More Than a Drape — A Story of Fibre, Place, and Craft
In India, silk has always carried more meaning than just fabric. It has dressed queens and brides, marked rituals and milestones, and travelled through generations as heirloom and memory. But in today’s market, the word silk is often used loosely — sometimes to describe a finish, sometimes a drape, and sometimes simply a feeling of luxury.
Not everything called silk is silk.
And not all silks are the same.
To truly understand silk, we must look beyond the surface — to its fibre, its origins, and the ecosystems and communities that shape it.
What Silk Really Is
Silk is a natural protein fibre produced by silkworms when they spin their cocoons. Unlike cotton or wool, silk begins as a continuous filament, formed as the silkworm creates a protective shell around itself before transformation.
This filament is one of the strongest natural fibres in the world for its fineness. Its unique triangular structure reflects light softly, giving silk its characteristic glow — a sheen that no synthetic fibre can truly replicate.
In India, silk is not a single material. It is a family of fibres shaped by different landscapes, climates, food sources, and craft traditions.
India is one of the few countries in the world that produces all four major natural silks:
- Mulberry silk
- Tussar (Tasar / Kosa) silk
- Eri silk
- Muga silk
Each comes from a different silkworm species and a distinct ecological system.
Mulberry Silk — India’s Most Widely Woven Silk
Mulberry silk is produced by the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori, which feeds exclusively on mulberry leaves. These silkworms are reared in controlled farm environments, making mulberry silk the most consistent and widely produced silk in India.
Because the cocoons can be unwound into long, continuous threads, mulberry silk produces yarn that is smooth, uniform, and exceptionally strong.
Major Mulberry Silk Regions in India
- Karnataka — the largest producer, especially around Mysore and Ramanagara
- Andhra Pradesh & Telangana — known for fine reeled silk
- Tamil Nadu — home to the Kanchipuram silk tradition
- West Bengal — Bishnupur and Murshidabad
- Assam — Pat and Nuni silks
Mulberry silk is not a single fabric but a family of regional traditions — from the heavy, structured drapes of Kanchipuram to the softer, flowing silks of Mysore and Bengal.
It is the silk most commonly associated with wedding and ceremonial sarees because of its longevity, sheen, and strength.
Eri Silk — The Silk of Peace and Warmth
Eri silk comes from silkworms fed on castor leaves and has a completely different personality from mulberry silk.
Unlike most silk varieties, Eri cocoons are allowed to open naturally, letting the moth emerge before the fibre is processed. Because the filament breaks when the moth exits, the fibre cannot be reeled into long threads. Instead, it is gently carded and hand-spun.
This is why Eri is often called Ahimsa silk — a silk produced without killing the silkworm.
Major Eri Silk Regions
- Assam — the heartland of Eri
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Tripura
Eri silk is deeply woven into everyday life in Northeast India, where it has traditionally been used for shawls, wraps, and winter garments.
It does not have the high gloss of mulberry silk. Instead, it offers warmth, comfort, and quiet luxury. Its texture is rich and tactile, making it especially suited for cooler climates and slow, season-less fashion.
Eri silk is among the most expensive silks in India. Its value reflects:
- Hand-spun yarn production
- Lower fibre yield per cocoon
- Slow, forest-based cultivation
- Small-scale tribal rearing systems
- High labour involvement
Unlike mulberry silk, Eri cannot be industrialised or mass-produced. Every metre carries weeks of careful human work.
Tussar Silk — The Forest Silk of India
Tussar silk, also known as Tasar or Kosa silk, is a wild silk produced by silkworms that feed on forest trees such as Arjun, Asan, and Sal.
These silkworms are not fully domesticated. They are reared in open forest ecosystems, making Tussar silk deeply connected to tribal livelihoods and forest economies.
Major Tussar-Producing States
- Jharkhand — India’s largest producer
- Chhattisgarh
- Odisha
- West Bengal
- Maharashtra
- Bihar
Tussar silk has a distinctive surface — textured, organic, and full of character. Its natural colour ranges from pale gold to deep honey tones, often left undyed to showcase its raw beauty.
Its production cannot be scaled the way mulberry silk can. Tussar’s value comes from ecology, not industry.
Muga Silk — Assam’s Golden Heritage
Muga silk is India’s rarest and most precious silk. It is produced almost entirely in Assam and nowhere else in the world.
The silkworms feed on Som and Soalu leaves found only in the region’s forests. This specialised diet gives Muga its legendary golden colour — a hue that deepens and becomes more luminous with age and wear.
It is one of the strongest natural fibres in the world. Sarees woven from Muga silk are often passed down for generations.
Muga silk is the most expensive silk produced in India. Its rarity is built into its biology:
- Cultivation limited to Assam
- Low-yield silkworm species
- Forest-dependent rearing
- Seasonal production cycles
- High mortality rates
- Entirely hand-processed yarn
It cannot be farmed or reproduced outside its native ecosystem.
Muga is not just a silk.
It is a living heritage of Assam.
Oak Tussar — The Silk of the Mountains
Oak Tussar, also known as Himalayan Tussar, is a rare wild silk produced by silkworms that feed on oak leaves in mountain forests. It's fibre is naturally pale beige to light golden in colour.
Major Oak Tussar Regions
- Uttarakhand — Kumaon & Garhwal
- Himachal Pradesh
- Parts of Arunachal Pradesh
Oak Tussar is prized for its lightness and comfort, it is finer and lighter than regular Tussar. Seasonally harvested it is especially suited for warmer weather and layered garments.
It is among the rarest silks in India due to forest-dependent cultivation, short seasonal cycles and difficult mountain rearing conditions. It cannot be mass-produced. Its scarcity is shaped by geography.
When “Silk” Becomes a Descriptor
In today’s market, silk is often used to describe look and drape rather than fibre.
You’ll commonly encounter:
- Dola Silk — usually polyester or rayon
- Modal Silk — cellulose fibre with a smooth finish
- Art Silk — artificial silk, often synthetic
Silk in the name does not mean silk in the fibre.
There is nothing wrong with choosing non-silk fabrics. But clarity matters. When we know what a fabric is made of, we choose for the right reasons — comfort, care, cost, longevity.
Silk is not just a look.
It is a lineage.
Why This Knowledge Matters
Indian silks carry centuries of craft knowledge, ecological balance, and regional identity.
Understanding silk means understanding:
- Where a fibre comes from
- Who produces it
- How it is made
- What ecosystem sustains it
When we recognise these layers, silk becomes more than a garment. It becomes a living tradition.
Closing
From the smooth elegance of mulberry to the forest soul of Tussar, from the warmth of Eri to the golden glow of Muga — Indian silks reflect the land, the climate, and the people who create them.
Silk is not fashion alone.
It is culture.
It is ecology.
It is memory.
Knowing the difference lets heritage keep its meaning.
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