Karnataka is reported to produce the largest share of India’s mulberry silk. The work is spread across a belt of towns south and east of Bengaluru, from mulberry fields to cocoon markets to reeling sheds. This lesson follows a silk thread from the silkworm to your blouse piece.
What you’ll learn
- The steps from mulberry leaf to silk cloth.
- The main silk towns of Karnataka and what each does.
- The kinds of silk you will meet: mulberry and the “wild” silks.
- Why this matters to a tailor.
From leaf to thread
- Mulberry is grown to feed the silkworms (Bombyx mori).
- Rearing: farmers raise the worms on trays for a few weeks until they spin their cocoons.
- Cocoon market: the cocoons are sold at government cocoon markets by auction.
- Reeling: the cocoons are softened in hot water, and the fine filaments of several cocoons are drawn off together and twisted into one raw silk thread.
- Twisting and dyeing: the raw silk is twisted, degummed (the natural gum is washed out to give the shine) and dyed.
- Weaving on handlooms or powerlooms.
The silk belt
- Ramanagara – home of a very large cocoon market, often described as one of the largest in Asia.
- Sidlaghatta (Chikkaballapura district) – known for silk reeling.
- Kollegal (Chamarajanagar district) – rearing, reeling and weaving.
- Mysuru, Mandya, Channapatna, Kanakapura and others – rearing, reeling and weaving.
- Bengaluru – home of the Central Silk Board (the Government of India’s silk body) and the Silk Mark Organisation of India.
Why a tailor should know this
Knowing how silk is made explains how it behaves. Raw silk still has its gum, so it is stiff; degummed silk is soft and shiny. Twisted yarn makes crepe that drapes and springs back. A tight weave of fine thread frays less than a loose weave of thick thread. All of this changes how you cut, press and finish a garment.
It also explains some customer questions. Why does this silk feel rough? It may be raw or spun silk. Why does this saree spring back when crushed? It may be crepe. Why is silk so valued? Because thousands of cocoons, many weeks of rearing and many hours of reeling go into one saree.
In more depth: mulberry and the wild silks
India produces four main kinds of silk:
| Silk | Feel | Where mainly |
|---|---|---|
| Mulberry | Smooth, fine, bright | Karnataka and other southern states |
| Tussar (tasar) | Textured, golden-brown | Central and eastern India |
| Eri | Soft, matt, wool-like | North-east India |
| Muga | Golden, very strong | Assam |
Karnataka is almost entirely a mulberry silk state. When a customer brings in a Karnataka silk saree, it is almost always mulberry.
Ahimsa or “peace” silk
Normal reeling kills the pupa inside the cocoon. Some makers produce silk from cocoons the moth has left, often called ahimsa or peace silk. It is spun rather than reeled, so it is less smooth. If a customer asks for it, check the maker’s claims.
In more depth: the people in the chain
- Farmers grow mulberry and rear silkworms, often as a family business alongside other crops.
- Cocoon markets are run by the state, where farmers sell and reelers buy by open auction.
- Reelers work in small units, from charaka (hand-turned) and cottage basins to multi-end and automatic reeling machines.
- Twisters and dyers prepare the yarn.
- Weavers on handlooms and powerlooms make the cloth.
- Traders and retailers sell it on.
Each step is a separate trade, often in a different town. A single saree can carry the work of dozens of families. Government bodies such as the state sericulture department and the Central Silk Board support research, training and the cocoon markets.
Silk waste and spun silk
Broken cocoons and leftover filament are not wasted. They are spun into “spun silk”, which is matt and soft, and used for everyday silk cloth, shawls and blends.
Tips for learners and teachers
- Do a burn test on a scrap (never on the garment): real silk burns slowly, smells like burnt hair and leaves a soft, crushable ash. See Know Your Fabrics.
- Feel the warmth. Silk warms quickly in your hand; polyester stays cool and slippy.
- Ask a reeler for a cocoon. Showing learners a real cocoon makes the lesson stick.
- For teachers: the cocoon-to-cloth chain is a natural first lesson for children.
Common misunderstandings
“Silk shines because it is coated.”
Silk shines because of the shape of its filament and because degumming removes the dull gum.
“All silk feels the same.”
Mulberry, tussar, eri and muga feel very different, and so do different weaves of mulberry.
For earning and teaching
For earning: sourcing silk close to where it is made can give a studio better choice and a true story to tell. Keep records of where each piece came from.
For teaching: a visit to a cocoon market or a reeling unit (Module 8) is one of the best outings for a textile class.
Sources and uncertain points
- Karnataka’s share of India’s mulberry silk is reported as the largest; the exact share changes year to year and is not given here.
- Ramanagara’s market as “one of the largest in Asia” is a common description; not checked.
- Ramanagara district may have been renamed recently; check the current name.
- The town list is general and not complete.
Check yourself
- Can you list the steps from mulberry leaf to silk cloth?
- Can you name three towns in Karnataka’s silk belt?
- Do you know what degumming does?
- Can you name the four kinds of Indian silk?