ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF SILK IN ASSAM

Growth and development of silk industry in Assam was significant from very early period. Assam was probably known even in the time of Ramayana as a country of “cocoon rearers”. In the Kiskindhyakanda, for instance while mentioning the countries are passes through going to the east, the poet refers to Magadha, Anga, Pudra and “the country of cocoon rearers” which must be Assam. In Arthasastra, Koutilya extolled the richness an beauty of Assam’s silk as being as “as red as the sun,
as soft as the surface of the gem”. In the epic Mahabharata, Assam is called Suvarnakanakanan, meaning the silk producing province, where muga and pat fabrics are produced mainly. It is also known as the land of golden silk. The culture is probably evolved in China and travelled to other parts. A trade like famous silk road to northern India, Bhutan and Tibet along the valley through Kamrupa or ancient Assam. The first official record of
muga silk worm relates to 1662. The famous European Traveler Jean Joseph Tavernier wrote that “the silk are good but the people produced little more than they require for use” , and made special mention of a silkworm variety from Assam that remained on trees all the year round and the brilliant stuffs made of them, this reference should be to muga silk worm. It is the most precious, durable, warm, strong, lustrous, elegant and the best material for every woman in society on every festive occasion including marriage ceremony. On the other hand, creamy, white eri silk is warm, strong, durable and resistant to sunlight, acid
and alkalis. Fabrics become bright and glossy after every wash. The eri cloth remained “the poor men’s silk”. Till the advent of mill made cloth, eri fabric had been used as winter wear and bed spread by the villagers. An early record speaks of eri silk of three hundred years ago as “a silk that is remarkably soft, white or yellowish and the filaments so exceedingly delicate as to render to impracticable to wind off the silk. It is therefore, “spun like cotton”. Mulberry thread is called a “dried in shadow and keep in hand”. Off white coloured mulberry silk worm have two indigenous breed as “sarupaat” and “barpaat”. Indigenous motifs give gorgeous look to the silk cloth. In the earlier days, the Ahom king patronized the development of sericulture in Assam. Sericulture was made on obligatory household work. Rearing, reeling of silkworm and weaving were a daily routine in the rural set up of ancient Assam. Muga culture decline during British regime due to lack of development support and wrong taxation policy adopted by Colonial Government, even muga food plantation assessed for taxation. Since then declining phase set in and the area under food plantation s reduced considerably. During the middle of this century, around 1950 there was a great earthquake in upper Assam and large area under muga food plantation was destroyed. The muga silk production indicates afluctuating trend and the maximum production till now was 95000kg produced in the year 1957. Ericulture is almost an exclusive monopoly of Assam. Of the aggregate production of 1, 30, 00 million kg of eri silk produced in the country, Assam
accounts for 1, 06, 00 million kg constituting about 94 percent.The distribution of muga silkworm is mainly confined to the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and foothills of Meghalaya. Its distribution in the wild state however, extends from western Himalayas to Nagaland, Cachar district of Assam and south
valleys of Kumaon and Kangra in the western Himalayan hill range. However, commercial production of muga silk worm is restricted to north eastern India due to suitable climatic
condition. The climate of north eastern India is very distinctive, it is sub tropical and there are four distinct seasons viz., summer, autumn, winter and spring. Like the muga silkworm, eri and mulberry silk are also exclusively produced by these people. Assam was the original home of eri silk from time immemorial.Traditional dresses made from muga yarn are mekhela chadar, riha, chapkon (a kind of shirt), etc. But in present situation different items are prepared by silk, like, gamocha (a piece of
cloth used as handkerchief), blouse, sarees (ladies garment), curtain, cushion cover etc. These items made by using of various
designs are adored far and wide. Creamy white and golden yellow in both the colours silk reflects the aesthetic and majestic moods as well as the ethos of the Ahom people of Assam. The art of fine weaving and the complex processes of loom embroidery
have been perfected by those people from time immemorial. The craft is mostly hereditary and they qualities required of a true artisan are apprenticeship devotion to duty and cooperation.
The environment, topography, soil and ecology of upper Assam is best suited for the rearing of silk worm. Among the varieties of silk the muga worms are reared outdoor and the host
plant required for muga are Som (Persea bombycina) and Soalu (Litsea monopetala) tree. On the other hand, eri and mulberry is
the indoor rearing worm. The scientific name of muga and eri silkworm is “Antheraea assama” and “Samia ricini” respectively.Moreover, Bombyx is the scientific name of
mulberry silk worm. The host plant required for eri and mulberry are plant of Castor (Ricinus communis) and Keseru and mulberry
plant respectively.The industry is invariably linked to the socio-economic life
of the people. In one year, six overlapping cocoon crops are harvested viz. Jarua, Jethua, Akharua,Bhodia, Kotia and Aghania
.As like as eri worms can be produced. Among them they has been rear minimum two broods of each silk worm. Complete life cycle of the worms is about 44 to 85 days in summer and 81 to 85 days in winter. Thus, the people spent enough time in a year to produce these silk. In a suitable condition maximum production of muga silk yarn would be 9-10 kg. Muga silk
production is more commercialized then eri and mulberry silk yarn because of its high price. On the other hand eri and mulberry production in a year would be 1-2 kg and ½-1 kg respectively. Eri and mulberry are generally produced for domestic purpose.