The Fabrics of Chhattisgarh

Primarily this silk is found in Raigarh and Champa, weaving of saris and fabrics is also done in the region. Chhattisgarh is known for ‘Kosa silk’ and ‘lost wax art’. Besides saris and salwar suits, the fabric is also used to create lehengas, stoles, shawls and menswear including jackets, shirts, achkans and sherwanis.

The forest in Chhattisgarh helps in the production of Kosa. It is drawn from the cocoons grown on arjun, saja or sal trees. Naturally these Kosa silks are obtained in shades of cream, beige, yellow, honey and ash. To colour them vegetable dyes are used. Kosa silk is known for its sturdiness and is preferred as pure silk in the state of Chhattisgarh. Every single cocoon woven by the Kosa silkworm’s results in 1-2 grams of raw silk yarn which is equal to about 300 yards of silk thread.

There is another variety of yarn attributed to Kosa silk which is woven on twigs of a tree by the Kosa larvae. This is the sturdiest version of the Kosa silk yarn and is used for making a whole lot of utility items and décor objects such as doormats, rugs and cushion covers, which at times are decorated with mirror work. The Kosa comes in variety of pattern and are then block-printed, embroidered or painted to make them look gorgeous. The famous of them is the kantha embroidery. Besides, are the fera and jaala weave patterns. More than the technique, it is Kosa silk – the fabric which is the heart of every silk in Chhattisgarh.