History And Background
According to archaeological evidence and literature, textile creation is an early Indian art form that predates the Harappan civilisation by at least 5,000 years.
Cotton, wool, and silk are the most common materials used in textiles.
Textiles
Cotton and wool appear to have played an important role in Indian history, dating back to the Harappan civilization. Indigenous silk was produced by the tribes of Bihar and Orissa in the north-eastern states.
The natural single gold tussar and moonga silks have their own distinct feel.
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is another ancient Indian skill that dates back over 5,000 years to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Fabrication of metal sheets that could be connected and pounded into shape was required for making metal utensils, pots, and pans.
These massive cooking vessels were occasionally cast in a mould using the lost wax method, such as when the Kerala urli was created.
Jewellery making, sculpture, textile production, leather product production, and metalworking were the primary handicrafts influenced and absorbed into Indian craftsmanship by numerous invaders during the post-Mauryan period.
Artisians Across the Land
The weaving of silk and cotton textiles is mentioned in the Sangam classics. Weavers had their own streets, known as karugar vidi or aruval vidi, and were already a well-established and respected group in society.
Weavers lived in and around the temple complexes of the Chola and Vijayanagar empires (ninth to twelfth centuries), weaving textiles to clothe the priests and local populace, as well as cater to trade from across the sea.
The following locations were known for their textiles:
Gujarat, Sindh, and Rajasthan in western India
The Coromandel Coast in southern India
Bengal, Orissa, and the Gangetic plain in eastern India.
Craft Productions
Various economic organisations and techniques for integrating craft production into the macroeconomic system existed throughout Indian history.
The Arthashastra distinguishes between two types of artisans: those who hire a team of artisans to do the actual work for the client and those who set up and run their own workshops.
Artisans were compensated in one of two ways: with goods or with money. Nonetheless, in areas where money was not introduced, service connections and in-kind transfers may have occurred.
The jajmani system most likely arose from these service relationships.