Decline of industries and de-urbanisation

The decline of Indian handicrafts under colonial rule, and the shrinking of old manufacturing towns that depended on them, is one of the most debated topics in modern Indian economic history. Dhaka, once famous for fine muslin, and Murshidabad, once a textile and court centre, lost much of their manufacturing population in the nineteenth century. The question is not only whether decline happened, but why: British factory competition, tariff policy, loss of court patronage, and changes in demand all played a part, and Indian industry did not simply vanish — it changed form.