how do names of different textiles tell us about their histories
Answers
Tracing the origin of the names of certain textiles is interesting as it tells about the history of the textiles.
Muslin: European traders first encountered fine cotton cloth from India carried by Arab merchants in Mosul in present-day Iraq. They began referring to all finely woven textiles as “muslin”.
Calico: When the Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in south-west India. They took back to Europe cotton textiles which they called “calico” (derived from Calicut) and subsequently calico became the general name for all cotton textiles.
Chintz: It is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.
Bandanna: now refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. Originally, the term derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying), and referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying
Other cloth and textiles from India were named and ordered by their place of origin: Kasimbazar, Patna, Calcutta, Orissa, Charpoore.
The widespread use of these words shows how popular Indian textiles had become in different parts of the world.