About Muga Silk of Assam

A silk from Assam that shines like Gold! Muga silk is a wonderful gift of nature extracted from a species of insect not to be found any where in the world except in the North Eastern region of India. Muga Silk is the pride of Assam.

Muga is obtained from semi domesticated silk worm called Aantheraea asamenisis. Antheraea assamensis are raised outdoors primarily on two trees – Som (Machilus bombycina) and Soalu (Litsaea Polyantha). The caterpillars are placed on a tree and when they have stripped the tree of foliage, the caterpillars will make a mass exit down the trunk. They are collected by the keepers and placed on another tree. When ready to spin their cocoons, these caterpillars once again exit the tree where they were feeding.

This behavior allows the keepers to collect and control the caterpillars. Each caterpillar is placed into a container made of dried twigs. The peduncle (silk that anchors the cocoon) is very weak; the caterpillars prefer a low place with numerous twigs to protect them while in their cocoons. The silk is called muga, the Assamese word for the rich amber colour of the cocoon. The muga cocoon has a very weak peduncle and is golden yellow. The cocoons are boiled in soap and soda solution and are reeled in reeling machine.

Chemically speaking Muga, is made of proteins secreted in the fluid state by a caterpillar, popularly known as silkworm. These silkworms feed on the selected food plants and spin cocoons as a protective shell to perpetuate the life. Silkworm has four stages in its life cycle viz. egg, caterpillar, pupa and moth. Man interferes this life cycle at the cocoon stage to obtain the silk a continuous filament of commercial importance used in weaving of the dream fabric.