Ikat as a craft is practiced in so many countries around the globe. Similarities in technique are evidence of the belief of migration of the Austronesian people worldwide. The frescoes found in the Ajanta and Ellora Caves hold evidence of the existence of Ikat in India since the 7th Century BC. 

The word ‘ikat’ is coined from the Malay-Indonesian word ‘mengikat’, which translates to ‘to tie’. The last few decades have seen the city of Rajkot and the neighbouring villages practice single Ikat.

The process starts with drafting the designs either on the warp grid or the weft grid on graph sheets. The resist dye is then applied to the exact yarn strands that coincide with the pattern drafted. 

The threads are then woven with utmost precision. If the weft threads are used for creating the design, the warp threads are kept of a single plain colour. The more the colours, the more tedious the process.