Textile Manufacture and Trade on the Coromandel Coast
Dublin Core
Title
Textile Manufacture and Trade on the Coromandel Coast
Description
Textile is an important commodity produced from the early historic period in Southern India. In the early historic
period, different types of textiles were produced in Southern India as revealed by the textual sources. In the
archaeological context, a few excavated brick structures at Arikamedu have been identified as dyeing vats and evidence
of spindle whorls have been recovered from the early historic context. In the medieval period, literature, paintings, and
inscriptions offer valuable information on textile production. The communities of weavers known as Kaikkolars,
Pattasalins, and Saurashtrians are referred to the medieval inscriptions. In the later medieval period, weavers from
Saurashtra in Gujarat and other parts of India moved towards the Coromandel Coast. The colonial period documents
the long-distance textile trade of the Coromandel Coast. The weaver communities thrive in certain parts of South India
even today indicating historical continuity. The paper presents the research problem related to the history of textile
manufacture and the craft groups, long-distance trade in textiles in the Indian Ocean Region, in the context of the
Coromandel Coast using diverse sources.
period, different types of textiles were produced in Southern India as revealed by the textual sources. In the
archaeological context, a few excavated brick structures at Arikamedu have been identified as dyeing vats and evidence
of spindle whorls have been recovered from the early historic context. In the medieval period, literature, paintings, and
inscriptions offer valuable information on textile production. The communities of weavers known as Kaikkolars,
Pattasalins, and Saurashtrians are referred to the medieval inscriptions. In the later medieval period, weavers from
Saurashtra in Gujarat and other parts of India moved towards the Coromandel Coast. The colonial period documents
the long-distance textile trade of the Coromandel Coast. The weaver communities thrive in certain parts of South India
even today indicating historical continuity. The paper presents the research problem related to the history of textile
manufacture and the craft groups, long-distance trade in textiles in the Indian Ocean Region, in the context of the
Coromandel Coast using diverse sources.
Creator
S.B. Darsana
V. Selvakumar
S. Gowrisankar
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Darsana, S.B., V. Selvakumar, S. Gowrisankar. 2023. “Textile manufacture and Trade on the Coromandel Coast.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, Kaushik Gangopadhyay, and Wijerathne Bohingamuwa. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1948
Zotero
Files
Citation
S.B. Darsana, V. Selvakumar, and S. Gowrisankar, “Textile Manufacture and Trade on the Coromandel Coast,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1948.