is almost always untrue.

Should the fabric look puckered?

Yes. Slight puckering and tiny raised points are what tied cloth looks like. We do not press it out, because that texture is the evidence of the craft.

Will the colour run?

Naturally dyed pieces can transfer a little, particularly when new. We pack dyed pieces away from pale fabric for that reason, and it is worth washing a new piece separately the first time.

Order it like you live in Kerala

Your free Indian address takes a minute to set up and works on your very next order. We hold parcels free for 30 days so you can combine them into one box.

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