Minute dyed fragments of cotton recovered from the site of Mehrgarh (present-day Pakistan).

Wild indigenous silk moth species found at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, suggesting the use of silk during the Indus Valley Civilisation, one of the world’s earliest civilisations.

Excavations at the site of Mohenjo-Daro revealed dye vats, together with woven and madder-dyed cotton fragments wrapped around a silver pot, reflecting an advanced understanding of the process of colour fixing on the cloth.

Cotton fragments excavated from the site of Mohenjo-Daro.

Spindle whorls of stone, clay, metal, terracotta, and wood were found at various Harappan sites.

Needles found from Harappan sites indicate the practice of sewing during this time.

The Priest King figurine from Mohenjo-Daro, wearing a robe with trefoil designs, suggests that the art of fabric decoration was practised during the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Depictions of boats on seals, tablets and amulets indicate maritime trade activities during the Indus Valley Civilisation.

A dockyard at the Lothal site gives evidence of trade during the Indus Valley Civilisation.

References to clothing regularly sent from Meluhha (Sumerian name for the Indus Valley Civilisation) to Mesopotamia are found in Mesopotamian writings.

References to weaving are found in the Rig Veda, which describes a weaver as a vasovaya.

References to embroidery found in Vedic texts mention pesas, or an embroidered garment, probably worn by female dancers.

Apastamba Srauta Sutra, a text from the Vedic age, refers to printed fabric or chitranta.

Vedic Samhitas frequently mention woollen threads made up of goat’s hair and sheep’s wool.

Satapatha Brahmana mentions the use of silk and wool in sacrificial garments.

Ramayana mentions Sita’s trousseau, which includes woollen clothing, furs, fine silk vestments of diverse colours, among others.

Panini, in his Ashtadhyayi, a Sanskrit treatise on grammar, mentions cotton yarn as one of the prominent yarns.

The writings of the Greek physician Ctesias mention the popularity of brightly coloured Indian textiles among Persians, indicating that Indian fabrics were exported to Persia.

The Mahabharata mentions silk fabrics among the presents brought to Yudhisthira by feudatory princes from the Himalayan regions.

The Mahabharata mentions printed cloth or chitra vastra, suggesting the art of printing had developed by this time.

Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, in his book Indica, mentions that Indian robes are worked in gold and ornamented with precious stones. They wear flowered garments made of the finest muslins. This is a reference to brocade, embroidery and printing.

Kautilya’s Arthashashtra mentions spinners and weavers who were either a part of guilds or worked privately.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra mentions Haimavatamarga, the route from Balkh to India via the Hindukush, which was used to trade horses, wool, hides, and furs, among other goods.

Arthashastra, written by Kautilya, mentions the use of fabrics such as linen from Banaras and cotton from South India.

In the Arthashastra, written by Kautilya, cotton is mentioned as a source of the King’s revenue.

Buddhist literature mentions the fabric of Banaras, known as ‘kaseyyaka’ or the silk of Benaras, and woollen blankets of Gandhara (present-day parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan).

Buddhist literature refers to various types of textiles and fabrics, such as linen (Khoman), cotton (kappasikam), and silk (kosseyam). Also, there are mentions of weavers (tantuvaya), the place of weaving (tantavitatatthanam), weaving appliances (tantabhanda), and the loom (tantaka).

Buddhist Jataka texts refer to tools for spinning and weaving.

Jain texts mention cotton thread (Kappasikasuttam) and cotton cloth (kappasi kadusam).

The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, a Greek text, mentions ancient trade routes and refers to the trading of fabrics, including muslin from India.

References to Chinese silk imported to Kanchipuram and exported from there to Malaya (Malaysia) are found in Chinese works.

Uttarapath (northern land routes) and Dakshinapath (southern land routes) constituted the grand trade route of India during the Kushana period.

During the Gupta period, cotton preparation was evident from the Ajanta paintings.

During the Gupta period, the text Jambudvipa Prajnapati mentions about 18 traditional guilds, including silk weavers (pattaila), napkin sellers (ganchhi), calico-printers (chhimpa), and tailors (sivaga).

Bana’s Harshacharita mentions tie-dye fabric or bandhyamana.

Hieun Tsiang, a Chinese monk, in his eyewitness account, mentions Kiau-shi-ye (a product of silkworms) and cotton.

Emergence of a specialised trading group for weavers known as Saliya Nagaram in South India.