Itextile Industry at Nagapattinam During Early Medieval Period
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International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Vol.11, No. 3, (2020), pp. 2609–2616 Itextile Industry At Nagapattinam During Early Medieval Period Dr. G. Sheela Edward, Asst. professor of history, TBML College, Porayar ABSTRACT After agriculture in India the textile industry only has generated huge employment for both skilled and unskilled labor. It is the second largest employment providing sector in India. In the late 17th and 18th centuries India was well known for textile goods since ancient times and tradition of India virtually decayed during the colonial regime. Until 1750 about 25 percent of the world’s industrial textile output was produced from India. Significantly the cotton manufacturing which included the production of piece goods, calicos and muslin. The cotton textile industry was responsible for the large part of the empire’s internal trade. In India particularly in the coastal town of Nagapattinam produced large amounts of textile during early medieval period. Introduction Nagapattinam is an important town in Tamil Nadu state. Under Medieval Cholas the city came into prominence and become their unique port for trade and naval conquests. Ancient work Chudamani Vihara referred that the Nagapattinam was constructed by Srivijayan king Sri Maran Vijayattungavarman of Silendra dynasty with the assistance of Raja Raja Chola1. Portuguese settled in Nagapattinam and later it come under the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to1781.2 In 1781 it was annexed by the British East India Company. From 1799 to 1845 it becomes the head quarter of Thanjavur district and it continued as a part of Thanjavur district in independent India. In 1991, it was fixed as capital of Nagapattinam district. In the Ancient times Indian Textile Industries has been flourished well in the world. Early period India is considered as “golden sparrow”. In rig Veda Earliest knew References to textile Industries in India. There is a story about sage Gritsamada in the second Mandala of Rig Veda which says Sage Gritsmada first sowed cotton tree and received some cotton from it. To make thread then he made one spinner out of this cotton and eventually he made cloth using this cotton. Sage Gritsamada gave this idea of making cloth via cotton during Vedic period. Historically India has made cloth of cotton and silk and even gold and silver lining has been used. Thus Indian Textiles captured the world market and ancient Greek, Arab and Egypt world became our buyers over the ages. This Industry has shown unparallel workmanship and artistry and they were maintained supreme quality of standards. Nagapattinam, mylapore, pulicat and masulipattinam were the principal textile ports of coromantal.3 The importance of Coromandel Coast noted for manufacturing cotton products which were either plain or patterned on the loom. Its printing or painting in floral and other motifs. Northern Coromandel specialized in productions of plain textiles, the specialization of the south meant for producing famous painted textiles the pintadoes. In Nagapattinam for manufacturing cloth, they used verities of techniques. It can be gleaned from literary and epigraphic sources.4 Muslin known as sello and chintz known as vichitro were much in demand. Vegetables dyes 2609 ISSN: 2005-4289 IJDRBC Copyright ⓒ2020 SERSC International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Vol.11, No. 3, (2020), pp. 2609–2616 such as red sunflower, indigo and madder were used. In the southern India, the twelfth century onwards block printing have been vogue. Artisans have been used both vertical and horizontal looms begun in the 11th century. The industry was well organized and textiles were important commodities both in domestic and foreign trade. Weavers sold their goods at local fairs but at the high level the textile business under powerful merchant’s guilds. There is also evidence of weaver’s guilds known variously as saliya, samayangal samaya pattagora and seniya pattagora. Ramasamy refers to the mobility of few weavers’ caste in south India. The migration may have taken place in the vijayanagara period (15th -16th centuries) which saw a high peak of flourishment at weaving industry. In tamilnadu the Cholas paid interest for weaving industry and collected income in it. Various Inscriptions mention that the taxes such as the tari kodamai (loom tax) ,achcho tari (a tax on the patterned loom) tari padovai (a tax on a cloth) panjupeeli ( a tax on cotton yarn), nulayam ( a tax on cotton thread) parutti kadamai ( a tax on cotton) bannige ( a tax on dyers) Were collected by the people.5 A tax called pattadai nulayam was levied on silk thread. There is evidences to show that the state announcing tax concession and tax remissions for a specified period to weavers. In Thanjavur district the Portuguese were the first among the European trading settlers to arrive