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in red-colour during the summer were thought to be unfit for wearing during the winter. Perhaps they might have been
dyed again in every season.
A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
Coloured Clothes-White as well as coloured clothes were worn. Five colours for clothes were held in esteem (varnaḍhya): (i) black like the neck of a peacock, (ii) blue like the tail of a parrot, (iii) red like the colour of an Indragopa (an insect of scarlet colour), (iv) golden-yellow and (v) white like the conchshell or moon. 2 Red-clothes dyed in the colour of safflower (kusumbharaga) were thought to be proper for the bride to enter her marriage chamber (vasagṛha), white, on the other hand, was appreciated during the religious ceremonies, i.e. at the time of worship or visiting the temple.* Yuan Chwang also noted that people wore clothes of different colours, but white was held in esteem."
Centres of Cloth Manufacture-The clothes must have been produced in almost every region, yet, some of the places were especially famous as centres of cloth-manufacture. Such regions were usually known as bahu-vattha-desa, i.e. countries rich in cloth. Mahissara is mentioned as one such place and the monks in this city were allowed to wear better types of clothes." Mahissara is obviously same as Mahişă or Mahișmati which has been mentioned by Kautilya as one of the most famous centres for the manufacture of cotton-cloth, the others being Madhura (southern), Aparanta (western parts) of Kalinga, Kāśī, Vanga and Vatsa. Sindhu and Mālavā also must have been famous for their clothes. People in these
1. कासारण रत्तं कासायं. गिम्हे कयं जं हेमंत अजोग्गं परिभोगस्सेति - NC. 3, p. 569. 2. NC. 2, p. 94.
3. NC. 3, p. 143.
4. NC. 3, p. 142.
5. Watters, op. cit., 1, p. 148; Beal, op. cit., 1, p. 75.
6. NC. 3, pp. 568-69.
7. बहुवत्थदेसे जहा महिस्सरे अण्णं चोक्खतरयं परिर्हेति — NC. 3, p. 569.
8. माधुरमापरान्तकं कालिङगकं काशिकं वाङ्गकं वात्सकं माहिषकं च कार्पासिकं श्रेष्ठमिति -Arthasastra, Bk. II, Ch. XI, p. 83.
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