ABSTRACT

Food habits of people vary depending upon different factors, such as social customs, economic means, climatic conditions and nature of crops grown in a given area. Climatic conditions too, always have a bearing on food habits of the people. Just like the food habits of people, their manner of clothing also reflects climatic conditions, economic means and social customs of a given area. Cities like Agra, Patna, Banaras, Lahore, Multan could provide thousands of bales of all kinds of cloths annually for foreign merchants and also for local consumption. Ralph Fitch found most of the houses of Patna very simple—made of earth and covered with straw. In the plains of the country because of hot climate, houses of reeds and canes were considered most suitable. In Kashmir wood being in abundance, houses were made of wood which looked elegant. Manucci and Tavernier observed houses at Patna made of palm leaves, thatch, or sometimes roofed with tiles.