A Journey into the World of Silk Designed by Upasana, Auroville www. upasana.in Series- Know India through Textiles Published by Bestseller Fund, Denmark www.bestsellerfund.com ISBN 978-87-993725-1-5 Printed at Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd. 17, Red Hills, Hyderabad 500 004 India 2010 To the Bestseller Foundation for inspiration and opportunity Preface 09 The Journey 16 Making Silk 32 Silk Trade 80 Silk in India 114 Creativity Across Cultures 122 The Gift 144 The Team 153 Credits 155 Resources 156 Preface “Watching a silkworm weave is mesmerising. One long strand, carefully strung here and there, wound round and round itself, it constructs one of the great marvels of nature – a cocoon. Soft and delicate to look at, it harbours a beautiful secret within – silk. A secret guarded for centuries, a beauty unparalleled, the touch of silk is enough for humans to lose themselves in a sensory journey.” 02 Preface 0310 “Silk has been called the ‘Queen of Textiles’ and perhaps rightly so. Finer than human hair, strong as steel, light and versatile with an inherent shimmer and a satiny feel, silk stands apart from all other fabrics. It is not made from plants like cotton and hemp; rather it is made by silkworms and harvested from their cocoons. It’s not surprising that when silk was introduced to Europe in the first millennium, Roman historian, Pliny the Elder, wrote, “Silk was obtained by removing the down from the leaves with the help of water.” In fact, silk is a protein fibre; similar to wool or to human hair and this is what gives it most of its matchless qualities.“ Preface 12 “The enigma of silk captivates one and all and it is no wonder that this wisp of a fibre has led to wars and espionage, as well as trade on a global scale. It has inspired weavers to become artists and create the most magnificent garments. Silk today is as prized in one’s wardrobe as it was in yesteryears. In an era thousands of years ago, it was the exclusive reserve of royalty, but today with modern production methods and a burgeoning business, silk is available to the common population. At first, I did not understand the human obsession with a fibre that has a transient purpose for moths. I decided to find out more and unravel the relationship between humans and silk that started more than five thousand years ago. So, come with me on an adventure as I discover the captivating story of silk.” - Inara A silk moth from Bihar Preface 14 02 The Journey The Story of Silk 03 The Journey 18 The Discovery of Silk Coveted, sought after, jealously guarded yet heavily traded; the history of silk invokes the mystery of a priceless treasure. For thousands of years, silk cocoons have been tended with supreme care by civilisations all around the world. The art of unravelling silken threads carefully laid by The finding of this silken delight and the process of harnessing the silkworm to fabricate its cocoon is said to have been it ushered in a new era of Chinese history. As William Kenrick discovered in China. The actual time of this discovery is writes, “Silk and its manufacture, and the weaving continued unknown, but there is a colourful Chinese legend about it. to be the principal occupation of the succeeding Empresses; Tradition talks about the highly venerated Goddess of Silk, apartments being especially appropriated to this purpose, who is credited with discovering the art of making silk. The in the Imperial Palace; and soon, from the highest rank of young girl Empress, Hsi-Ling-Shih, first wife of the mythical females, it became the occupation of all ranks in China; and Yellow Emperor in the 27th century B.C., was sitting in her ere long, the Emperor, the learned class, the princes, the garden sipping tea under a mulberry bush. A silkworm’s mandarins and courtiers and all the rich, were attired in the cocoon fell into her tea and its threads started to unravel. Her splendid fabrics of silk. Until finally, silk became the great and curiosity piqued, the Empress decided to find out more about inexhaustible resource of the wealth of China.” this ball of silken threads. She began observing the silkworm and its life cycle. Assisted by the women of her household, she gathered silkworms “The finding of this silken delight and the which were then sheltered, protected and abundantly process of harnessing it ushered in a new supplied with mulberry leaves. Soon, they yielded superior era of Chinese history.” quality silk, and so the first silk industry began. However, archaeological evidence dates the discovery of silk to an earlier period between 4000 B.C. and 5000 B.C., but this might have been the cultivation of wild silk on a