Cotton Cultivation in India

Timeline

1. c. -2000–500Indus River basin and the Deccan · IndiaEvidence of cotton cultivation and spinning appeared early in South Asia; indigenous craft villages formed complete chains from planting and ginning to weaving, laying the foundation for later export trade.
2. 1081–1090Gujarat and west coast ports · GujaratIn the late 11th century cotton-producing regions of northwestern India and the west coast exported fine cotton cloth to the Arab world via ports such as Cambay; Arabic documents referred to Indian 'tree cotton,' showing cotton cultivation and trade as a hub in medieval global networks.
3. c. 1600–1750North Indian and Bengali cotton regions · IndiaDuring the Mughal Empire from the 16th to 18th centuries, the area of Indian cotton fields and the scale of handicrafts expanded significantly; famous products like Dhaka muslin further consolidated India's dominance in the global cotton textile market.