and they called it the city of the Coromandel. During the years 1612 to 1620 the largest station on the east coast was at Nagapattinam. The Portuguese had a trading settlement in Nagapattinam for many years, till it was annexed and fortified in AD 1642. In keeping with Portuguese commercial policies in the Indian Ocean, they permitted uninterested flow of the traditional trade from there. Thus the Nagapattinam coastal trade prolonged under Portuguese. Among the native merchants, the Muslims had to migrate to Nagore because of large percentage to Portuguese in Nagapattinam. The Portuguese captain Artur Gallejo de castelo branco made some serious efforts to collect textiles from the weaving villages in the hinder land of Nagapattinam to boost up the trade with Aceh.6 He made contact with the textile suppliers with great success. He was able to purchase several varieties of textiles such as morins, (blue cloth) pintados (painted) and pachveloes (gold brocaded cloth) from the hinterland of Nagapattinam port. The cloth that was meant to be taken from here to Srilanka had to be officially cleared and for which Renda da chapa that is stamp duty was charged bringing some income to the Portuguese.7 Since the 16th century starts growth of south Indian textile industries major expansion where in its productions would reach markets in East Asia, Africa, and Europe and even in the Americas. To lift textile production owing to demand from the European trading companies and the big margin of profit in cloth trade attracted the Portuguese merchants to involve in it. A rich and famous casado of Nagapattinam who was jodo Alvares, textiles trading with Aceh in 1620. He was the one who informed Portugal ruler in 1621 about the sultan of Aceh who attempted to capture Melaka and tried to seek uphold of sultan of Johore to support him in the proposed siege of the Portuguese port settlement. Goncalves Perreria was a hidalgo who conducted private trade in textile in 1624 from Nagapattinam with Tennaserium and Mergui. Domingos de Seixas was a leading merchant trading in textiles in 1632 and imported sugar to Nagapattinam. Matrym Costa Falcao, the son of Estevao Rebello was a private trader based in Nagapattinam and in 1637; he treated in textiles with Trang. Anttonio de Mendonca de Britto a resident of Nagapattinam purchased a ship in 1639 and send the ship for carrying mostly textiles in Melaka. 2610 ISSN: 2005-4289 IJDRBC Copyright ⓒ2020 SERSC International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Vol.11, No. 3, (2020), pp. 2609–2616 Pedro Vaz was a casado of Nagapattinam who was trading in textiles with Macao and permanently started living in Macao. His name is witnessed on register of the resident of Macao under the date line of October third 1640. In 1550 Portuguese were purchased blue cloth from Nagapattinam with the amount of 1.20 pardaus and sold in Malakka to 8 pardaus.8 Several ships of the Portuguese merchants of Nagapattinam carried large quantities of textiles. Because of that, Dutch attacked them. Moreover, the Portuguese Estado da India could not provide protection to their ships. Bartholomeu was a textile merchant who sailed to Melaka in 1641. His ships which carried textiles and yarn valued at 3808 florins were captured by the Dutch.9 Ships of Thomas Paulo, another resident of Nagapattinam trading with Banten in textiles were taken away by the Dutch in July 1644. The Dutch declared that his ship and crew would be released only if a ransom of 1687 real’s was paid immediately to them. Further they also demanded that a bill of exchange be issued for 5500 reals . Further the ships of Amaral Castel Branco and Jamcome Cardoso Barreto which sailed from Nagapattinam to Melaka carrying rich cargo in 1645 were also captured by the Dutch. The merchandise seized by the Dutch consisted of 214 bales of cloth amounting in a value to 3000 real’s.10 Pinto was a rich famous Portuguese textile trader who helped the English in Madras. Francisco Vieira de Figureido was a rich and prominent casado of Nagapattinam. He was trading in textiles in 1650 with Makassar and Sunda. Green Hill the English agent in madras approached Francisco Vieira de Figureido, the famous Makassar merchant to help them in trade. Thus the Portuguese merchants were invited by the English and the Dutch companies to help them promote their trade. Portuguese sources mention that various types of cloth produced through different methods such as larvado (figured), desperdicios (waste), estampado (stamped design), tecido (water proff) on the coromendel coast. Sources also indicate the names of various textiles such as tapis, sarassas and morins.11 Out of these types, morins were produced in many places like santhome of mylapore Kunnimedu and Nagapattinam. Muslin was largely manufactured at Nagapattinam.12 Nagapattinam was as a centre of cloth manufactured. By the statement of a Portuguese merchant in 1527 the Nagapattinam marakayars helped the Gujarat Muslim merchant to trade with Ache.