smaller scale. Silk production in old China The Journey 20 The Pathway of Silk The art of extracting and processing this wonder thread was bound in a cocoon of secrecy and China maintained its monopoly of silk production for three thousand years. The secret was jealously guarded by an imperial ban stating It is likely that the art of sericulture reached Japan through that anyone who attempted to export silkworms or their Korea when waves of Chinese migrants arrived around 200 eggs would face the death penalty. But it is hard to keep B.C. such a superb treasure locked up. In time, silk processing found its way into other societies and the lore surrounding Reams of this gossamer-like fabric had been changing hands this ‘information smuggling’ is as colourful as its discovery. In and traded through countries, tribes and civilisations before 440 A.D., a Chinese princess married to the prince of Khotan, the beginning of the Christian era. It was such a widely refused to be parted from her beloved cloth when she left for transacted commodity that it gave way to its own system her new home. She smuggled out silkworm eggs by hiding of roads running from China to Europe, Africa and Asia: the them in her hairpiece, and so an exclusive art finally reached famous Silk Roads. another land. Although parts of these routes were already in use, silk Another account talks of a Japanese expedition in China was probably the first significant commodity to have been around 300 B.C. that succeeded in stealing some silkworm exported form East to West. The Silk Routes went north to eggs and four Chinese girls, who were forced to teach their Russia, west to the Middle East and Europe, southwest to captors the art of sericulture. Japanese lore has a more Egypt and Africa, south to Nepal, India and the Indus Valley mythical tale describing the introduction of silk to Japan; and east to Japan, Korea and the trading ports in the South there is a description in the ancient Nihonshoki (Chronicles China Sea. Even as late as the 1930s, the tracks across the of Japan), “When Uke Mochi No Kami (God of Food) was desert were still clear. Missionaries, Mildred Cable and found dead, a silkworm came out of his eyebrow… The Francesca French, who journeyed across Central Asia in the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu O-Mikami was taught to put the early 1900s, tracing ancient trade routes described the Silk cocoon (silkworm) in her mouth to reel a thread. This was the Road: “at the foot of the mountain lay the old travel road, beginning of sericulture.” wide and deeply marked, literally cut to bits by the sharp, Silk production in old China The Journey 22 Francis Wood wrote, “The romantic name, Seidenstrasse or Silk Road, was only coined in 1877 by the German explorer, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen...silk was transported along a series of routes across Central Asia to Europe, from China to Rome...passing through many hands before it reached its final destination.” The Journey 24 02 Ancient Chinese text mentions a place named Huangche, which has been identified by scholars as Kanchi in South India – a silk brocade weaving and trade centre. nail-studded wheels of countless caravan carts… On this collected from cocoons that the silkworm has left after its road, myriads of travellers had journeyed for thousands of transformation. Thus, it came to be seen as a non-violent (or years, making of it a ceaselessly flowing stream of life, for it ahimsa) technique of producing this fine fabric and was seen was the great highway of Asia, which connected the Far East fit to be used in Hindu and Buddhist ceremonies. with distant European lands.” Europe was a keen customer of the wondrous, soft fabric In the midst of the trading action lay India, and she gained but they had to pay heavily for it. They were eager to share immeasurably from this luxury trade. Yashodhara Agrawal in the secrets of sericulture, and relief came around 550 A.D. quotes in her book, Silk Brocades, “Chinese silk was introduced in the unexpected form of two Persian monks who had been to India by traders (mainly from Samarkhand and Bukhara) missionaries in the Christian churches of the Far East. The and it gained immense popularity amongst the royalty and monks had observed the meticulous production methods of the aristocracy. Ancient Chinese text mentions a place named sericulture in China with great curiosity. They were able to Huangche, which has been identified by scholars as Kanchi hide some silkworm eggs in their hollow bamboo canes and in South India – a silk brocade weaving and trade centre. bring them back to Justinian, the Emperor of Byzantine.