Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s1.3

v1.c5.s1.3

During 4^th century BCE, there were records about silk (kauseya) and Chinese silk in sheaves (cinapañña) in the *Arthashastra*, the ancient Indian work written by Kautilya. Silk was also mentioned in other ancient works such as the two great Indian epics, the *Ramayana* and the *Mahabharata*. This indicates that Chinese silk had been introduced to India before the Common Era.