Tussar silk

What is Tussar silk?

Tussar is a wild silk, which means the moths are not raised indoors on mulberry but live on forest trees. The larvae of several Antheraea species spin the cocoons that people gather and unwind. The yarn has more body than mulberry silk and a muted gold glow rather than a bright shine. In India tribal families do much of the gathering and tending, and the saree is the most important thing made from the fibre, though furnishing cloth, handicrafts and stitched garments also use it.

Where does Tussar silk come from?

The moths behind tussar feed on the leaves of Terminalia trees and sal (Shorea robusta), and also on jamun and oak, across South Asia. Silk of this kind comes from China, India, Japan and Sri Lanka. India ranks second among producers and is the only source of what is called Indian or tropical tussar. Within India the weaving is long established at Bhagalpur in Bihar, where the local cloth carries the town's name, and in Malda district of West Bengal. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh also produce it, and Jharkhand has become the largest producer in recent years.

How is Tussar silk made?

Cocoons are gathered, often from the forest, and spread out in the sun so the pupae die. They are then simmered so the gum softens and the filament can be reeled off. In one variant the moth is left to emerge on its own and the emptied cocoons are boiled afterwards; silk made this way is sold as ahimsa or nonviolent silk. Most cocoons are single-shelled and oval. In China a silk takes a different name according to the leaf the worm ate: zhe for wild mulberry, hu for oak.

Colours, motifs and borders

Tussar's colour comes largely from the fibre itself: a deep, natural gold, with a visible texture that many people read as body or grain. The sheen is dull rather than glossy. Dyeing has changed what is available; once the palette was narrow, and now a wide range of shades can be produced. In Odisha the cloth serves as the ground for pattachitra painting, and in West Bengal it is stitched with kantha running thread.

How Tussar silk is worn

The material here does not set out a particular drape, blouse or length for tussar. What it does record is that the saree is the foremost use of the cloth, ahead of handicrafts, furnishing fabric and stitched apparel. Designers have also taken it up for tailored garments, which are finished carefully and sold abroad.

Styles of Tussar silk

Two versions of the yarn sit side by side: the usual one, where the cocoon is boiled with the worm still inside, and ahimsa silk, where the moth has already gone. Indian tussar, also called tropical tussar, is distinct from tussar produced elsewhere. China sorts its wild silks by the food plant, giving zhe and hu. Bhagalpur cloth is known simply as Bhagalpur silk. Colour range has widened with chemical dyes, and designers now cut tussar into stitched garments as well as sarees.

What Tussar silk means

Because the cocoons are mostly picked in forests rather than farmed in sheds, many people treat tussar as a forest product, and in India tribal families carry out much of the gathering and tending. At Bhagalpur the trade supports a large weaving population, with roughly 30,000 weavers at some 25,000 handlooms, and a substantial share of the cloth leaves the country as exports. Ahimsa silk carries an ethical claim that some buyers look for. Designers at home and abroad use the cloth, which has helped keep demand alive.

Questions people ask about Tussar silk

Good reading and sources

• Tussar silk on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data