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Indic Handlooms
File № 05 Silk GI 2013

Bhagalpuri Tussar.

Bhagalpuri · भागलपुरी
Definition

Bihar's "silk city" cloth — golden tussar silk woven in Bhagalpur, with a textured slub and a warm honey lustre.

Town Bhagalpur
State Bihar
River Ganges
First woven 1700s
GI status GI 2013
Active weavers ~30,000
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia)

Bihar's "silk city" cloth — golden tussar silk woven in Bhagalpur, with a textured slub and a warm honey lustre.

01 Section 01 · Origin

Bihar's silk city.

Bhagalpur in Bihar has been called the "silk city of India" for over two centuries. The local Tussar silk is reeled from the cocoons of the Antheraea mylitta moth — a wild silkworm that feeds on the leaves of sal, asan, and arjun trees native to the forests of eastern India.

The Bhagalpur cluster supports over 30,000 weavers and dyers across some 25,000 looms, mostly concentrated in Nathnagar (Champanagar). The textile received its GI tag in 2013.

02 Section 02 · Technique

The slub and the golden sheen.

Tussar silk has a natural honey-gold undertone — its colour comes from the wild silkworm's diet, not from any dye. The fibre is shorter and less even than mulberry silk, producing the characteristic slub texture and matte sheen.

Bhagalpuri tussar is woven on a throw-shuttle frame loom. The cloth is often dyed in bright single colours (red, blue, pink) or printed with traditional patterns. Its lightweight drape (400–600 grams per saree) makes it a year-round wear, unlike heavier mulberry silks.

03 In-store authenticity

How to spot a real one.

Field check · five checks
  1. 01 Natural slub Real tussar has uneven, organic-looking slubs in the weave. Power-loom polyester-tussar imitations have perfectly even threads.
  2. 02 Honey-gold tint Even after dyeing, real tussar retains a warm golden undertone visible against strong light. Synthetic tussar looks coldly uniform.
  3. 03 Burn test A loose thread should burn slowly with a hair-burning smell and leave brittle black ash. Polyester melts to plastic.
  4. 04 Matte sheen Tussar is matte, not glossy. A high-shine "tussar" is artificial.
  5. 05 Bhagalpur silk GI Look for the "Bhagalpur Silk" GI 2013 mark or the Bihar State Khadi Board label.
04 Care & storage

Living with it.

Dry-clean only
Tussar silk doesn't take well to home washing — the slub structure absorbs detergent unevenly.
Air in shade
Sunlight darkens the natural honey-gold over time. Air in shade for an hour after each wear.
No starch
Tussar has its own natural body. Starching makes it stiff and brittle.
Store rolled in muslin
Wrap in cotton mulmul and store rolled to prevent fold-crack at the slub points.