Women's Cloths of cotton form an article of manufacture in every district. Madras manu factures a nicely coloured women's cloth called oolloor sailay, sold for 7 rupees and upwards. Arnee is noted for its manufacture of a superior quality of white cottron cloths of various pattenis. Those of Sydapet, in the outskirts of Madra.s, a.re of ordinary quality, and of different colours. Ganjam also fabricates a common sort, with a few of more value worked with lace borders, but not sold for more than 50 rupees.
Women's Silk Cloths. — The principal places for the manufacture of native female silk cloths are the towns of Benares, Berhampore, and Tanjore. Those of Benares are generally of superior quality, with rich lace borders, and they are sold at from 50 to 350 rupees or upwards. Berhampore cloths are wholly silk, but nicely finished. Tanjore cloths are also neatly finished, with nicely-worked borders, both of lace and silk, of various colours ; they are sold at from 15 to 150 rupees.
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Silk Cloths, called pethandiarain, are chiefly brought front Benares and Nagpur ; they are also made at the town of Combaconum. The Beuares cloths are highly prized for their superior quality; they measure 12 by 2i cubits a-piece ; two pieces make one suit of an upper and under garment. Hindus wear these cloths during their devotions and holiday time. They are sold from 50 to 350 rupees, or even more. The silk fabrics of Comba conutn are good, although not equal to those of Benares.
1Vhite Cloths were manufactured all over Southern India, but those of Manamadu, in the district of Trichinopoly, were very superior in quality, and used by the more respectable of the inhabitants as clothing, under tha name of Manamadu sullali. That at Arnee, in the district of Chingleput, known as Arnee sullah, is of different quality.
Women's coloured cotton Cloths.—These coloured cotton cloths are largely made in the 3Iadura district. They are of various sizes, with or with out lace-worked borders. Those with lace vary in price from 15 to 200 rupee's each ; they are generally purchased by the wealthier natives, by whom they are highly prized. These fabrics are known in the market as vaukey, thomboo, joon nady, and ambooresa, all of them lace-bordei ed.
11Tomen's silk Cloths are made chiefly in Beimres and Nagpur ; but they are fabricated also at Ber hampore Tanjore, Combaconum, and Conjeveram, in the M'adras Presidency. Those of Benares and of the Mahratta countries are celebrated for their superiority, aud are highly prized for their lace borders ; their size is 16 by 21 cubits, and they are sold at 50 to 300 rupees and upwards ; those made at Berhampore, Tanjore, and Combaconum are not equal to the Benares cloths, but are well made, and sold at from 15 to 70 rupees each. The
women's cloths of Tanjore and Madura manufac ture, and men's head-cloths, also from Madura, will compete with the production of any other loom in the world.
Printed Cloths are worn occasionally, as in Berar and Bundelkhand, for sarees ; and the ends and borders have peculiar local patterns. There is also a class of prints on coarse cloth, used for the skirts or petticoats of women of some of the humbler classes in Upper India ; but the greatest demand for printed cloths is for. palempores, or single quilts. .
In the costlier Garment Cloths woven in India, the borders and ends are entirely of gold thread and silk, the former predominating. Many of the twee or women's cloths, those made at Benarea, Pytun, and llurhanpur, in Gujernt, at Narrain pet, and Dhanwarum, in the territory of His Highness the Nizarn, at Yeokla in Kandesh, and in other localities, have gold thread in broad and narrow stripes alternating with silk or muslin. Gold !lowers, checks, or zigzag patterns are used, the colours of the grounds being green, black, violet, crimson, purple, and grey ; and in silk, black shot with crimson or yellow, crimson with green, blue. or white, yellow with deep crimson and blue, all producing rich, harmonious, and even gorgeous effects, but without the least appearance of, or approach to, glaring colour, or offence to the most critical taste. They are colours and effects which suit the dark or fair complexions of the people of the country ; for an Indian lady who can afford to be choice in the selection of her wardrobe, is as particular RS to what will suit her especial colour—dark or comparatively fair—as any lady of Britain or France. Another ex quisitely beautiful article of Indian costume for 'nen and women, is the do-patta scarf, worn more frequently by Mahomedan women than Hindu, and by the latter only when they have adopted the Mahomedan lunga or petticoat ; but invariably by men in dress costume. Fly women this is generally passed once round the waist over the petticoat or trousers, thence across the bosom and over the left shoulder and head ; by men, across the chest only.