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History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c37.s1.t2: Leather Garments

History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c37.s1.t2

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English

Leather Garments

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In ancient times the people used to offer to their gods, gurus, the things that they considered very essential and valuable. Under the same custom, people in India offered leather *vastra* to their gods, leather ‘*āsana*’ (seat), and sandals to gurus. Leather *pādukā* (wear for patham) to Lord Venkateswara in Thirupathi (A.P.), Lord Ranganatha in Srirangam, (Tamil Nadu), Lord Hanuman in Shimoga, (Karnataka) were offered from very ancient time by the devotees - the shoe makers.

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Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Persians and others had tanneries and leather work with whom India had direct contact from ancient time and it was aware of this leather craft besides its own innovations.

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The climatic condition in South India is quite tropical, ancient Tamil literature indicates that the ancient Tamil were not wearing only leather clothes but also from leaves ‘Thazhi uddai.’ and that of bark ‘Mara uddai.’ They were also eating meat of goat, cow, elephant, deer etc. The covering of the animals, not eatable, were used to make leather and leather articles. Their gods were also attired with the skins of deer, tiger etc. These skins were also used to make seat to sit on or sleep comfortably with the effect of good air cushion. Recently it was noticed and used fur skin as bedsheet for patient with severe burns. The ancient Tamil used chest gear covered with tiger skin. They used protective covering known as ‘Kavasam’ made of moulded leather, elephant hide and layers of other hides pasted together to cover separately, head, chest, hand, finger, leg and foot.

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Leather garments *Nina Cattai* (leather shirt) were worn. Footwear was known as *Thol adi* (leather sandal). In a place known as Athiraipakkam, 50 Km from Madras, found on excavation, the stone tools of Neolithic man used for scraping or setting skins and making holes. There are fleeting references in Sangam Tamil Classics which were brought out in the early century of Christian era They contain evidence to the prevalence of the customs of wearing sandals, garments and ‘Kavasam’. The word used in *Perum-ban-Arun-padai* to denote sandal is *Adipatai Aranam* (sandal ware). *Cilappathikaram* refers shoemakers as *Thol Thunnuner* (skin sticher).

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The sun god, Mitra, is also depicted wearing white half boot when riding. The god’s costume is almost exactly like those of the Sasanian and Parthian kings with a tunic clasped by a broad leather belt, trouser high boots. He is also depicted in a white marble statue of 7th and 8th centuries A.D. where he is clearly wearing half length boots with buttons or perhaps a decorative trim up the middle and around the tops. Another earlier relief of the second century A.D. from Hatra portrays the same kind of scene in which the god holds the hilt of a sword in its leather scabbard, and a leash restraining three lions. Similar descriptions may hold good for the Suriya of the Aryans who invaded India during the same period. The sculpture of Suriya in Delhi National Museum depicted as wearing half boot. The Hindu God, Lord Shiva is depicted wearing tiger skin and having a percussion instrument known as ‘Uddukai’ or ‘Damar in his hand’. A statue of Buddha with sandals (Kolhapuri type) is found in Egmore Museum, Madras.

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Indo-Scythian Kuṣāns in the first century B.C. penetrated north eastern Iran as far as the Caspian sea and ruled in what is now known as Afghanistan. Sir Aurel Stein, the famous British Archaeologist excavating in the Takla Makan desert of Chinese Turkistan, found vast quantities of documents on wood and leather, preserved almost like new and written in Kharosthi, a first-century A.D. Indian script of the Kusans. While two headless but inscribed statues of King Kaniska (2nd century A.D.) depict this Kuṣān monarch wearing a belted tunic and what appears to be a cloak but might be a full skirted coat slung over the shoulders; he has baggy riding trousers gathered at the ankle and tied under his boots by straps. One statue was found by the fire temple constructed by Kaniṣka at Surkh Kotal in northern Afghanistan, Kabul Museum. The other was found at Mathura in India and both portray a costume that obviously developed from the Scythians and Parthians and was the forerunner of the typical Sasanian riding dress. At Bamian, the famous valley of the Buddha, a number of the painted frescoes on the walls and ceilings of the Buddhist cave monasteries depict figures wearing typically Sasanian costume.

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The Indian king well protected went to war on elephant or chariot well protected with body guards, having his regiment of warriors in front marching head in chariot, elephant, horse and foot respectively. As described earlier, each and everyone and the animals in the battle field were all well protected in many ways with leather products brought out by skilled leather craftsmen working day and night intensively and ceaselessly, year after year for centuries in the ancient time. King is followed probably by the supplier of leather tent, boat, leather spares, leather thongs and twisted rope of varying thickness and length, leather mats, seats, curtains, leather dresses to wear in mufty, shoes etc besides other non-leather items.

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Demand from king on leather craftsmen was very high during war and peace time. During peace time, they had to meet the demand of various leather articles for day to day uses like shoes, clothes, caps, bags, boxes, containers, cups, buckets, kavalai (Thol sal), straps, ropes, belts, etc.

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Indian leather craftsmen were kept busy all the time to make leather products for defence uses, civil uses and irrigation and cottage industries’ uses (handloom, oil seed grinding, blacksmith, goldsmith, drum and puppet making, bookbinding, etc.)

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The scales of ant-eater are a special growth of animal skin and provide a natural armour and were used in India, Persia and other countries made a form of Camellias armour with the backing of leather or cloth. Other scales used for the armour in India are fish scales, thick leather piece of 1-2" sq pieces overlapping one above the other and metal scales. This kind of leather pieces are kept in the National Museum, New Delhi. The fish scale armour is in the Patna Museum. Warriors and horses wearing such armour are depicted in Persian sculptures. Body armour covered with scales of untanned hide and with hair remaining is kept in German Leather Museum, Offenbach (Fig. 2).

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The sculptures of Kaniṣka found in Mathura is depicted as wearing leather shoe with corrugation, sword with leather sheath and leather overcoat. We could not say anything about the head gear since the head is missing.

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In the Mahābhārata the shield was termed as Carman. It was made generally of leather adorned with figures or a simple tiger skin or bear skin worn over a body besides the brazen breast plate served as a shield. The shields made of bull hide are highly spoken of. When Duryodhana entered the battle field on an armoured elephant he was followed by among other soldiers, hundred of shield-men (or shield bearers) and archers.

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Many of the styles of riding boots and sandals still survive today demonstrating that little has changed during the past two thousand years and more, so are our utilization of the most versatile and decorative of all natural resources is concerned. The earliest type of footwear used by primitive man was a type of moccasin which was made from single piece of leather gathered around the ankle by leather thong threaded through slot and it was crudely fashioned and it almost looked like a bag. Part of Hittite panel of not less than 1200 B.C. depicts a full shoe developed by them.

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