In another city in India, Orissa, textile manufacture has been important for a very long time. I highly recommend that you visit the above site and read the wealth of information they have provided. It is worth a visit just to see the pile of hand-dyed silk fibers. A quote from the page shows the rich textile tradition in this place:
Handlooms in Orissa reflect the essence of the traditional way of life, the loom is part of her poetic tradition and folklore.... Though rooted in custom and tradition these products cater to the needs of a vast and diverse cultural panorama. These products are unique creations; aesthetic, yet functional.
One of the earliest documented reference[s] of the State's handloom tradition is found in Jyotirisvara's Varnaratnakara written in Eastern India in the early 14th century. This gives a list of ikat fabrics . The tradition of intricate and painstaking craftsmanship of Orissa's hand-weaving continues to the present day.... The style reflects the ethos, the tradition, the environment of the weaver. Thus the hand-woven fabric of Orissa is replete with everyday motifs like the flower, the tree, the wheel, the fish, and religious symbols like the rudraksha, the elephant and the conch. Hand weaving of cloth is, amongst others, one of the richest and resilient medi[a] of ethnic expression.
The writer here emphasizes the cultural value of handloomed textiles to the textile artist, his community, and finally to the purchaser of his products. Most of the products made in Orissa are far too fine to be used on the floor; the exception being their silk rugs, of course.
At Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, a web surfer can see some of the American traditions in household textiles. In fact, a review of their list of products names some of the methods of creating floor coverings in our own country.
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