History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c35.1

v1.c35.1

Man’s predilection for comfort has created a host of house- hold articles. Furniture is one among them. In the manufacture of furniture, wood has always been the basic material due to several reasons. It is available wherever conditions have favoured human living. It is easily workable to different decorative designs. It can be joined by many contrivances viz., by nailing, glewing etc. It produces less noise under impact than other materials of equal strength. It is relatively light in weight. It may be easily repaired when broken. It possesses intrinsic beauty in an infinite variety of colour, texture and pattern. It can be worked in many ways to enhance beauty. Moreover, in a country like India where wood is amply available, it is probably the only material used most commonly. Again, it appears that in early times metals did not find favour with the Indians as it did with the ancient Greeks and Romans in the fashioning of furniture. This may just as well be due to the availability of excellent quality of wood within the country itself.