Fabrics were used in houses and also in temples in ancient
India. Contrary to a popular misconception, furnishing fabrics were an integral
part of ancient Hinduism. Hindus made and used fabrics long before the arrival
of the Islamic invaders.
Varanasi and many other cities in North, East and Central
India were major centers of fabric production since 7th century BC.
The Jataka Tales of the 5th century BC refer to blankets, carpets
and door screens as well as embroidery in gold thread.
Tamil Sangam literature (300 BC to 300 AD) refers to
furnishing fabrics as ovia ealini. These included bedspreads and door screens
with paintings on them.
Verbal and visual depictions of furnishing fabrics such as
curtains and wall hangings, are sometimes seen in stone sculptures of the
Cholas (9th to 13th century AD) and several other
dynasties including the Vijayanagara dynasty. The weavers often lived either
within, or close to, the temple complex. They wove fabrics to hold and dust the
idol and provide curtains and other furnishing fabrics for the residences of
priests and others living in the agraharam area around the temple.
In Kashmir, the traditional weavers wove natural colored
wool into broad carpets, sacks and saddle bags.
The women of Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat were experts in
folk embroidery. They made beautiful clothe wall hangings to decorate their
homes. Quilts and trappings for domestic animals were produced using various decorative
techniques such as embroidery, appliqué, patchwork and beadwork. Mothers passed
these weaving and embroidery techniques to their daughters.
Rajput women made appliquéd wedding canopies, covers for
quilts and wall hangings.
Women of the Meghwa in western Rajasthan produced patch-work
quilts and floor coverings. The Kathi families and Mahajan merchants of the region
made bolster covers and wall decorations adorned with the typical northwest Indian
motifs of birds, flowers and religious icons.
Bengal has a long tradition of embroidery and quilting known
as kantha or nakshi. Dinner napkins, bags and wraps for large items of jewelry
and mirrors were quilted and embroidered by the villagers for use by the local
zamindar and his extended family. The motifs on these were inspired by the
local environment and included boats, ships, aquatic creatures, temple festival
cars, circus entertainers and even kings and queens.
Indian floor coverings or carpets are traditionally flat
woven and generally made of cotton rather than pile woven wool. Cotton flat
weaves are called durries, which are spread on the floor and also on wooden
cots.
The Jata community of Haryana manufactures, to this day,
good quality durries with white geometric designs on a blue background. The
weavers of Naikodar, near Jalandhar in Punjab, make durries with figurative designs.
Durries are also made in many other places such as Panipat
in Haryana, Jodhpur in Rajasthan and Bhavani in Tamil Nadu.
In Thanjavur and Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, domestic animals
and chariots are decorated with cotton appliquéd fabrics. This fabric is
usually a type of collage in bright colors.
The Thanjavur region also produces wall-hangings, door
frames, door screens and tubular hangings bearing epic and themes from Puranas.
These are hand-painted in vegetable colors.
Medieval Indian miniature paintings often exhibit furnishing
fabrics of various colors, shapes and sizes. In particular, the Thanjavur
School of painting, patronized by the Maratha kings of Thanjavur, displays a rich
profusion of such fabrics. These paintings feature Hindu deities, kings,
queens, and lay devotees amidst bolsters, chintz curtains, cushioned benches
and carpets.
Source – Encyclopedia of Hinduism IV page no 69 - 70