Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c11.s1.1

c11.s1.1

Before going into the details of the patterns used in the textile printing of Gujarāt it is necessary to know the outlines of the history of textile fabrics in Gujarāt and its export to foreign lands in ancient days. It is mentioned in the *Periplus of the Erythrean Sea* (1st cen. A.D.) that Broach was the principal port of India doing business with the Occident. Barygaza, Broach as was known to the Greeks, exported the best broad sort (called Monāche) and a coarse cotton (called Sagmatogene), probably used for stuffing and padding, and a third kind of coloured cloth dyed with a product of the Indian Hibiscus produced in Gujarāt.¹ It is mentioned that even at such a remote period the Gulf of Broach was difficult to navigate. But, in spite of all the difficulties of transport, such was the renown of Indian muslin that the Occident imported it, and there was a very good demand for it in the isles of Socotra and the ports of the Red Sea.²