Murals, wall hangings, paintings, household
linen, and scarves are treasured possessions of any household in India.
Batik prints of West Bengal, Orissa and Tamil Nadu are known for their
originality,

uniqueness
and fineness. Batik is the art of creating images on the cotton cloth
using wax resist method.
Batik literally means
'wax writing'. Not starting a
controversy, the art is as indigenous to India as to Indonesia or
Malaysia or Japan. Indians knew the technique of Batik some 2000 years
back. Rice starch and wax resists were used for printing. The technique
had lost its popularity because of tedious procedures of waxing and
dewaxing. It was kept alive as a hobby by the aristocratic ladies and
revived in 20th century.
A batik artist needs to have a good sense of colors and patterns.
Though the motifs used in batik are simple, knowledge of color
gradations and tack to remove wax finely are required. Applying the wax
resist and systematic cracking are the key to a beautiful art piece. The
characteristic batik effect is created by cracking of wax on the lighter
hues and seeping in of the darker colors though them.