Dzin.in: BHAGALPURI SILK

BHAGALPURI SILK

INTRODUCTION

The finest texture of silk springing out from the essence of nature and known as the “Queen of all fabrics”, Bhagalpuri silk is very well known for its unique and striking resilience and superior quality. This intrinsic artwork showcases the original essence of Bhagalpur in its purest and flawless form. It is filled with every slice of Indian cultural aspects which are drawn from the intricacies of the natural surroundings and which are symbolic in its own form.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The elegant form of embroidered artwork found in its name, fame and recognition from the soil of Bhagalpur which is also popularly referred to as the ‘silk city. A Chinese tale of the discovery of the silkworm’s silk was by an ancient empress “Lei Zu”, the wife of the emperor. She was drinking tea under the tree when a silk cocoon fell into the tea and the hot tea loosened the long strand of silk. As she picked it out and started to wrap the silk tread around her finger, she slowly felt the warm sensation. When the silk ran out, she saw a small larva. She realized that this caterpillar larva was the source of silk. She taught this to the people and it became widespread.

ABOUT SILK

Silk is made of proteins secreted in the fluid state by caterpillar, popularly known as “silkworm”.

These silkworms feed on the selected food plants and spin cocoons s a ‘protective shell’ to perpetuate the life.

Silkworm has four stages in its lifecycle viz., egg, caterpillar, pupa and moth.

Man interferes the life cycle at the cocoon stage to obtain the silk, a continuous filament of commercial importance, used in weaving of the dream fabric.

VARIETIES OF SILK

There are many specialties and varieties that enhance and spread out the beauty of this artwork to a greater extent. Varieties like Katia, Giccha, Eri, Mulberry and various varieties of ‘Tussar silk’ yarn facilitate in giving this fabric a pastoral look and provide an essence of delicateness to its texture. These varieties are known to give the fabric a rich and a royal outlook and retaining the enchanting designs and motifs imprinted in them.

Mulberry- It is produced by the bombyx mori silkworms which are fed from the mulberry bush. It is the purest form of silk extracted from Silkworms, usually produced in yellow,white or greenish yellow color.

Ghicha- Jungle ghicha silk and kosa silk (mainly produced Chhattisgarh from a worm similar to silk worm) are sales gimmicks. Ghicha or khewaare the names given to yarns that are not dyed when tussah silk is reeled.

Matka- It is an Indian term for rough handloom silk fabric made from very thick yarns spun out of pierced cocoon in the weft and organise in warp. The yarns are obtained from short ends of silk from mulberry silk worms (Bomboxy mori) and spun by hand without removing the gum (sericin).

TUSSAR SILK

Tussar silk are known by different names like Tussah, Tussar or Kosa. Tussar silk is produced by Tussah silkworms. Unlike other silk, this one has a distinct light golden to dark brown color.This is a result of the tannin-rich leaves that tussah silkworms consume. Silk is said to be one of the strongest fibres.

Tussar silk is a lot more textured than any other variety of silk. The fabric is also cooler than the other varieties and is a lot more porous, therefore, breathable. Being cooler than the other varieties of silk makes Tussar wearable in warmer parts of the world.

Maintainance

Dry cleaning is the safest option for Tussar.(or any other silk)

Dry cleaned Tussar should not be wrapped in plastic. Silks need to breathe.

In case Tussar fabric is to be hand washed, use cold water and a mild liquid soap meant for delicate clothes (or shampoo).

BHAGALPURI SILK

Bhagalpuri silk or Tussar silk is a dying style of silk sarees and other clothes from Bhagalpur, Bihar in India. This material is used for making sarees named as Bhagalpuri sari.

The dyeing technique of a Bhaglapuri silk sari is what sets them apart from the regular art silk sarees available in India. The popularity of Bhagalpuri silk is not just confined within our country. As per a popular online shopping portal, Bhagalpuri silk is talked about in some countries of Europe, Japan, US, UK and France.

About two hundreds year ago the town was flooded with highly skilled weaver who used to weave a special kind of silk named Bhagalpuri silk.

The real trick lies in the dyeing of such saree that gives them a mesmerizing look.

PROCESS OF PREPARATION OF SILK SAREE

In order to kill the silkworms, the cocoons are dried in the sun. There is a variation where the silkworms are allowed to leave before the cocoons are soaked in boiling water to soften the silk and then reeled.

In conventional sericulture, the cocoons are boiled with larva still inside, however if the cocoons are boiled after the larvae have left them, the silk made is called non violent silk or Ahimsa silk.
Winding is a process of transferring yarn from one type of package to another to facilitate subsequent processing.
After winding, warping process is done for making weavers beam. Weaver’s beam is produced from a set of yarns from same yarn count or different. Most of the fabrics are produced from same yarn count. The threads of the warps extend in parallel order from the warp being to the front of the loom where they attach to the cloth role.
Each threads or a group of threads of the warp passes through an opening (eye) in a heddle. The warp threads are separated by the heddles into two or more groups, each controlled and automatically drawn up and drawn by the motion of the heddles.
In case of small patterns the heddle’s movement is controlled by “cams” which move up the Heddles by means of a frame called a harness.
In larger patterns, the Heddles are controlled by dobby mechanism, where the heddles are raised according to pegs inserted into a revolving drum.
Every time the harness (the heddles) moves up and down, an opening (shed) is made between the threads of a warp, through which a pig is inserted. Traditionally, the weft threads are inserted by a shuttle.
The weft thread is carried on a prim, in a shuttle that passes through the shed.
A handloom weaver could propell the shuttle by throwing it from side to side with aid of picking stick.
Beating up or battening is done when the weft is pushed up against the fell of the cloth by the “reed”.
When the cloth is prepared, scrubbing process is done with soda and then it is bleached by hydrogen peroxide and sodium silicate before the process of dyeing.
Silk clothes are mostly dyed from acid color at 60 to 70 degree temperature.
After dyeing it is dried in a steaming chamber of fire.
And, at last the process of ironing is done.

The process of printing

There are mainly two types of printing procedure.

Screen printing- The finished iron clothes are stuck on a big table by using wax on it. The designed screens are prepared in the same process as the process of films is prepared. They then just keep the designed screen on the sari which is spread over the table. With the help of two or more people the color is filled over it and as they both drag the blade which is in the designing screen with one color at a time, therefore to produce multicolor image several screens are used. And, the printing is done on the sari.
Block printing- In this type of printing clothes are spread over the table and the marks are made with the piece of colored chalks and a ruler to indicate where the first impression of the block is to be applied.
They then applies their block in two different directions to the color and finally passes it firmly and steadily on the cloth, insuring a good impression by striking it smartly on the back of a wooden block. The second impression is made in the same way the printer taking care to see that it fits exactly to the first, a point which they can make sure of by means of the pins with which the blocks are provided at each corner and which are arranged in such a way that when those at the right side or at the top of the block falls upon those at the left side or the bottom of the previous impressions, the two printing joins up exactly and continue the pattern without a break.

PRESENT DAY SCENARIO

According to fashion, even London and Paris has become the victim of popularity of the Bhagalpuri silk. The trend is growing at an alarming rate. A dying which has been existent in India since 200 years has suddenly becoming the modern fashion trend.