Khasa (cloth)

Khasa (Cossa, Cossaes)^[1] was a high-quality variety of calico cloth that was manufactured and used for clothing in the Mughal Empire.

Name

Khasa or khāṣṣa means special.^[1] Khasa was termed “kashak” in the Ain-i-Akbari, and was also known as 'jangal klasa' for its fine close weave.^[2] Khasa is one of seven cotton cloths named in the Ain-i-Akbari.^[3]

Features

Khasa was a cotton fabric softer than longcloth and more closely woven than muslin.^[4][5] It is described as having been soft and closely woven, with a fine texture.^[2] In the 16th-century emperor Akbar's time, khasa was considered to be one of the best and most expensive types of cotton cloth.^[6][7] It was commonly used for turbans in the Mughal era.^[8]

Dimensions

Khasa, like other piece goods, were produced with specific dimensions; regular khasas were having dimensions of 20 x 1 or 1.5 yards. The number of threads was in warp direction were 1400–2800 with the weight of 595 grams /pc (with 2800 threads).^[9]

Production centers

Khasa made in Sonargaon was considered to be of particularly high quality.^[2] It was also produced in Dacca, Malda, Santipore and Cossimbazar.^[10] “Rahon Khasa” was cloth produced at the town of Rahon in Punjab.^[11]

Exports

Thomas Bowrey, an English merchant and mariner in the East Indies trade in the late 17th century,^[12] described Khasa as a kind of muslin that was the cloth most commonly exported from Dhaka.^[13]