Muga - the golden silk of Assam

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.

 

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.

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

Happy Posting!

 

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]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.

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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 <st1:country-region><st1lace><st1:country-region><st1lace>Assam</st1lace></st1:country-region></st1lace></st1:country-region>. There are around 9500 sericulture villages in the state of <st1:country-region><st1lace><st1:country-region><st1lace>Assam</st1lace></st1:country-region></st1lace></st1:country-region>, Sualkuchi being the hub of the industry. Sualkuchi alone produces around 10 million meters of Muga every year, most of which is exported to <st1:country-region><st1lace><st1:country-region><st1lace>Japan</st1lace></st1:country-region></st1lace></st1:country-region>, where it is used to make kimonos.

Legend: Muga was worn only by Ahom kings and noble families of <st1:country-region><st1lace>Assam</st1lace></st1:country-region> for six hundred years. It was unknown to the outer world until 1662 when Jean Joseph Tavernier, a French explorer, traveled through <st1:country-region><st1lace>Assam</st1lace></st1:country-region>[FONT=&quot].

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?
[/FONT] 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 :wave

 

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.<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CADMINI%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:2121145545; mso-list-template-ids:610719850;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]-->

• 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.
• <link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CADMINI%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml">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 <st1:country-region><st1lace>Assam</st1lace></st1:country-region>

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

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


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