Bhagalpuri: Silk untouched by Violence

If there is one saree that can make a man go into a stupor is undoubtedly the Bhagalpuri silk. In the rocky plains of Bihar, where the heat is unbearable, this handloom saree comes with the flair of comfort.

This saree is considered much like a scotch whisky, which has a certain character. This character clearly depicts where it comes from or why it deserves to be respected.

The thing that makes this silk different from other silks is that it doesn’t have the pretentious smoothness like the south indian silks. Not even have any look at me glitter.

This silk is coarse, textured, yet still very, very elegant.

Know the Rich History is Bhagalpuri silk saree

If we just deep dive into its history, we will see that this saree is as old as the epic Mahabharata.

At that time, Bhagalpur, known as the Anga Pradesh, was ruled by King Karna.  

Yes, dear reader, you read it right. He was that ‘Mahabir Karna’, who was so generous that he even sacrificed his ‘Rakhsha Kavach’ cum life for the request of his mother.

At that time, the Anga royals were very fond of these fabrics.

It became so popular that it has become the official occasion attire for the East Indians.

Then the Britishers came. The East Indian company set up its hegemony throughout all the regions of India, especially Bengal and Bhagalpur.

So the firmly established ‘Silk city’ was handed over under the control of the British. So what they did was they immediately began shipping all the premium silks to their country.

This is how our own fabric gained global attention, but global fame increases its demand across countries. As a result, our people are deprived of wearing such premium silk for a long period of time.

Know some interesting facts about Bhagalpuri Silk

What makes this silk genuinely very fascinating is its silkworms, from which the threads are collected.

The mulberry silks are not boiled alive in their cocoons to pull out the long, unbroken threads. 

That's why this is called the ' Ahimsa silk’. 

The silkworms survive on the leaves of the Asan and Arjuna trees. And until they grow up fully, the harvester doesn’t touch them or harm them.

This unusual method gives the fabric an uneven and textured surface.

Though this whole process is very slow and much more laborious, the traditional weavers still respect it to weave it as they treat the loom, less like a machine and more like a deity.

FAQ

1. Which Bhagalpuri silk fabric is famous now?

Bhagalpuri Silk Saree, Bhagalpuri Chaddar, Bhagalpuri Tussar silk, Bhagalpuri silk chaddar, Bhagalpuri Cotton Saree, Bhagalpuri dull Chaddar are now fanous fabric nowadays.

2. What is the Bhagalpuri silk saree price?

The Bhagalpuri saree starting price starts from 5k and goes up to 60k-70k

3. Bhagalpuri silk and tussar silk -are they the same?

If the Bhagalpuri saree is made of the terminilia silk worm, then it is called Bhagalpuri Tussar silk

4. How to identify a Bhagalpuri saree?

The identification tactics are already mentioned in the blog.

5. What is so special about Bhagalpuri silk?

The Bhagalpuri silk is made of silkworms that are not killed while creating the fabric. Thatswhy the silk is called ‘Ahimsa Silk’