Position of Weavers in the Textile Industries during 18th-19th Century, Rajasthan Jibraeil1,* 1Research Assistant, Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002 (U.P.) *E-mail: jibrehayat@gmail.com
Abstract The proposed paper examines de-urbanization in Harauti region of Rajasthan. Primary data from Rajasthan State Achieves, Bikaner, have been used for this purpose. The study of textile workers’ position in towns of Rajasthan is quite interesting through the ages. Here, the concentration is to fnd out the Weaver's position in the Textile Industries during the period of 18th -19th century’ especially in the urban areas of Kota. For the aforesaid period the main source, toji-do-vakhi-baje-talke1, provides the valuable information, and the data of AD1741 and AD1751 of qasba Sangod of Kota has been taken as sample study. The series of the toji-do-vakhi-baje-talke furnish valuable data on weavers, and other professional groups, menial castes and their number of houses. This helps us to estimate the population of the above referred classes and castes. The statistical data of the year 1741 and 1751 on tax collection (Kholari-house tax) and number of houses contained in the document are compiled in the form of Tables. The Kholari tax signifies the house tax which was imposed on the different occupational groups. In the Table 3, a comparison of the position of professional groups (especially weavers) had been made between the population of two periods i.e.1741 and 1751 to the first caste census that was held in 1931.This comparison of the population leads to some very interesting results. In qasba, the leading professional class was that of weavers followed by other classes. But there has been a decline in population of textile workers in 1931. The decline or disappearance of weaver (Julaha) was clearly an outcome of the impact of the competition with the British cloth in the 19th century. The study shows the symptom of de-industrialization as well as the de-urbanization at least in the said town. We can also infer the similar kind of phenomenon in the entire state of Kota. Top Keywords Textile Workers, Kholari, Assamis, Assumed Conventional Figure, Estimation, Disappeared, British cloth and yarn, Symptom of De-industrialization, De-urbanization, Phenomenon. Top |