Matka

What is Matka?

Matka is a coarse silk of the Indian subcontinent. Its fibre comes from pierced cocoons: shells the silkworm moth has already broken open on its way out. Because the filaments are broken, this silk cannot be reeled off in one long strand the way finer silks are. It is spun into yarn instead, and cloth from that yarn is called matka. The handle is rougher than reeled silk, and it was priced for modest purses. Weaving it was local work in the Bengal region. The weavers lived in and around Dakra, and the trade kept poor women and weavers of modest artistic skill in work. Jains, among other religious wearers, chose it because no insect dies for the cloth.

Where does Matka come from?

Matka was the name the Bengal region gave to its own way of weaving silk. Dakra was the centre: weavers made their homes there and in the places around it, and a local cloth carried the place's name as Dakra Matka. In Rajshahi, too, matka was woven, and the cloth was famed and much sought after. Dakra Matka itself was rated so highly that people set it beside reeled silk, the smooth kind unwound whole from an undamaged cocoon. The sources give no dates and no founding story; what they record is a working craft with a name, a cluster of weavers, and a reputation.

How is Matka made?

Matka begins with pierced cocoons. The silkworm moth emerges from its cocoon, and the emergence damages the shell, so the long unbroken filament that reeling needs is gone. Silk of this sort cannot be reeled; it is spun into yarn instead, and the cloth woven from those yarns is matka. For a finer result, weavers sometimes mixed matka silk with a second silk, Khamru, to produce a superior cloth. The trade also gave employment to poor women, and to weavers whose work was less artistic.

When Matka is worn

Matka was the silk of people with little money, the cloth they could actually afford. It was also a silk of religious choice. Jains preferred it because the moth has already flown before the silk is gathered, so no insect is killed to make it. For a wearer who holds to that principle, the coarser handle is not a drawback but the point.

Styles of Matka

Two grades stand out. Dakra Matka, the local cloth of the Dakra weavers, was of a quality that could be set beside reeled silk, no small claim for a spun yarn. Weavers also made a superior matka by blending in Khamru, a different silk. Without that blend, matka stayed the coarser, cheaper cloth. Rajshahi's matka was known in its own right and drew steady demand.

What Matka means

Matka's story belongs to its weavers. The trade kept poor women in work and gave weavers of modest artistic range a place in the silk economy. It also carried an ethical weight: because the moth lives, Jains could wear silk with an easy mind. At its best the cloth earned real respect, for Dakra Matka was matched against reeled silk and Rajshahi's weaving was much sought after.

Questions people ask about Matka

Good reading and sources

• Matka (silk) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data