2017, Vol. 3, Issue 5, Part A

author(s)
Supriya Pal

abstract
During the Vedic era, though the chief occupations of the Vedic people were agriculture and cattle rearing but apart from it, a good number of occupations had emerged which helped to flourish a cottage industry. The Ṛgveda, Aitareya Brāhmaṇa and Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa mentioned weaving carpentry, pottery, stitching, embroidery and many more as ocuupatios which were practised as means of earning livelihood. Besides these, in the thirtieth chapter of the Śuklayajurveda, seventy (70) different types of occupations such as – washing clothes, making baskets preparing perfume and cosmetics, making case of sword, dolls, weaving colouring clothes, decorating ornaments, embroidering clothes or garments (Peśaskaraṇa), black smithy, gold smithy and many more home crafts were mentioned. These professions were not only the monopoly of the men but the women also contributed their labour into them. Generally, women were engaged in weaving, dyeing and embroidery.