Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c9.s19.16

c9.s19.16

⁷² According to the Anu Sū. 37, the kiṭaja cloth is of five varieties, viz paṭṭa, malaya amsuga, cināmsuya and himirāga (suvanna in the Brh Kalpa Bhā 2 3662) The commentator explains the production of paṭṭa cloth from the insects that gathered round the flesh stored for the purpose in the jungle, the malaya cloth was produced in Malaya country, amsuya was produced in the country outside China, and cināmsuya in China itself According to the commentator of the Brhatkalpa Bhāsya (2 3662) amsuka is silk manufactured of soft yarn, cināmsuka is either cocoon silk or chinese silk, and suvanna is golden coloured thread produced by a certain variety of silk worms Silk is referred to in the Mahābhārata as kiṭaja which was the product of Cina and Vāhlika According to the Mc' Crindle, raw silk was from the interior of Asia and manufactured at Kos If this is true, Kauseya garment refers to the town of Kos and not to the cocoons (Dr Moticand, Bhāratī Vidyā, 1 1 p 46 f)