Mysore silk is variety of mulberry silk produced in the Indian district of
Mysore
Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
, Karnataka.
Karnataka produces 9,000 metric tons of
mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
, accounting for nearly 45% of the country's total mulberry silk production. In
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, silk is mainly produced in the Mysore district and is a patent registered product under Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation Limited (KSIC), a government of Karnataka Public Sector Undertaking.
History
After the fall of
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...
the silk industry in Mysore region went into decline, the growth of the silk industry in the
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially ...
was reinitiated during the reign of
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...
nearly 1780-1790AC.
Later, it was hit by a global depression and had to compete with imported
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
and
rayon
Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...
. In the second half of the 20th century, it revived and the
Mysore State became the top multivoltine silk producer in India.
Mysore silk is also known as mulberry silk because the silk cultivators would generally use
mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
leaves for silkworms to feed over.
About
Mysore silk is produced by the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation Limited (KSIC). The factory was founded in 1912 by Sri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore. Initially, the silk fabrics were manufactured & supplied to meet the requirements of the royal family and ornamental fabrics to their
armed forces. After India gained independence, the Mysore State Sericulture Dept. took control of the silk weaving factory. In 1980, the factory was handed over to KSIC, a government of Karnataka industry. Today, products include silk sarees, shirts, kurta's, silk dhoti, and neckties. Mysore silk has also received geographical identification.
Process
Mysore Silk factory located in the heart of Mysore is spread across acres of land and is mainly responsible for silk weaving and distribution of silk products. The main source of silk for this factory is from the
Ramanagara district in Karnataka which is also the largest market for silk cocoons in Asia. Farmers from various parts of this district market the silk cocoons in this place every day. Silk cocoons are hand picked at this market from KSIC officials, who have expertise in Mysore silk, every day as part of government bidding process and are sent to the raw silk production factory located in T.Narasipura. At this factory, the silk cocoons are boiled to extract threads and converted into thread rolls which are sent to the weaving factory located in Mysore. These threads are used to produce various silk products among which Mysore silk saree is the most popular.
Since the saree zari contains 65% pure silver and 0.65% of gold, it is also one of the most expensive silk saree in India.
This has led to production of duplicate Mysore silk saree production and sales by cheating the public in the name of KSIC. To avoid these issues, KSIC has implemented unique id, hologram based design and unique identification barcode woven on each Mysore Silk saree produced in its factory.
See also
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Art silk
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Bombyx mori
''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...
*
History of silk
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Mommes
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Rayon
Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...
*
Silk in the Indian subcontinent
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Silk Road
The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
*
Spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fibre or silk spun by spiders. Spiders use silk to make webs or other structures that function as adhesive traps to catch prey, to entangle and restrain prey before biting, to transmit tactile information, or as nest ...
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Tenun Pahang Diraja
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Ilkal saree
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Mysore Sandal Soap
References
{{Silk fibre
Textile companies of India
Companies based in Mysore
Silk in India
Geographical indications in Karnataka