ADALYA JOURNAL ISSN NO: 1301-2746 ORIGIN OF THE TEXTILE INDUSTRIES WITH REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT IN COIMBATORE DISTRICT Smitha.K, PhD Research Scholar, Department of History, Government Arts College, Coimbatore, India, Email:[email protected]) ABSTRACT: Trade in Indian Textile was very ancient. It was in practice time immemorial. Coimbatore became a trade center where trade and commerce flourished. Kongu country had a very old history. It was known to the west as early as 1000 years B.C. The cotton Textile Industry was a cottage industry dating back to the Christian era. Also, it was a rural industry in the Coimbatore district. The first textile mill called as “The Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving mill” was founded in 1888.Very soon many number of mills began to be started in and around Coimbatore district pertaining to the growth and developments of the textile mills. The textile mills had developed socio & economic conditions of the people as a whole in Coimbatore district. KEY WORDS: Origin and growth of the cotton mills, spinning and weaving, cottage industry, economic changes, educational growth and social welfare up liftments. INTRODUCTION: The Kongu country in which Coimbatore was a part of had a very old history. Wilkinson and Heath (1837) pointed o ut that the Kongu country was famous for steel from early times. The instruments made in Salem* were buried in the Egyptian Pyramids many centuries ago even BCE. (Salem Manual). The Kongu country was considered as a separate kingdom. M. Arokia Samy (1956) noted that different kinds of trade flourished there. So it was well known to the western countries during the Sangam age, which is also called as the ‘Augustan Age’ in South India. Harris Jennifer said that there are constant references to Indian Cottons and other textiles brought from Barygoza (Broach) near Gujarat. The cotton textile industry in India is of very ancient origin dating back to the Christian era. Even today it is solely confined in the rural areas. The industry has a historical back ground. It is mostly considered as a cottage industry or a small scale industry (Baliga 1966, p.585). The Coimbatore district is still retaining its hold on a large section of the population even agriculturists getting into textile related works as off seasonal occupation (Census 1951). Textile industry had grown enormously during the medieval period. It was found in the states of India. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution had brought out many changes throughout the world. Vascoda Gama arrived in Calicut in 1499. After that many traders from Europe flooded to Indian territories for trade (Allan Wolsely and Rodwell 1969, p.481). The term of modern era in India started; when the British acquired monopoly overall trade in Bengal and Gujarat. The Indian cotton trade became a three continent spinning enterprise. “Cotton from India, Slaves from Africa and Sugar from the Caribbean moved across the planet in a complex commercial dance (Beckart). The Indian mill industry was started in 1818 by the founding of a mill by the British in Calcutta (Textile 1858, p1). The Second World War brought out many changes in the field of cotton textile industry. In South Volume 8, Issue 11, November 2019 516 http://adalyajournal.com/ ADALYA JOURNAL ISSN NO: 1301-2746 India, Madras State had been undergoing spectacular growth of the textile industry. The Buckingham and Carnatic company a famous textile unit was established in the Madras city in 1878(Textile Industry 1957, p.50). *Salem is one of the district in Tamilnadu, which is very famous Industry in India Sir Robert Stanes, who settled in Coimbatore, founded the Coimbatore spinning and weaving mills in 1888.In 1900, the Mall Mills was established. The starting of the C.S&W. mills inspired other aspiring people to start such mills in Coimbatore town. Soon there were more than 36 cotton spinning and weaving mills established within a radius of seven mills from the heart of the town Coimbatore (Census 1951, p 69). In 1945 there existed 45 mills in Coimbatore district. The mills had employed 46,000 workers; of them 75% workers were employed in the Coimbatore (Baliga 1966). The establishment of such mills in the Coimbatore district automatically created sister concerns like Textool Company limited, The Rama Krishna industries Private limited, The P.S.G and Sons Charities Industrial Institute etc. as Auxiliary companies were created (Baliga 1966).The units produced textile mill tools and small machines like Centrifugal pumps, Electrical motors, Agricultural machineries etc. WEAVING SECTOR: Both spinning and weaving were the integral part of the cotton textile industry. Like that of Spinning, weaving was also an oldest profession of the world. The handloom weaving industry was a Universal profession especially a hereditary one in India. Karunganni* variety of Cotton and the regular support of the spinners Association