Leheriya: Rajasthan's Tie-Dyed Waves

March 12, 2026 Khinkhwab Team

Tie a length of cloth just so, dip it in dye, and unfurl a ripple of diagonal stripes. This is leheriya, Rajasthan’s tie-dye of waves.

✨ Fun fact: The name leheriya comes from leher, the Hindi word for “wave” — and the cloth was once the favourite of Rajput men, whose turbans rippled with its colours.

Pink Leheriya Pure Organza Gotta Patti Dupatta — Khinkhwab — Pink Leheriya Organza Dupatta with Gotta Patti — Khinkhwab. The diagonal wave of leheriya in soft pink — the same tie-and-dye tradition that once filled a Rajput’s turban.

How the waves are made

A long, thin length of cloth is rolled diagonally from corner to corner into a rope, then bound tightly at intervals with thread before dyeing. Where the thread binds, the dye cannot reach, leaving undyed lines. Unrolled, the cloth reveals diagonal waves. To add more colours, it is untied, re-rolled and re-bound, again and again.

Rajasthani woman in tie-dyed odhni veil 19th century Metropolitan Museum — Rajasthani woman wearing a tie-dyed veil, 19th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain). The rippling diagonal stripes of leheriya worn as an odhni — exactly as the tradition intended.

The home of leheriya

Leheriya is a craft of Rajasthan — above all Jaipur, Jodhpur and the towns of the desert. It is especially loved at festivals such as Teej and Gangaur, when its bright waves feel like a celebration of the rains.

Many colours, many names

Panchranga (five-coloured) and satranga (seven-coloured) are the most prized. A related technique, mothra, ties the cloth twice in opposite directions to create a lattice of tiny checks.