Hand-Lep Dabu Technique

'Lep' is Hindi for coating. Hand lep printing is a technique in which the fabric is coated with mud by hand for three days.

Then, Indigo dye is applied over the mud, and the color seeps through this coating and its cracks. The fabric is then washed to reveal the beautifully dyed cloth. This process can be repeated to achieve the desired saturation of indigo blue and a deeper pattern of cracks.

Unlike the traditional Dabu technique, hand-lep printing does not use wood blocks to apply the mud mixture.