Silk

What is Silk ?
Man is always inquisitive for silk products. SILK - The Queen of Textiles,
spells luxury, elegance, class and comfort. Mankind has always loved this
shimmering fibre of unparalleled grandeur from the moment Chinese Empress
Shiling Ti discovered it in her tea cup. It withstood many a daunting challenges
from other natural and artificial fibres and yet, remained the undisputed Queen
of Textiles since centuries. Exquisite qualities like the natural sheen, inherent
affinity for dyes and vibrant colours, high absorbance, light weight, resilience
and excellent drape etc. have made silk, the irresistible and inevitable
companion of the eve, all over the world.
Chemically speaking, silk is made of proteins secreted in the fluid state by a
caterpillar, popularly known as 'silkworm'. These silkworms feed on the
selected food plants and spin cocoons as a 'protective shell' to perpetuate the
life. Silkworm has four stages in its life cycle viz., egg, caterpillar, pupa and
moth. Man interferes this life cycle at the cocoon stage to obtain the silk, a
continuous filament of commercial importance, used in weaving of the dream
fabric.
Why is Silk?
Silk is a high value but low volume product accounting for only 0.2 % of
world's total textile production. Silk production is regarded as an important tool
for economic development of a country as it is a labour intensive and high
income generating industry that churns out value added products of economic
importance. The developing countries rely on it for employment generation,
especially in rural sector and also as a means to earn the foreign exchange.
Where do we find Silk ?
Geographically, Asia is the main producer of silk in the world and produces
over 95 % of the total global output. Though there are over 40 countries on the
world map of silk, bulk of it is produced in China and India, followed by Japan,
Brazil and Korea. China is the leading supplier of silk to the world.
India is the second largest producer of silk and also the largest consumer of silk
in the world. It has a strong tradition and culture bound domestic market of silk.
In India, mulberry silk is produced mainly in the states of Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal, while the non-

mulberry silks are produced in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Orissa and north-eastern

states.
Types of Silk
There are five major types of silk of commercial importance, obtained from
different species of silkworms which in turn feed on a number of food plants.
These are:
Mulberry
Oak Tasar & Tropical Tasar
Muga
Eri
Commercially exploited sericigenous insects of the world and their food plants
Common Name Scientific Name Origin
Primary Food Plant(s)
Mulberry Silkworm
Bombyx mori
China Morus indica
M. alba
M.multicaulis
M.bombycis
Tropical Tasar Silkworm Antheraea mylitta India Shorea robusta
Terminalia tomentosa
T. arjuna
Oak Tasar Silkworm
Antheraea proylei India Quercus incana
Q. serrata
Q. himalayana
Q. leuco tricophora
Q. semicarpifolia
Q. grifithi
Oak Tasar Silkworm
Antheraea frithi India Q. dealdata
Oak Tasar Silkworm
Antheraea compta India Q. dealdata
Oak Tasar Silkworm
Antheraea pernyi China Q. dendata
Oak Tasar Silkworm
Antheraea yamamai
Japan Q. acutissima
Muga Silkworm Antheraea assama India Litsea polyantha
L. citrata
Machilus bombycine
Eri Silkworm
Philosamia ricini India Ricinus communis
Manihot utilisma
Evodia fragrance
Except mulberry, other non-mulberry varieties of silks are generally termed as
vanya silks. India has the unique distinction of producing all these commercial
varieties of silk.

Sericulture is an agro-based industry. It involves rearing of

silkworms for the production of raw silk, which is the yarn
obtained out of cocoons spun by certain species of insects. The
major activities of sericulture comprises of food-plant cultivation
to feed the silkworms which spin silk cocoons and reeling the
cocoons for unwinding the silk filament for value added benefits
such as processing and weaving.

