India has a diverse and rich textile tradition.
The origin of Indian textiles can be traced
to the Indus valley civilization. The people
of this civilization used homespun
for weaving their garments. Excavations
at Harappa and Mohen -jo-Daro, have unearthed
household items like needles made of bone
and spindles made of , amply suggesting
that homespun cotton was used to make garments.
Fragments of woven cotton have also been
found from these sites. The first literary information about textiles
in India can be found in the Rigveda, which
refers to weaving. The ancient Indian epics-Ramayana
and Mahabharat also speak of a variety of
fabrics of those times. The Ramayana refers
to the rich styles worn by the aristocracy
on one hand and the simple clothes worn
by the commoners and ascetics. Ample evidence on the ancient textiles
of India can also be obtained from the various
sculptures belonging to Mauryan and Gupta
age as well as from ancient Buddhist scripts
and murals (Ajanta caves). Legend has it
that when Amrapali, a courtesan from the
kingdom of Vaishali met Gautam Buddha, she
wore a richly woven semi transparent sari,
which speaks volumes of the technical achievement
of the ancient Indian weaver.
India had numerous trade links with the
outside world and Indian textiles were popular
in the ancient world. Indian was popular
in Rome in the early centuries of the Christian
era. Hoards of fragments of cotton material
originating from have been found
in the Egyptian tombs at Fostat, belonging
to 5th century A.D. Cotton textiles were
also exported to China during the heydays
of the silk route.
Silk fabrics from south India were exported
to Indonesia during the 13th century. India
also exported printed cotton fabrics or
chintz, to European countries and the Far
East before the coming of the Europeans
to India. The British East India Company
also traded in Indian cotton and silk fabrics,
which included the famous Dacca muslins.
Muslins from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa were
also popular abroad.(Muslin-a very thin
cotton material) (Chintz-cotton cloth, usually
printed with flowery patterns, that has
a slightly shiny appearance)
The past traditions of the textile and
handlooms can still be seen amongst the
motifs, patterns, designs, and the old techniques
of weaving, still employed by the weavers.
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