Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c16.36

c16.36

Decline of trade in the western world and central Asia was not offset by trade with China and South-East Asia, which possibly in the third-fourth centuries, supplied gold to India in return for beryl, cotton fabrics and sugar. During the rule of the Wei dynasty (A.D. 220-265) the Chinese learnt from Indians the art of making from stone coloured glass which could be passed off as beryl.² Soon after the sixth century A.D. they learnt cotton cultivation and the manufacture of textiles from Central Asia and South-East Asia, where it was introduced through Indian contacts.³ They also learnt the art of making sugar from Magadha in the reign of the Tang Emperor Tai-tsang (A.D. 627-649).⁴ Hence by the seventh century or so China and South-East Asia ceased to depend on India for the supply of sugar, cotton goods and precious stones. This, therefore, undermined Indian trade in this direction. What India supplied later consisted mainly of perfumes and elephant tusks.