Before the industrial revolution in England, India had made cotton cloth was in great demand everywhere. During the seventeenth century, one fourth of the world’s cotton cloth was made in India. In 18th century, only Bengal had 10 lakh weavers. But industrial revolution mechanised the weaving process. Consequently Indian cotton started exporting to England and the products made there started coming to India. Indian cloth was unable to compete the mechanised product and its demand reduced to a great deal. As a result, large number of weavers become unemployed and the cotton textile centres such as Murshidabad, Surat etc. declined.
