Photograph — Assamese muga silk attire with a traditional japi. Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons ↗
Handloom Textiles · Assam — Brahmaputra valley
Muga Silk of Assam
A rare, naturally golden wild silk unique to Assam, muga is prized for a lustre that increases with washing and age, and was historically reserved for Ahom royalty.
GI status: GI-registered, 2007
Shelf life: Indefinite — a finished textile does not spoil
Women-led sector
| Category | Handloom Textiles |
|---|---|
| Region | Assam — Brahmaputra valley |
| GI status | GI-registered, 2007 |
| Typical shelf life | Indefinite — a finished textile does not spoil |
| Women's role in production | Silkworm rearing, cocoon reeling and hand-spinning of muga yarn is traditional women's work across Assamese households; weaving on the loom is also predominantly done by women in most producing districts. |
Why this fits a low-wastage SHG model: As a finished textile, muga cloth has no meaningful shelf-life risk at all — inventory can be held indefinitely without loss, the strongest possible case against wastage.
Related products
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
Bodo Aronai
Assam — Bodoland
Photograph — A group of Indian women (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Handloom Textiles