Weaving in India

Ancient India

Medieval India

Modern India & European Influence

• Indus Valley Civilization (3300 – 1300 BCE):
  • Evidence of cotton cultivation and textile production has been found in IVC. Also, terracotta figurines of IVC are usually draped in woven garments.
  • Excavations at site of Mohenjo-Daro (C.2500 to 1500 BCE) revealed presence of dye with woven cotton fragments wrapped round a silver pot.
• Vedic Period: Rigveda (1500 – 500 BCE) also contains references to weaving having religious and cultural significance.
  • A weaver in the Rigveda is described as vasovaya. 
  • The male weaver was called vaya whereas a female weaver was called vayitri.
• Post Vedic period: Epics like Mahabharat and Ramayana mention silk fabric and woolen clothing.
  • Buddhist literature refers to different types of textile fabrics like linen (Khoman), cotton (kappasikam), silk (kosseyam), etc. 
  • Other related words found in the text are weavers (tantuvaya),  place of weaving (tantavitatatthanam), weaving appliances (tantabhanda) and loom (tantaka).
  • The Arthashastra refers to the superintendent of yarns (sutradhyaksa) responsible for regulating yarn spinning.
  • In later periods, Achaemenid Empire in north-western India introduced Persian motifs and weaving techniques in India.

• Mughal Empire (1526- 1857): Mughal emperors as patron of arts help opened Karkhanas or workshops where textile production was carried out. 
  • In that era developement of luxurious textiles like brocades, muslin, Malmal Khas (A muslin worn by Mughals) velvets happened.
• In western India, silk was mostly mixed with cotton. 
  • One example of this was alacha fabric which was made in Cambay, Gujarat.
• Tarikh-i-Rashidi, a medieval text by Mirza Dughlat Baig mentions practice of sericulture in Kashmir.
• Textile Industry grew substantially during medieval period and became largest industry under Mughals with a huge European market.

• Emergence of Industrial Revolution in England made it difficult for Indian textiles to compete with the machine made products.
• When English clothes entered India, condition of merchants of Indian textiles and weavers in India became worse because British cloth were cheaper.
• India lost its rich textile market and became only a supplier of raw cotton for England. This period is represented by drain of wealth from India to England.