Medieval Indian Textiles

India in the middle ages was one of the few locations where the use of all four of the major natural fibers could be found used side-by side.

As in present-day India, there were regional preferences for different patterns, weaves, and fibers. While ancient and medieval texts such as the Arthasastra and Manasollasa makes it clear that a wide variety of textiles from all over India and beyond were available to the wealthy and noble, it is likely that the more common person would primarily have access to the textiles and forms of textile decoration that were produced regionally.

Find Arthasastra

In the chapter of the Manasollasa dedicated to Vastrobhoga, or the enjoyment of garments by the king, Manasollasa writes:

Origins:

The king's wardrobe comprises of various types of garments produced in different countries like Pottilapura, Chirapalli, Nagapattana, Choladesa, Allikadesa, Simhaladweipa Anilavada, Mulasthana, Tondidesa; Panchalapattana and other countries; a variety of excellent, beautiful and good silk cloth from Kalingadesa and Vangadesa. (Arundhati p. 92)

Fibers and colors by season:

The king should wear the dress according to the season and weather, in vasant he should put on silk or charming thin cotton cloth called kurpasa. Soft, thin and beautiful white, woolen also can be used. In the summer, the king should wear white clothes and in the rainy season, he should wear the dress dyed with manjitsha, patala which are pink or dark red in colour. In the sarat season the king should use the dress in smoky colour, while in winter he should use dark coloured dress dyed in saffron or kusumbha or laksharasa. In winter he should wear a dress comprising of angika and patijata specially meant for that season. (Arundhati, p. 93)

Cotton

Native to India and by far one of the most widely used textile,

Silk

Kauseya, koseyya,

Wool

Roma, Otum (Vedic texts),

Linen and Hemp

Hemp

Sana

Jute

Linen

The least common textile found in India, it still is mentioned in some literary sources.

Manasollasa (In Baroda volumes, not Arundhati :/)

"ksauma"

Origin? Trade from Egypt or Japan?

Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindi words for same

The Manasollasa refers to it as ksauma, and this term is generally accepted by linguists as "linen". Gopal studies this translation further

Colors: Dyeing and Decoration

Varieties of silk, and cotton cloth, in different colours like white, red, yellow, green and blue woven with gold or silver thread; and wool are to be kept ready for the king. The cloth having white stripes; different colours and five colours; with beautiful circle; three types of stripes at different distances, stripes on the upper part of the cloth (pallu); small stripes in the middle of the cloth; stripes at a distance of an inch; small stripes in the middle; stripes at distance of two inches; round circles here and there, four stripes, and dots; strong and pleasant as well as light and thin cloth; in dark colours rare colours; very costly cloth, very thick cloth, the cloth cleansed in the machines; cloth with red thread, multicoloured thread; dyed red, in the juices manjitsha, laksha, kusumbha, sindhura, abhaya and cloth of prange, black, blue, parrotgreen colours, black cloth which looks like kukoo, white cloth which looks like swan and in many other colours and hues tailored in different styles and fashions are kept ready for the king. (Arundhati, p 92-93)

Purple-colored cotton from Mohenjodaro (c. 3000 B.C.) shows evidence of being dyed with rubia cordiolfia, more commonly known as madder (Roy, p. 84)

Vedic (c. 1000 B.C. - 500 B.C.) period terms:

manjistha (madder)

kala or asikni (indigo?)

maharanjana (safflower)

lodhra (symplecos racemosa)

haridra (turmeric)

lac

post-Vedic (c. 500 B.C. - 3rd c. C.E.) terms:

kunkuma (saffron)

nila (indigo)

krmi (kermes)

rocana (cow-urine yellow)

gairika (red ochre)

khanjana (carbon black)

The medieval period was marked by the discovery of the colour-fixation property of tuvari (alum)

Iron and aluminum not introduced as a mordant until the 18th c.

For those interested in a more in-depth analysis and discussion of dyeing in India, I highly recommend hunting down the articles "Dyes in Ancient and Medieval India" by Mira Roy and "Dyeing Agents in India A.D." by Hamida Khatoon Naqvi (Full citation under References). The authors provide an exhaustive and fascinating list of the various dyestuffs and methods of dyeing throughout the historical period.

References

Arundhati, P., Royal Life in Manasollasa

Roy, Mira, Dyes in Ancient and Medieval India, IJHS

Naqvi, Hamida Khatoon, Some Varieties of Indian Silken Stuff in Persian Sources c. 1200-1700, IJHS

Naqvi, Hamida Khatoon, Dyeing Agents in India A.D. 1200-1800, IHJS

Gopal, Textiles in Ancient India

Das, Sukla, Fabric art