News:

• There are no takers for the famed Assam Silk these days, thanks to the COVID-19 induced lockdown which has hit the production of the fabric hard as well as its exports.
• There are around 6,500 looms at Sualkuchi and of them only about 40 per cent are now functioning and producing minimum fabric.
• Some 30,000 people are involved in the industry at Sualkuchi and 5,500 are from outside the town. Eighty per cent of the weavers are also not locals of Sualkuchi.

• Bihu and marriage dates make April-May the peak season for the weavers and others associated with the indigenous industry.

• The cost of yarn which comes from Karnataka has also risen by 20 per cent. However, many weavers are now forced to sell their products at 25-30 per cent less than the normal price due to the distress.

Assam Silk:

• Assam produces three unique varieties of silks, the Golden Muga, the White Pat and the warm Eri.
• Silks grown all over the state find their way to Sualkuchi. Sualkuchi is the textile center of Assam.
• Muga silk and Pat silk along with Eri silk and Endi cloth from this region is famous for its quality. Mekhela chadors and Gamosas made from this indigenous materials is in demand throughout Assam as well as other parts of India.
• The weaving tradition in this hamlet can be traced to the 11th century when king Dharma Pal, of the Pala dynasty, sponsored the craft and brought 26 weaving families from Tantikuchi to Saulkuchi.
• The village took shape as a weaving village when the SHAMS occupied Sualkuchi defeating the Mughals in the mid 17th century.