Kausheya

Kausheya (kauseya, Kiau-she-ye, Kaushika) was a wild variety of ancient silk from India. Domesticated and undomesticated silk (also known as wild silk) were produced in both India and China.^: 9 Silk weaving is mentioned in Indian texts from the 3rd century BC.^: 13 In the 4th century BC, Kātyāyana, an ancient grammarian, defined kausheva specifically as vikar, a product of kos (vikara koshdvam), — in other words, silk fabric.^: 14 Shatapatha Brahmana refers to kusa, a variety of silk obtained from a silkworm called kuswari or kuswara. These silkworms are raised on jujube trees.^: 13

Kitsutram, kriminag, pattasutra, or pattron were names possibly referring to varieties of wild silk produced by various undomesticated silkworms reared on different trees, hence producing different qualities and colours of silk.^: 13, 9