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.