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India
India is located in South Asia. India is bordered by China, Nepal and Bhutan on the north; Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma) on the east; the Bay of Bengal on the southeast; the Palk Strait, the Gulf of Mannar, and the Indian Ocean on the south; and Pakistan and the Arabian Sea on the west. India covers an area of 3,165,596 sq km (1,222,243 sq mi). The capital of India is New Delhi. India with the population of 984 million is the second most populated country in the world after China. India gained its independence from The British Empire in 1947.
| Rug weaving was introduced to India during the sixteenth century at the time of the Moghul Emperor Akbar. Indian workshops prospered about the same time as the royal Persian rug manufacturers of the Safavid Dynasty in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Many of the workshops were under the supervision of Iranian weavers. Consequently, Indian designs were strongly influenced by those of Iran. |
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Rug weaving almost stopped in India in the late seventeenth century, and it was not until about 1850 that large factories managed by the British, and later by American companies, began producing large quantities of rugs again. This time, however, rugs were produced largely for exportation. Many are copies of Persian and French eighteenth century designs. |
| The major rug producing centers of India are in the towns of Srinagar, Amritsar, Jaipur, Agra, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Khamariah and Ellora. Many Indian rugs are marketed under the Persian style names from which they are copied. For example, a rug could be sold under the name Indo-Esfahan, which means it is an Esfahan style made in India. |
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Currently, India is one of the largest producers of handmade rugs. Market sizing data from the exporting countries is difficult to obtain, as some of the countries may not track the data or disclose it. Nevertheless, from foreign embassies, industry specialists, and magazine articles, the 1998 rug export estimate for India is 500 million dollars. India produces handmade rugs mainly for exportation.
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