Murshidabad silk
In its own language: মুর্শিদাবাদী রেশম
Fine, light silk from Murshidabad in West Bengal, woven mostly into saris
Murshidabad silk is a fine, light silk woven in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, from yarn spun by silkworms fed on mulberry leaves. Its main use is the sari, including the Baluchari and Gorood styles, and European traders were drawn to it by the 17th century, when they called the region's output Bengal silk.
- Silk making in the Murshidabad area is traced back to the 13th century
- European traders opened kuthis, or trading posts, there in the 1600s
- The East India Company set up a kuthi at Kasimbazar in 1658
- The district's silk factories closed in 1883 as the trade declined
- A GI tag was applied for in May 2023, covering 11 products
What is Murshidabad silk?
Murshidabad silk is a silk cloth made in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, in eastern India. The yarn is spun by silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves. Weavers there use it above all for saris, and the cloth is valued because it is fine, light and simple to wrap. It is also sold as Murshidabadi silk, a spelling that follows the Bengali name. Two sari styles long tied to it are Baluchari and Gorood. Silk from Murshidabad has been traded since the 1600s, and European buyers once called the region's output Bengal silk, so the name travelled with the cloth.
Where does Murshidabad silk come from?
Silk making began in China and reached the Bengal region during the Middle Ages, where three clusters grew, at Murshidabad, Malda and Rajshahi. Local accounts trace Murshidabad's silk to the 13th century. In the 1600s European merchants opened kuthis, trading posts, in those places to ship Bengal silk to Europe, and each cluster's cloth came to be known by its own town, Murshidabad silk among them. The East India Company set up a kuthi at Kasimbazar in 1658, and Dutch, Portuguese and French traders followed with their own. Tipu Sultan of Mysore sent an expert to Murshidabad between 1780 and 1790 to study silk rearing and processing, and Mysore's industry grew from that. After the Battle of Plassey the Company shipped raw material to Britain instead, the trade weakened, and the factories closed in 1883. Help from the Union and State governments after independence set it going again.
How is Murshidabad silk made?
The fibre is silk. Caterpillars of the Bombyx mori kind are raised for it and fed on mulberry leaves, so growing mulberry and rearing worms, together called sericulture, sit behind the cloth. Growers and weavers work in and around the district, and the yarn is woven into saris and other garments. The sources do not set out the looms or the dyeing. Output depends on the mulberry crop, and drought, flood and a changing climate have cut it. In 2002 Murshidabad had 38,040 sericulture farmers and 25,778 weavers; by 2012 those figures were 14,593 and 15,160. Failing silkworm stock, poor organisation, hard-to-get loans and better-paid city work have all pulled people away.
Murshidabad silk, drawn
Colours, motifs and borders
A Murshidabad silk sari is described as having a peacock blue ground with a golden border. Zari, the metallic thread, runs along the anchal, the decorated end, in flowing jhumko work. Foliage spreads across the field of the cloth, and flowers and birds appear in zari. The weaving is close and intricate, and the trade calls the result the Queen of Weaving, or Queen's Weaving. The colours the sources name are the peacock blue of the ground and the gold of the border and the zari thread.
How Murshidabad silk is worn
The sources do not set out one particular drape. They say the silk is light and easy to drape, and that is the quality buyers mention. It is worn as a sari, the long cloth wrapped round the waist over a blouse and petticoat, with the decorated end brought across the shoulder. The cloth is also cut and sewn into other garments, and sherwanis are named among them.
Styles of Murshidabad silk
Baluchari is one sari made from Murshidabad silk, named after Baluchar, a place beside Jiaganj, both lying within the district. Over time Baluchari has also been woven in cotton, and in yarn drawn from bamboo and banana plants. Gorood is another, produced mainly at Mirzapur. Jamdani saris, with their hand-woven motifs, are made in this silk too. Beyond saris, the silk goes into sherwanis and other textiles. The sources do not compare handloom with powerloom cloth, or describe imitations, so nothing can be said here on that difference.
What Murshidabad silk means
Silk counted among the mainstays of the Bengal economy, and Murshidabad's name travelled with the cloth to Europe. Today growers and weavers are leaving the work in large numbers, drawn by city jobs and by wages that do not come on time, while the mulberry crop suffers from drought and flood. Among West Bengal's districts, only one now makes more silk, and across India Murshidabad stands third. In May 2023 the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences applied for a Geographical Indication tag for the silk, listing 11 products.
Questions people ask about Murshidabad silk
Where does Murshidabad silk come from?
It is made in Murshidabad district in West Bengal, eastern India. The wider Bengal region, including Malda and Rajshahi, was an old silk-weaving area, and each cluster's cloth took the name of the town that produced it.
How is it made?
Silkworms of the Bombyx mori kind are raised and fed on mulberry leaves. Their yarn is reeled and woven, mostly into saris and also into garments like sherwanis. The sources do not describe the looms or the dyeing in detail.
What does a Murshidabad silk sari look like?
A peacock blue ground with a golden border, flowing golden zari and jhumko along the anchal, and foliage, flower and bird motifs in zari. The cloth is fine and light, and the weaving is close and intricate.
Which saris are woven from this silk?
Baluchari, named after Baluchar beside Jiaganj, and Gorood, made mainly at Mirzapur, are the two the sources name. Jamdani saris are also woven in this silk, and the yarn goes into sherwanis and other cloth.
Why is the industry struggling now?
Fewer people rear worms and weave. Murshidabad had 38,040 sericulture farmers and 25,778 weavers in 2002; by 2012 these had fallen to 14,593 and 15,160. Drought, flood, climate change, weak organisation, scarce loans and better-paid city work are given as reasons.
Good reading and sources
- Murshidabad silk on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Murshidabad silk", 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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