On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c8.s5.4

v1.c8.s5.4

In this passage, it will be noticed, the clothing materials used by the lay people of India are arranged in four groups. The first is called by the pilgrim "Kausheya clothing and muslin and cloth" (僑奢耶衣及氈布等). Now kausheya (or kaus'eya) is silk made from the cocoon of the Bombyx Mori, and *tieh-pu* is cotton-cloth or *tieh* and cotton cloth. It is perhaps better to regard *tieh* and *pu* as names of two materials, and in another treatise we find Kausheya, *tieh*, and *ts'ui* (毳) grouped together.¹ This *ts'ui* was apparently a kind of coarse cotton cloth, and we find a *ts'ui-ka-pei* or "rough cotton" used to stuff cushions. The term kausheya was applied not only to silk stuffs but also to mixtures of silk and linen or cotton.¹ Our pilgrim evidently makes one group of "silk clothing" and cottons. This is not to be much wondered at when we reflect that he, like the other Chinese of his time and district, knew nothing of the cotton plant and the cloths derived from it. Moreover we should probably regard this description of the dress of the natives of India as derived from an earlier account.