Silks of India
Silk has been intermingled with the life and culture of the Indians. Though India
is producing all the varieties of silk i.e., dress materials, scarves/stoles,
readymade garments, etc., the silk sarees are unique. The saree is almost
synonymous with the word silk. It is the traditional costume of Indian woman
since time immemorial. There are innumerable references in Indian literature
about this draped garment and the style of wearing differs from time to time,
region to region and people to people. The silk sarees of India are among the
living examples of the excellent craftsmanship of the weavers of the country.
The artistic and aesthetic sense of Indian weavers is not content with striking
colours they choose for the fabrics, but lies in their mastery over the creation of
floral designs, beautiful textures, fine geometry and the durability of such work.
The weaver not only weaves with yarn but with intense feeling and emotion. In
India, there are a number of silk weaving centers spread all over the country,
known for their distinct and typical style and products. For Indians, particularly
ladies, silk is lifeline - the elixir. Silk is always woven interwoven with way of
life and culture of a region. Craftsmen all over the Indian sub-continent tried to
master the weaving of sarees as exclusive as one can think of, putting motif
designs, colours, pattern and versatility in them. No two sarees can be of same
design left to the choice of weaver, thus there is innumerable pattern or
diversity. Over the years, specific centres sprung and developed to promote a
particular pattern of design / weaving and they became distinct. Some of the
famous silk centers in India are as under:Sl no
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

State Silk Centre

Andhra
Dharmavaram, Pochampalli, Venkatagiri, Narainpet
Assam
Sualkuchi
Bihar Bhagalpur
Gujarat
Surat, Cambay
Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar
Karnataka Bangalore, Anekal, Ilkal, Molakalmuru, Melkote, Kollegal
Chattisgarh Champa, Chanderi, Raigarh

8
9
10
11

Maharashtra Paithan
Tamil Nadu Kanchipuram, Arni, Salem, Kumbhakonam, Tanjavur
Uttar Pradesh
Varanasi
West BengalBishnupur, Murshidabad, Birbhum

The Brocades of Banaras

Situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges,

Varanasi is famous for its finest silk sarees and brocades.
These sarees are known for rich and intricately woven motifs
of leaf, flowers, fruits, birds, etc. on a soft colour
background. They are enriched with intricate borders and
heavily decorated pallus. The centre is also known for its
gauzi silver and gold tissues, which are ultra light in weight
and delicate. The kinkab of Banaras is legendary. It is a
glittering weave of gold and silver threads. The pure silk with
a touch of gold is called bafta and the finely woven brocade
of variegated silk is known as Amru.

The tricks of tie and dye

The resist dyeing techniques has been practiced

in India since centuries. There are two distinct traditions in
this technique. The patola or ikat technique involves the
dyeing of the tie-resist yarn. The bandhej or bandhini
involves the dyeing of the fabric.

The ikats of Orissa

The tie and dye weaves of Orissa known as ikats employ the
yarn resist method for both warp and weft with diffused
effect. But the overall pattern is boldly articulated as in
confident strikes of a brush. Both mulberry and tasar silks
are used in the weaving of these ikats.

The Patolas of Gujarat

The patolas are known for their precision

subtlety and beauty. Here, both warp and weft are dyed by
dye resist method in a range of five or six traditional colours
like red, indigo, blue, emerald green, black or yellow. The
exact and highly skilled process ensures that when the fabric
is woven, the design will appear precisely and create a
magnificently coloured and figured ground of great richness
and beauty with birds, flowers, animals, dancers, etc. in a
geometrically stylized perfection.

The ballet of bandhej

In bandhej or bandhini, the finely woven fabric is knotted
tightly and dyed to achieve a distinct design. The sarees,
odhnis (veils) and turbans of these regions are a medley of

brilliant colours. The bandhini of Kutch is unmatched for their

fineness of the minutely tied knots, the magnificence of the
colours and the perfect designs.

The Tanchois of Gujarat

The tanchoi brocade was named after the three Parsi
brothers called choi who learnt this art in China and
introduced it to Surat. The choi brocade is usually a dark
satin weave, purple or dark red in ground colour, embellished
with motifs of flowers, creepers, birds all over design.

The temple silks of the South

South India is the leading silk producing area

of the country also known for its famous silk weaving
enclaves like Kancheepuram, Dharmavaram, Arni, etc. While
the temple towns like Kancheepuram are renowned for their
magnificent heavy silk sarees of bright colours with silver or
gold zari works, the centers like Bangalore and Mysore are
known for their excellent printed silks.
The traditional handloom silks always score over the
powerloom silks in the richness of their textures and designs,
in their individuality, character and classic beauty. Handloom
weaving remains a symbol of versatility and creativity of
living craft. Today, Indian silks, especially the handloom
products, remain the most beautiful and cherished the world
over.