Photograph — Women at a farmers' collective rally, India (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons ↗
Handloom Textiles · Bihar — Bhagalpur
Bhagalpuri Tussar Silk
A textured, naturally golden wild silk historically known as the 'Queen of Fabrics,' produced around Bhagalpur, one of India's oldest silk-weaving centres.
GI status: GI-registered ('Bhagalpuri Silk'), 2018
Shelf life: Indefinite
Women-led sector
| Category | Handloom Textiles |
|---|---|
| Region | Bihar — Bhagalpur |
| GI status | GI-registered ('Bhagalpuri Silk'), 2018 |
| Typical shelf life | Indefinite |
| Women's role in production | Cocoon rearing and the delicate hand-reeling of tussar yarn from cocoon to thread is overwhelmingly women's work in Bhagalpur's sericulture villages, including through state-supported women's reeling cooperatives; weaving itself is a mixed-gender household craft. |
Why this fits a low-wastage SHG model: A finished silk textile with indefinite shelf life, and a women-led reeling stage that a federation spice-and-craft model could support directly.
Related products
Photograph — Assamese muga silk attire with a traditional japi. Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Handloom Textiles
Muga Silk of Assam
Assam — Brahmaputra valley
Photograph — Eri silkworm (polu), the source of eri silk. Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Handloom Textiles
Eri Silk of Assam (Ahimsa Silk)
Assam, Meghalaya
Photograph — Handloom weaving in progress (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Handloom Textiles