Batik is an Indonesian word derived from the word “TITIK” or “TIK” meaning “ A little bit” or “A drop”. This refers to the tiny drops of hot melted wax used on the design to resist the dye. Although it is an ancient South East Asian technique the tradition is believed to have originated in JAVA.
Sri Lankan Batiks unlike the Indonesia Batiks are not done on scales of mass production . Batiks are very popular among Sri Lankans. Batik Sarongs, Skirts, Shirts, Wall Hangings, Kaftans, brightly designed Kurtas and colourful Lungis are few of the Batik clothes. The tourists who visit Sri Lanka , they don’t forget to visit Batik Showrooms in Sri Lanka and they really like to wear those items .
Batik has also been and ancient art in Sri Lanka. With revival more than a decade ago it is now one of the most popular export items and today Sri Lanka is among the world leaders in the design of Batik. Batik galleries and factories line the major highways while every tourist destination and hotel offers Batik items for sale. They are available from simple single colour designs to intricate multi coloured masterpieces.
The Persians and Egyptians used similar procedure of painting cloth in ancient times, but it was the Hindus who settled in Indonesia during 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. who developed the Art. Batik flourished under the rule of the East Java Kings between the 13th and 16th centuries. The Art not only survived the collapse of Hindu rule and the conversation of Indonesia to Islam in the late 16th Century but it continues today to influence Indonesian theatre, puppetry and the dance.
Patterns are traced on the cloth with tracing paper and soft lead pencil. Some artists do free hand drawings which are in turn transferred to the cloth. The cloth to be dyed should be preferably of natural fibre such as cotton, linen and pure silk. The material is washed thoroughly with soda and hot water to remove all dressing and finishing used to stiffen.
For the second phase which is waxing the cloth is pinned to a frame. It has to be taut on the frame to enable working on it with ease. An experienced hand should be nimble and sure and should not rest too much once a long curving Batik line is reached. All areas that do not take the first dye is waxed first. The cloth is pinned on a frame and not laid on a table surface or the wax will fasten the cloth to it as it cools and crack, causing the dye to run into the cracks and spoil the design.
When the first waxing is done and the wax is cooled, the cloth is submerged in a bowl of cold water and then placed in the dye bath. A cold water dye is necessary for batiks. Salt and soda are added for 30 – 60 minutes according to the depth of the colour required. It is usual when dyeing to begin with the lightest colour when a design need several colours and with the nest lightest for the second dye and so on until the darkest dye is reached.
When the dyeing has been completed the cloth is remove and pegged out to drip. Then the wax is removed from the cloth by boiling the cloth is a container of water for about five minutes, with detergent. The cloth is then rinsed and dried.
This is the process for each colour until the final design is complete. Each separate colour involves a different dyeing process. Some designs may require up to fifteen waxings and take six or more days to complete. A good Batik is always marked by a hair fine crackle, the finer, cleaner lines the better.
Batik items of clothing are usually made out of cotton, lawn, muslin and pure silk. Heavier fabrics are used for wall hangings and household linen. Leather is a new addition to the many number of materials that are used to do Batik printing to produce attractively and originally designed shoes, bags, coats and skirts.
The patterns used in Batik printing are varied, definite in form, free or continuous giving an overall patterned effect. Flowers , geometric patterns and traditional motifs such as Swan, Peacock and Elephants are popular subjects for the sarongs as well as utility items such as bags, house hold linen and decorative items such as wall hangings and banners are available for sale.
Batik is popular with the tourist hotels as décor in their lobbies and guestrooms. They complement the traditional touch in the décor.
Several of Sri Lankan Batik manufacturers export their Batik products to fashion houses in the West.
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