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K O S A S I L K
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Chattisgarh is highly
famous for its Kosa Silk.
A) Origin: The word Kosa is
derived from the Sanskrit
word meaning silk. This Silk
is created by small silk
worms when they feed on
the mulberry fruit and
produce a kind of fine silk.
This fine thread is then used
to make the famous silk cloth
mostly used for sarees. Kosa
silk is drawn from the
cocoons on the Saja, Arjun
and Sal trees.

It is obtained from an an
Indian silkworm Antheraea
mylitta. This silk has great
recognition for it softness
and elegance. Because of its
shine, luster and softness
Kosa is quite extensively
used for manufacturing
traditional Indian sarees.

B) Process : Each cocoon
woven by the kosa silkworm
yields 1-2 grams of raw silk
yarn, equivalent to about 300
yards of thread. Depending
on the design it takes
weavers around 3 to 10 days
to weave one Saree (46’’ X
168”).
The step by step process is
Step 1) Cocoon cultivation -
The cocoons are beige in
colour, with a golden tinge to
it. The natural shades of this
silk are honey, cream and
light gold.

Step 2) Thread making -
This is done individually by
threadmakers and also in
clusters.
Step 3) Weaving - every
woven motif has a symbolic
significance. Much of it is
ritualistic and religious.
These motifs are designed by
weavers on a graph paper.
Step 4) Dying - the woven
sarees are further dyed in
Natural & chemical dyes.
Depending on the end
product.

Step 5) Printing /
Embroidery: The plain
woven sarees are now used
for Hand block printing, hand
Painting, hand embroidery or
machine embroidery.
Step 6) Calendaring - the
saree is passed through a
Calendaring machine. This
machine has two rollers that
apply high pressure onto the
fabric and thus the fabric
gets straightened and flat.
This gives a shine and finish
to the fabric.

Step 7) Silkmark - The
Silkmark is a quality
assurance label for the
assurance of pure silk. It is
aimed at the protection of
consumers interests. The
Silkmark is a registered
Trade mark. Not all the
weavers qualify for it. So,
whenever customers shop
this gives an edge.

C) Community background :
Bilaspur, Korba, Churi,
Chanderpur, Sarangarh,
Raigarh, Champa of
chattisgarh are known for
kosa silk and its produce by
Dewangan community. The
production of Silk is the main
livelihood for some of the
villagers in the nearby
districts and many of them
have now started running
units for producing Silk
sarees and dress materials
for export.

D) Purity of Kosa silk : When
a few threads of the Kosa silk
are burnt and they leave a
black residue with an
unpleasant odour, the fabric
is supposed to be pure.
However, if it leaves an ash-
like residue, then the fabric is
considered to be mixed with
either cotton or polyester,
and hence not pure kosa silk.
Due to the rarity of the kosa
worm and the laborious cost
of cultivating it, the raw silk
yarn is often blended with
cotton or polyester.

E) Gheecha Silk : At times the
moth emerges out from the
Kosa fal and ideally this kind
of cocoon is not suitable for
the extraction of fine Kosa
filaments. So, this is used to
produce the Gheecha yarn.
The filaments are forcefully
pulled off the surface of the
broken kosa fal. This is a by
product of Kosa fal and is
commonly used in Phera &
Khapa sarees.

Most preferred to be worn
during religious ceremonies
and auspicious occasions,
kosa silk occupies the pride of
place in every Chhattisgarh
home. Today, kosa silk has
crossed the nation’s borders
and is highly sought after by
designers in the US, Europe
and the Middle East, too.
For Pure Kosa Silk Saree|
Kosa Silk Suits | Kosa Silk
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