Muga - the golden silk of Assam

Can anyone throw light on the golden silk of Assam - Muga? I recently attended a cultural festival where i had a chance to see this beautiful garment. Where can I find this and how is it made?

Gayatri, its nice that you liked this great tradition of Assam. I say tradition because, it is a fabric that is considered the lifeline of the people here and a 'Muga Mekhela-Chadar' is a treasured belonging of every Assamese household. Although, Sualkuchi is the place where Muga is predominantly weaved, it can be found it retail outlets all over the state.

Here's a little insight into this unique fabric from Assam.

Assam produces three unique varieties of silks, the Golden Muga, the White Pat and the warm Eri. Silks grown all over the state find their way to Sualkuchi, 32 kms from Guwahati.

Sualkuchi is one of the world's largest weaving villages often called the Manchester of the East. The entire population here is engaged in weaving exquisite silk fabrics. A renowned centre of silk production, particularly known for Muga - the golden silk of Assam which is not produced anywhere else in the world.

So, when are you planning to visit Sualkuchi to witness the creation of this wonderful art in silk?

Muga is indeed the golden silk cultivated, reeled and woven to make exclusive muga silk sarees, kurtas and mekhela-chadar. They are indeed expensive; but if you know how they are made, I'm sure you'd say that IT'S PRICELESS.

The worm: The silkworm used to produce Muga is Antheraea assamensis, which is raised outdoors and is fed on two trees—som (machilus bombycina) and soalu (litsaea polyantha).

Process: The worm feeds on the trees and strips them of their foliage, subsequent to which a mass exodus happens. The worms are then collected and transferred to another tree until they are mature enough to spin the fibers. When they are ready to spin their cocoons, they are collected by the keepers and placed into small containers made of dried twigs. The fiber they spin out is golden and is known as the Muga silk. The cocoons are then boiled and reeled in a reeling machine.

Don't you think this is something worth a treasure?

Happy Posting!

Oh my God! This is indeed worth a treasure.

Thanks to all for this wonderful piece of info. Believe me, when I wrote this thread, never did I imagine that I was digging up a treasure hold. It was the beauty of the fabric that caught my attraction, but I did not know, how precious MUGA is...it is not the monetary value that I mean..it is all the delicate process that goes into the making of the silk that is making me go 'WOW'.

Mayuri you are right, after reading it all I can really say...MUGA IS PRICELESS. Thanks Again. Would like to know more about it. Please Share more info if you have

Gayatri

Gayatri, I’m not surprised regarding your ignorance about this Royal Silk. I believe many others like you might not have heard about it.

The primary reason behind the ignorance of the masses about Muga is that, in spite of being an old industry, it is still unorganized and obviously untapped. It still falls under the purview of small weavers and artisans producing the silk in their couple of acres of land, weaving fabric from the fiber and selling it off to small retail silk stores. Marketing is almost non-existent. The annual turnover of the industry is over Rs 200 crore.

The actual worth of the Muga business is worth at least ten times more than the current Rs 200 crore. The missing link is an entity that recognizes the chinks in the wall and is able to see the worth.

Thank you so much for the insight into this beautiful fabric. I haven't seen one but, I'm sure it must be beautiful and unique. How much do they cost say, a saree or mekhela chadr?

You have mentioned this as an 'old industry'; but I'm quite surprised as Muga is sparsely known.

More Muga Facts:

Muga, the non-mulberry silk obtained from a semi-domesticated silkworm is found only in Assam. There are around 9500 sericulture villages in the state of Assam, Sualkuchi being the hub of the industry. Sualkuchi alone produces around 10 million meters of Muga every year, most of which is exported to Japan, where it is used to make kimonos.

Legend: Muga was worn only by Ahom kings and noble families of Assam for six hundred years. It was unknown to the outer world until 1662 when Jean Joseph Tavernier, a French explorer, traveled through Assam.

Cost: A good Assamese Muga silk saree could cost anywhere between Rs 8,000-Rs 20,000 or above.

So are you ladies Ready to include it in your next shopping list?
Here's a beautiful pic of Muga when worn during Bihu...

Wow! what a beauty. I'm really astounded to see a silk like this - Golden Silk and considering the natural process in which the silk is produced from silkworm, it is indeed a treasure I would like to have in my wardrobe.

Sualkuchi I heard is the centre of Muga production. Can we actually go and see how muga is made (produced). This would really be a lifetime experience. Please tell me, if that is possible. If yes, how to plan a trip to Sualkuchi.

Thanks,
Pam

Muga Silk indeed looks so elegant. Thanks for the information and the picture. From the price mentioned, I guess this must be indeed a treasure. Where can we buy Muga silk outside Assam? Any more information is appreciated.

Thank you,

Meghna

Originally Posted by MeghnaAgarwal

From the price mentioned, I guess this must be indeed a treasure. Where can we buy Muga silk outside Assam? Any more information is appreciated.
Thank you,
Meghna

Dear Meghna, You can of course buy Muga from Assam Emporium's located in various cities outside Assam. Muga Silk is also exported to various countries and this unique fabric is definitely a treasure to possess.

I'd like to share a few facts and some exceptional qualities of this priceless silk - MUGA.

• The shine of muga increases with every wash . This is indeed an another unique quality of muga fabric. Frequent wearing is not a problem.
• Comfortable in both summer and winter . With the introduction of improved technology for processing muga fabric wearing of muga dresses has become comfortable in both summer and winter. This quality has helped entrepreneurs to go for production of various dresses to be used in different seasons.
• An echo friendly textile product . It is eco friendly in nature since chemicals are not use at any stage of production to retain it's golden colour.
• Durability.Muga silk is also very durable. Articles of muga clothing have been known to last for 50 years. For 600 years muga silk was worm only by Ahom king and noble families of Assam

I'd like to ask my Assamese friends, what is your favorite colour combination in Muga Mekhela.

P.S. My personal favorite is Red, red and only red...