W is for ... Wonderful ... n ... Worm

 

All this month I am writing about wonderful Indian handlooms, a quick but captivating dive into the saree specifically, a garment worn by Indians for five millennia. Come with me into the magnificent, complex and utterly fascinating world of fibre and yarn, of skills and techniques of dyeing and printing and embroidery, traditions unchanged for centuries. Of sumptuous finished fabrics that not only make a fashion statement, but also constitute our cultural heritage and political identity.

W is for Wild

We have already looked at Tussar a few days earlier which is a non-mulberry variety of silk. There are others too - Eri and Muga. Muga is an exclusive GI tagged product of Assam in the North East of India, Eri silk is produced through out the North East in other states also. Here is a silk map that gives the exact picture: 

Image credit

So these three types of silks - Tussar, Muga and Eri got from moth species which are not domesticated, are collectively known as Wild or Vanya silks. We have already talked about Tussar in an earlier post. Here we take a look at Muga, which is the most expensive silk that is produced in India, on account of both its quality, lustre and rarity. Have a look at the Indian sericulture statistics  to appreciate why Muga is as costly as it is. The state of Assam in the North East of India is the only producer of Muga silk in the world, the wild moth from which the silk is obtained is named  Antheraea assamensis - might have a clue to that!

The origins of Muga, as with most textiles, in fact most things in India, is shrouded is myth and magic. Sericulture in Assam is an ancient industry and its exact origins cannot be determined  with any degree of precision. (Note  that  Assam is in the North East of India and not within the core area of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The IVC sites are mainly located in modern day Pakistan and North Western India - Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.) The first civilisations/kingdoms rose in the 1st millennium CE in Assam, but Assam silks may have predated those. 

Because the ancient epic Ramayana (composed ~ 800-400 BCE) refers obliquely to sericulture in Assam thus - it is mentioned in the Kishkindha Kanda that 'travelling east one has to pass through  Magadha (present day Bihar), Anga (Bihar/West Bengal), Pundra (West Bengal and Bangladesh)  and then through the Kosha-karanam-bhumi,' (lit the land of the cocoon rearers). If that is not a reference to sericulture, I don't know what is. 

So lets say by the 1st millennium BCE, sericulture was being practiced in Assam. Further proof comes from the Arthashashtra written in the 3rd century BCE - both the colour of the silk and the superior quality of the fabrics are mentioned as originating from Kamarupa, the ancient name for Assam. There are further references in texts written in the 7th century CE and 11th century and so on, right down to details of the production process and draping of deities. Read more about it here.  

It is thought that sericulture arrived in Assam with Tibeto-Burman migrants from China around 3000-2000 BCE. There are other texts that show that silk arrived in India through Assam. Muga gained prominence during the time of the Ahom dynasty in the 13th century. The Ahoms ruled for six centuries during which Muga was reserved for royalty/aristocracy as the region's most luxurious fabric. Read the story of Muga here. And watch this video to understand the role Muga plays in Indian sericulture and how the wild silk worm that produces it is threatened. 

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Did you know that there are over 500 species of silkworms? Only four among these are of commecial importance though - Bombyx mori (mulberry silk), Antheraea assamensis (muga silk) Antharaea mylitta (tussar silk) and Samia ricini (eri silk). 

Thank you for reading. And happy A-Zing to you for the end days of the challenge if you are participating. 

A-Z Challenge 2025