Eri Silk also known as Endi or Errandi, Eri is a multivoltine silk spun from open-ended cocoons, unlike other varieties of silk.Eri silk is the product of the domesticated silkworm, Philosamia ricini that feeds mainly on castor and Kesseru leaves. Ericulture is a household activity practiced mainly for protein rich pupae, a delicacy for the tribal people in the North eastern states of India. Resultantly, the eri cocoons are open-mouthed and are spun. Eri silk is also produced in Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa . Elegantly designed eri shawls and chaddars are quite popular because of their thermal properties. They can be blended with cotton, wool, jute or even mulberry silk to create exotic fabrics for use in jackets, or suiting material, or for producing a variety of furnishings, making it an interior decorator’s delight.
I’ll describe first of the 3 non-mulbery silks.The Tasar. Eri and Muga are the other 2 non mulberry silks. Non mulberry silks are also called wild silks or Vanya Silks. Tasar Silk has 2 variations A) Tropical Tasar B) Oak Tasar Tropical Tasar: Tasar (Tussah) is a coarse silk copperish in colour, mainly used for furnishings and interiors.
It is less lustrous than mulberry silk, but has its own feel and appeal. Tasar silk is generated by the silkworm, Antheraea mylitta which mainly thrives on the trees Asan and Arjun. In India, tasar silk is largely tended by tribals in the Gondwana belt comprising of states like Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa, besides Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. India is the exclusive producer of Tasar Silk also called Indian Tasar. Oak Tasar: It is a finer variety of tasar generated by the silkworm, Antheraea proyeli J. in India.This silkworm feeds on natural food plants of oak, found in abundance in the sub-Himalayan belt of India covering the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur.
China is the major producer of oak tasar in the world and this comes from another silkworm which is known as Antheraea pernyi. Oak tasar (also known as temperate tasar) is mainly used for furnishing, dress materials and sarees. Bomkai, Paithani, Ikkat (tie & dye) and Katki are some popular fabrics produced using tasar silks. Bafta is a popular blend of tasar and cotton.Shawls and mufflers are also produced using a blend of oak tasar and other natural fibers like wool, cotton, etc Tasar fabric can also be printed, hand-painted, or, even embroidered into traditional sarees and beautiful dress-materials.
In fact, in India, it is said that a bride’s trousseau is never complete without a saree made of Tasar Silk! To know more about fabrics you may connect us at +91-99711 06200 or visit us at charu.org.in Do remember to watch my next video in which I will describe another non-mulbery Silk called Eri silk.
Commercially speaking Silk can be classified into 2 categories
1. Mulbery silk
2. Non-mulbery silk
The bulk of the commercial silk produced in the world is mulberry silk. The figure is around around 85 % Mulberry silk comes from the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. which solely feeds on the leaves of mulberry plant. China is the largest mulbery sillk producer in the world followed at second place by India. In India, the major mulberry silk producing states are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir which together accounts for 92 % of country’s total mulberry raw silk production.
Mulberry Silk provides the shine and fluidity that is desired in every fabric. Styled to perfection, this fabric has a certain edge over the others in terms of quality, making it commercially successful. The pupae of the worm are used to design the fabric in a textile so that no mineral is observed. The fine designs and the fantastic styling gives the fabric a whole new look. Right from evening wear to sarees, this fabric has given the world a vast taste of designs and apparels.An interesting fact:
Silk becomes weak in water. Therefore, if silk is continuously kept in water it may erode and lose its shine and luster.
