According to the Ministry of Culture, excavations and research from key archaeological sites, including Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, and Rakhigarhi, have uncovered spindle whorls and fragments of cloth. These artefacts collectively point to an advanced understanding of cotton spinning and weaving in one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations.
Archaeologist Disha Ahluwalia further expanded the historical timeline, suggesting that cotton usage in the region may extend back approximately 7,200 years. Her assessment draws on fibre evidence traced to Israel and is linked to a 2002 study examining artefacts associated with Mehrgarh beads, indicating earlier interregional material exchanges and textile development.
The Archaeological Survey of India has also associated these findings with the continuity of traditional Indian hand-spun cotton fabric practices in the modern era, noting their cultural and historical lineage. This continuity reflects the endurance of indigenous textile knowledge systems across millennia.
Today, this heritage continues to underpin India’s large handloom sector, which employs millions of people and remains a significant contributor to rural livelihoods. It also underscores early trade networks that extended from the Indian subcontinent to West Asia, highlighting India’s role as a pioneering centre of textile production and exchange in ancient history.
The discovery reinforces the civilisational depth of India’s textile economy and its enduring global significance, linking ancient innovation with present-day cultural and economic traditions.
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