Muslin trade in Bengal

Muslin, a Phuti carpus cotton fabric of plain weave, was historically hand woven in the areas of Dhaka and Sonargaon in Bangladesh and exported for many centuries.

Muslin from "India" is mentioned in the book Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, authored by an anonymous Egyptian merchant around 2,000 years ago, it was appreciated by the Ancient Greeks and Romans, and the fabled fabric was the pinnacle of European fashion in the 18th and 19th century.

Production ceased sometime in the late 19th century, as the Bengali muslin industry could no longer compete against cheaper British-made textiles.

[3] The Romans prized muslin highly, using bullion and gold coins to buy the material from Deccan and South India.

[6] During the Mughal era, the most important center of cotton production was Bengal, particularly around its capital city of Dhaka, leading to muslin being called "daka" in distant markets such as Central Asia.

[4] By 1580, some Portuguese traders settled at Dhaka and Sripur, from where they started exporting muslin, cotton and silk goods to Europe and Southeast Asia.

In the sixteenth century, Portuguese started trading textiles from the Indian subcontinent through the Persian Gulf including high quality of muslins.

[12] During the second half of 18th century, Bengal gradually came under the control of the British East India Company (EIC), particularly after Robert Clive's victory at the 1757 Battle of Plassey.

At the same time, tariffs and other protectionist policies instituted by European nations led to a collapse in foreign demand for muslin, further weakening the industry.

By the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution in Britain meant that the Bengali muslin trade could no longer compete against British-made textiles in Indian markets, and eventually collapsed.

[18] The Dhaka muslin begins with plants grown along the banks of the Meghna River and its tributaries, which form the immense Ganges Delta.

neglecta) with their maple-like leaves pushed produce a single light-yellow flower twice a year, which give way to a snowy floret of cotton fibers.