Natural Product Radiance Vol 3(2) March-April 2004 91

Explorer
Plants used for
extracting dye
Natural plant-based dyes have
been in use since ancient time.
Researchers have also realized eco-friendly
effect of natural dyes hence many reports
have been published in recent years on
natural dyes. During the ethnomedicinal
studies the weavers in villages of West
Bengal especially Baluchuri designers at
Bishnupur- Bankura, Rajagram- Bankura,
24-Parganas and Medinipur were
contacted and information on plants used
as natural dye was collected.
Following plants are used by
villagers for extracting natural dye:
Acacia catechu Willd.
(heartwood), Albizia lebbeck
Benth.(fruit), Butea mono-
sperma(Lam.) Kuntze (flowers),
Camellia sinensis (Linn.) O. Kuntze
(leaves), Ceriops decandra (Griff.)
Ding Hou (bark), Ceriops tagal
(Perr.) C. B. Robins. (bark), Citrus
aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle (juice
mixed with Palash), Daucas carota
Linn. (roots), Mimusops elengi Linn.
(bark), Punica granatum Linn. (fruit
rind), Rhizophora apiculata Blume
(bark), R. mucronata Lam. (bark),
R. stylosa Griff. (bark), Swietenia
mahagoni Jacq. (fruit), Tagetes
erecta Linn. (flower), Ziziphus jujuba
Mill. (ash of the twig), and Z. oenoplia
Mill. (ash of the twig).
Diospyros peregrina
(Gaertn.) Gurke (HindiGab) fruit
extract is smeared on the thread to increase
its longevity and extract from bark of
Mimusops elengi Linn. (Hindi- Bakul,
Maulsari) is used in textiles to increase
the lusture.
Indigenous process for
developing clay dye
Banak clay dye is an excellent
natural dye obtained from underground
soil. It is in use since 250 years and the
age of the clay is approximately 65 million
years. The Banak clay occurs at a depth
from 1-2.5 m in the crop fields in
Anantapur, Rajnarayan-Chak, Dobandi,
Maity Chalk, Maguri, Tulya and some other
villages. In these villages nearly thousand
families are engaged in clay dye industry.
Banak clay yields lustrous showy red dye,
which is used in tiles, earthen pitcher,
cooking pots, bricks and walls.
For preparing clay dye Banak
clay is collected from fields during
summer. Usually 500 kg Banak clay yields
50 kg dye. Clay is put into a series of
covered earthen vessels along with
sufficient amount of demineralised water
(preferably rain water) for 3 days. After
three days clay is stirred manually by legs
followed by precipitation. In second phase
of processing the upper supernatant
solution is placed in earthen pots kept in
sunlight for seven days. In the third phase
the water is transferred into covered
earthen pots containing clay and pots are
again put in sunlight for ninety days. Black
coloured clay cakes gets deposited in the
inner wall of the pots which is the ready
for use as clay dye. The shelf-life of the
clay dye is quite stable at the temperature
ranging from -4 to 20 C. For the
commercial preparation of this dye
minimum 4000-5000 linearly arranged
earthen pots and exposure to sunlight are
the two essential requirements. The potters
who prepare this dye harvest about
88, 000 litres/100m
2
rain water both for
dyeing and drinking. The dye gives
protection against salinity to earthen pots
and other items .

Plant and clay dyes used by weavers

and potters in West Bengal
Ashish Ghosh
Habibpur Saraswati Vidyamandir High School
P. O. & District Paschim Medinipur - 721101, West Bengal
Abstract
Potential value of easily available natural plant dyes used by the weavers
of South Bengal and process of making Banak clay dyes, used in colouring tiles,
dolls, earthen pitcher, cooking pots, walls, etc. in Purba Medinipur have been
discussed in this paper for further exploration of these indigenous practices.
Keywords: Natural plant dyes, Banak clay dyes, West Bengal, Indigenous
Knowledge.
IPC Code; Int. cl.
7
C09B61/00