provided a new trend for the weaving industry in the Coimbatore district. Handloom weaving had been an important occupation of many people in Coimbatore district from time immemorial (G.O.2211, 1929). It was a full time profession for the people of the area. They had made it as a family profession. For example, not less than 63,700 people were doing the profession in 1950’s and 1960’s. In Dharapuram Taluk alone in Coimbatore district, 18000 people were engaged in weaving (Census 1951, p 13). The main weaving centers of the district were Coimbatore, Ondiputhur, Bhavani, Sennimalai, Sivagiri, Satyamangalam, Dharapuram, Puliampatti, Jalathur and Kundadam. Silk weaving was also an important profession in centers like Coimbatore and Dharapuram. Silk fabric was a part and parcel of the textile sector. The weaving of silk was practically skillful and lace was interwoven so as to appear on one side only. Fret work of all kinds with figures of parrots were finely woven with lace in the richest varieties.(Baliga1966, p.325).Eri silk is considered as vital fabric found and used by a designer from Hyderabad. Many varieties of silk were produced in Centers of Negamam, Jalathur, Pulavady, Malayandipattinam, Chennimalai, Kangeyam, Sivagiri etc. Different varieties of clothes were produced in Coimbatore District. Most of the yarn used here was a ready dyed item. Coimbatore District was famous for the Urumals of turban clothes which was the popular name of the variety. It was the combination of both cotton and silk mixed variety. These verities were produced in Coimbatore, Sathyamangalam and Mettupalayam (G.O.2296, 1940. p.13-16). Fine and nice upper grey and lace cloths were manufactured from best quality yarns 100 to 150 in Sathyamangalam, Jalathur, Pulavady and Erode. The Bhavani town in the Coimbatore District was famous for the production of fine cotton carpets (Baliga1966, p.327). The Bhavani carpets known as “ Bhavani Jamukalam” had won a first prize in the Annual Exhibition held in Madras in the year 1883 (Baliga1966). It was mostly exported to Bombay and Ceylon. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The Coimbatore District soon attained developments almost in all fields due to the mushroom growth of textile mills. The speedy growth of education, communication, social welfare and patriotic fervor began to grow. Volume 8, Issue 11, November 2019 517 http://adalyajournal.com/ ADALYA JOURNAL ISSN NO: 1301-2746 Thanks to the origin and growth of mills in the District. First of all there was sudden rise of the Standard of living of the labour class. The wage earning class had attained an upliftment in the society which in turn made a nation building process. *Karunganni cottons was a peculiar type of cotton variety cultivated in Palladam, Avinashi, Dharmapuram and Gobichettipalayam in Coimbatore. The growth of communication network in the modern India played an important role in shaping her in the socio- economic field. During the British Administration around 1800 AD roads were constructed all over India. In the early period of incursions of the British there found not fully developed communication system. Moreover in the beginning stage the Textile Mills had to procure their raw materials, machineries, even man powers from their neighboring places. During the beginning of the 20th century there were hardly few roads and railway lines in the Coimbatore District. All such systems were developed in due course owing to the efforts of the British administration. Travelers were carried on the backs of bullocks and ponies (Census 1951, p 3-4). It is estimated that there was 3609 miles of roads in the Coimbatore District, consisting of National Highways, Provincial Highways, District roads and Municipal roads. All of these High way roads passed through important cities, towns and intermittent villages. Extension of roads was made because of the passing of the Madras Local Forest Act of 1871. The Act of 1884 created the District Boards and Taluk Boards which later developed both District Railway played an imminent role in the Coimbatore District. The total miles of railway lines formed was 202 ½ miles only. This was under the control of the South Indian Railway Company (Baliga1966, p.405).Both broad gauge and meter gauge railway lines were laid connecting important towns with Coimbatore, the head quarters of the Coimbatore District. Soon Coimbatore town became an industrial centre mostly because of the installation of textile units as spinning, weaving, cotton dyeing and bleaching units of both cotton and woolen processing units, Therefore a direct connection was established by means of ‘Chord line’ from Singanallur to Coimbatore for easy movements of textile products and goods of transport in 1939(G.O.2481, 1939).During this period Coimbatore town began to develop further. Chord Line was replaced by another Long Chord Line in 1953. It was from Irayur to Coimbatore north in the Coimbatore Mettupalayam line (Census 1951, p.4).