Bhagalpur sari
A tussar silk saree woven on handlooms in Bhagalpur, set apart by its own dyeing method
A silk saree woven in the city of Bhagalpur, where tussar silk has been worked on handlooms for over a century. Some 30,000 weavers make them, and a dyeing method of their own keeps the cloth apart from other art silk sarees.
- Bhagalpur's tussar industry runs on some 25,000 handlooms and about 30,000 weavers
- The tussar silk trade of Bhagalpur is over a century old
- Trade in Bhagalpuri silk is worth about Rs 100 crores a year, half from exports
- A dyeing method of its own sets Bhagalpuri silk apart from sarees of art silk
- The Bhagalpur sari carries a Geographical Indication (GI) tag
What is Bhagalpur sari?
A Bhagalpur sari is a silk saree from the city of Bhagalpur, woven from tussar silk, a wild silk also called Bhagalpuri silk. It is made by hand: about 30,000 weavers work on some 25,000 handlooms there, and the trade is worth roughly Rs 100 crores a year, with about half that value coming from exports. What marks the cloth out is its dyeing, a technique of its own that keeps it apart from art silk sarees, the ones made of artificial fibre.
Where does Bhagalpur sari come from?
Silk saree weaving in Bhagalpur is counted at about 200 years, begun by craftsmen of high skill. From that start grew a tussar silk industry that is now over a century old. The dyeing has changed with time. The first Bhagalpuri sarees were coloured with vegetable dyes, made from plants; today weavers use acid dyes instead, because these suit silk and are simple to find in the market. A Geographical Indication tag now links the saree's name to its home.
How is Bhagalpur sari made?
The sarees are woven on handlooms, looms worked by hand rather than by power, and on a large scale: about 30,000 weavers tend some 25,000 of them in Bhagalpur. The fibre is tussar, a wild silk. Dyeing is the step that gives the cloth its identity. Each saree is coloured by a technique described as unique to Bhagalpuri silk, and it is this, more than any woven pattern, that keeps it apart from art silk sarees, those made of artificial silk. Acid dyes have taken the place of vegetable dyes, chosen because they suit the fibre and are easily found.
Bhagalpur sari, drawn
What Bhagalpur sari means
The Bhagalpur sari carries a Geographical Indication tag, which ties its name to the city and marks it as a product of that place. The trade is a livelihood on a large scale: around 30,000 handloom weavers earn from it, working some 25,000 looms. Business is worth about Rs 100 crores a year, and about half that value comes from exports, so the cloth travels far beyond its home. Tussar weaving there is over a century old as an industry, and the saree tradition is counted at some 200 years.
Questions people ask about Bhagalpur sari
Where does the Bhagalpur sari come from?
It comes from Bhagalpur, a city in Bihar, India. Silk weaving there is old: the making of Bhagalpuri silk sarees is counted at about 200 years, and the tussar silk industry as it stands is over a century old.
What is the cloth made of, and how is it woven?
The cloth is tussar silk, a wild silk. It is woven by hand on handlooms, with about 30,000 weavers working some 25,000 looms in Bhagalpur.
How is a Bhagalpuri silk saree dyed?
The dyeing follows a technique described as unique to these sarees, which keeps them apart from art silk sarees. Vegetable dyes were used earlier; acid dyes are used now, because they suit silk and are easily available.
What does the GI tag mean for this saree?
It means the saree is registered as a Geographical Indication in India, so the name Bhagalpur sari is tied to the place and its weaving tradition. The tag recognises the saree as a product of Bhagalpur.
How big is the Bhagalpur silk trade?
The annual trade is worth about Rs 100 crores, and about half of that value comes from exports. The industry sustains some 30,000 handloom weavers on about 25,000 looms.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Bhagalpur sari", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryPallu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions, weaves and prices differ from one weaver, town or shop to the next, and it is not buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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