Introduction -- The history of textile production -- The material : Dyes ; Yarn -- Techniques of textile decoration : Handwoven textiles ; Resist dyeing ; Printing and painting -- The West : Embroidery ; Appliqué ; Beadwork ; Ply-split camel girths of western Rajasthan ; Block printing ; Printed and painted textiles ; Tie-and-dye work ; Brocade weaving -- Pakistan : Sind ; Punjab ; North-West Frontier Province and the North ; Baluchistan -- The North : Punjab and Haryana ; Jammu and Kashmir ; Himachal Pradesh ; Uttar Pradesh -- The East : Bengal and Bihar ; Assam and the Hill states of the North-East ; Orissa -- Bangladesh : Jamdani weaving ; Kantha quilting -- The South : Ikats of Andhra Pradesh ; Kalamkari work of South-Eastern India ; The silk industry of Kanchipuram ; Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra ; Banjara embroidery -- Sri Lanka.