History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c23.s2.t1.7

v1.c23.s2.t1.7

Jute fibre is obtained from Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis. The plants are native to various parts of India and have been exploited in the pre-industrial period. Corchorus olitorius is called puṭṭā in Sanskrit and Pāṭ in Bengali (Roxburgh, pp. 428-29)10. The reddish variety was called bun (wild) pāṭ in Bengal. Woven material was called tāṭ. The term for coarser cloths used for making bags was choṭi, while saris were referred to as megila (Roxburgh, p.429; Watt,II,p.545; Royle, pp. 241-42)11. The fibre from the bark of Corchorus capsularis, called ghi-nalita pat in Bengal, was diverted to the manufacture of gunny bags and cordage (Royle, p.242; Watt, II, p. 545; Roxburgh,p.429)12. Other terms that are used for this fibre include narchā and nalitā. Thomas Wardle makes a reference which may have a bearing on earlier usages. Bark of the twigs of a small bush widespread both in its cultivated and wild form in the hotter areas of India, called Ulatkambal in Bengali, Abroma augusta, Linn. Sterculiaceae, yielded a lustrous, and soft fibre, akin to hemp and jute but distinct from both. It was much valued as it could be used as a substitute for silk (Wardle, p.119; Watt, I, p.8, Abroma augusta Linn q.v).