Tussar silk fabric, also known as 'Kosa silk' in Sanskrit, is valued for
its purity and texture. It is light-weight and airy, yet dressy, giving cool
comfort to the wearer. Tussah silk saris are popular for its crisp and
paper-like feel. Tussar made dresses are usually worn in marriages,
religious ceremonies and other important functions. Tussah, blended with
wool or cotton is widely used as shawls and mufflers.Tussar silk fabric has natural shades of gold-pale, dark, honey, tawny, creamy, etc. but it also goes well with dye. It is generally dyed with natural dyes. Yellow is obtained from Palaas flame (tree) and Kusum flower. The rich red hue is made from pollen dust of the Rora flower and rose red from Lac Bugs.
Tussar silk is produced from silkworms like Antheraea mylitta, Antheraca proylei, Antherea pernyi and Antheraca yamamai. These worms are wild and feed on the leaves of Arjuna (Terminatra), Asan (Terminatia Tementosa), Saja or Sal trees. The silkworms spin a single-shelled, the oval cocoon, which is generally yellow or gray and are hard and compact. The shells of the cocoon are fine-grained and non-flossy. The cocoons are boiled to make it soft and the yarn is then reeled.
Centre of Tussar Silk Fabric Production
Indian tasar or tussore (also known as tropical tasar) silk originated from Orissa. Today, Raigarh and Champa in Madhya Pradesh and Ganeshpur village in Bhandara district of Maharashtra has become important centres in producing tussah silk fabric. The other states contributing to the country's tussah silk fabric production is Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Jharkhand produces around 40% of India's tussar production.
Characteristics of Tussar Silk Fabric
- It is light and airy.
- It is delicate and stiff.
- It is coarse.
- It gives a cool comfort.
- It has different natural shades.
- Tussar silk fabric is ideal for making sarees. It is either printed, hand-painted or embroidered into traditional designs. Brocade work is also done with zari in the fabric to give it an ornate look. These saris radiate natural brilliance.
- Traditionally 'Mailooga' and 'Gamchha' sarees are made with simple designs which are worn by the Gond, Baiga and Kanwar tribals in India. The Muria, Maria, Dhruva and Gadba tribals also weaves special dresses from tussar for the folk dance performances.
- Tussar blended with wool, or cotton is used to make shawls and mufflers. The fabric is also used to make beautiful dresses, jackets, stoles and scarves.
- Tussah silk is also widely used as painting canvas.
