Pethapur is famous for its finely carved wooden blocks for hand block printing all over the world. It is the only surviving center for block making in Gujarat. 

Saudagiri Block

The renowned Saudagiri trade has made Pethapur, a Block Making Hub. It was trade between India and Siam (present day Thailand). It was a hundred years of trade. There were 1200-1500 craftsmen and 122 households were involved in block making in Pethapur at the time of Saudagiri trade. 

An image of a Saudagiri Block and print is shown here. The intricacy, fineness and variety of carving technique of the craftsmen seen in the image of carved wooden blocks.

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Characteristics of Pethapur wood blocks:

• Wood used: A woodblock is made from seasoned teak wood.

• Technique/process: Prior to carving, precision finishing and levelling were performed to ensure that the design was printed uniformly geometry of the design to meet the repeat of the pattern.

• Carving: The Pethapur block is chiseled and carved straight and deep up to 0.75". This extends the shelf life of a block. The printing quality of a design does not deteriorate with usage. It would maintain the same print quality even after extended use.

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