leheriya

Leheriya is a traditional textile pattern and dye technique from India, a wave-pattern variant of bandhani (tie-dye) that is closely associated with Rajasthan and Gujarat. The name comes from the Hindi word leher, meaning waves, reflecting the characteristic undulating lines produced on fabric.

To create leheriya, the fabric is folded, twisted, or stretched and then bound with threads in curved, repeated shapes. The tied sections resist dye, leaving white or pale lines, while the exposed areas take color. When the bindings are released, a series of wavy bands appears. The process can be repeated with different colors to produce multi-hued waves and more complex patterns.

Leheriya patterns are commonly applied to cotton and silk fabrics and are popular for garments such as dupattas, sarees, lehengas, and scarves, as well as home textiles. Traditional color palettes favor bright, contrasting combos—red, blue, yellow, green, and purple—though modern work often uses a wider range of dyes. Both natural and synthetic dyes are used in contemporary productions.

Historically, leheriya is part of the broader Bandhani family of resist-dye techniques that date back many centuries in the Indian subcontinent. It remains a prominent element of regional textile heritage in Rajasthan and Gujarat and continues to be produced in traditional communities as well as in contemporary fashion markets.

Care for leheriya fabrics typically involves gentle washing and avoidance of prolonged soaking to preserve color and pattern.