what were the reason for the term endous demand of India cotton textile in Europe till 18 th century
Answers
Answer:
Q1 : What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe?
Answer :
Cotton and silk textiles had a huge market in Europe. Indian textiles were by far the most popular, both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Different varieties of Indian textiles were sold in the Western markets; for example, chintz, cossaesor khassa, bandannaand jamdani. From the 1680s, there started a craze for printed Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe, mainly for their exquisite floral designs, fine texture and relative cheapness.
Q2 : What is jamdani?
Answer :
Jamdaniis a fine muslin on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in grey and white. Often a mixture of cotton and gold thread is used.
Q3 : What is bandanna?
Answer :
The word “bandanna” refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. The term is derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying) which refers to a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.
Q4 : Who are the Agarias?
Answer :
The Agariasare an Indian community of iron smelters.
Let’s discusslet’s recall : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 94
Q1 : Fill in the blanks:
(a) The word chintz comes from the word __________.
(b) Tipu’s sword was made of _________ steel.
(c) India’s textile exports declined in the _________ century.
Answer :
(a)The word chintz comes from the word chhint.
(b)Tipu’s sword was made of Wootzsteel.
(c)India’s textile exports declined in the nineteenthcentury.
Q2 : How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories?
Answer :
By tracing the origins of the names of different textiles, one can find out a lot about their histories. Take the case of muslin – a word that refers to any finely woven textile. This word is a derivative of the city of Mosul (in present-day Iraq). It was here that the European traders first encountered fine cotton cloth from India, which was brought over from India by Arab merchants. Another example is calico – the general name for all cotton textiles. This word is derived from the word Calicut, a city on the coast of Kerala. When the Portuguese first came to India, they landed in Calicut, and the cotton textiles that they took along with them to Europe came to be called calico. Chintz, a printed cotton cloth, is a term that is derived from the Hindi word chhint – a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs. Bandanna, which refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head, is a term that leads one to the Hindi word for tying, that is, bandhna – a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying. The widespread use of such words shows how popular Indian textiles had become in different parts of the world.
Q3 : Why did the wool and silk producers in England protest against the import of Indian textiles in the early eighteenth century?
Answer :
Indian textiles had long been renowned, both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship. They were extensively traded in Southeast Asia and West and Central Asia. From the sixteenth century, European trading companies began buying Indian textiles for sale in Europe. There was quite a craze for Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe, mainly for their exquisite floral designs, fine texture and relative cheapness.
By the early eighteenth century, worried by the popularity of Indian textiles, the wool and silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton textiles. At this time, the textile industries had just begun to develop in England. Unable to compete with Indian textiles, English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles.