Silk — the very name evokes delicate feelings. Till date, no fabric in the world has conquered this 'Queen of Textiles'. It has intermingled with the culture and tradition of mankind, and that of Indians in particular.
While this royal fabric bestows that extra grace and charm to the wearer, its fabulous furnishings turn your ordinary living room into a royal suite. And, that is the magic of silk. Its exquisite qualities like elegance, natural sheen, softness, affinity for dyes, vibrant colours, light weight and excellent drape have made it the perfect choice of connoisseurs.
For centuries, the secret of silk had been a shrouded mystery. No one knows for sure when exactly silk was discovered. A number of legends surround it like a mile-long filament spun around a pupa. That is one of the reasons why silk always arouses curiosity.
According to a Chinese legend, it was discovered about 2640 BC, by Siling-Ti. It was during 2800 BC that Chin-Nong, the successor of Emperor Fo-hi, invented the plough and other agricultural appliances. The innovative king taught his subjects the art of growing mulberry. Probably, mulberry was grown then for its juicy and tasty fruits.
The cultivation continued during the regime of Emperor Huang-ti also. Once the emperor asked his wife Siling-Ti to find out what was damaging his mulberry crop. The empress observed some tiny insects feeding on the leaves of mulberry. After a few days, she observed that these worms were growing in size. The 14-year-old curious empress continued to watch this process till the shining cocoons were spun by these worms.
She preserved the cocoons till moths emerged. But one day, accidentally, she dropped a cocoon into a tea pot containing hot water. When she tried to pick it out, a delicate, cobwebby tangle separated from the cocoons. She pulled it out and found that a slender thread was unwinding from the cocoons. And yes, she had discovered silk.
She convinced her husband to give her a grove of mulberry trees where she could rear these wonder worms that spun such beautiful cocoons. It is also said that Siling-Ti later invented the silk reel which joined these filaments into a strong thread to suit weaving and to be used to make beautiful garments.
This empress is also credited with the invention of the first loom by 2640 BC. The deep devotion of the empress towards the development of the silk industry had such a wide impact on the public that temples were raised in her memory and she was worshipped as the goddess of silk worms.
Here are some interesting snippets on silk:
* During sixth century, Emperor Justinian sent two Persian monks as Christian missionaries to the lands beyond the Caspian Sea. These monks came to Khotan and learned the techniques of silk production and smuggled the silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds, hiding them in their pilgrim staves (clubs).
* Another story tells how sericulture spread to other parts of Asia, and to India. According to it, during 400 AD, a Chinese princess who married the king of Khotan, carried silkworm eggs and seeds of mulberry, hiding them in the lining of her head gear.
n A Buddhist monk is credited with bringing the Chinese techniques of silk reeling to India during the Gupta period (400 to 600 AD).
* In Assam, the Bodo tribe that originally migrated from Central Asia is said to have brought the art of silk reeling to India.
* In one of the ancient books of Japanese history, there is mention of four concubines employed in the emperor's court to teach the intricate art of silk weaving to people.
*Roman poet Virgil thought that silk thread was derived from combing the fuzz of leaves.
* A legend in England says that some people believed that silk was produced from the worms that emerged from the meat of the calf which was allowed to fester for some days.
Once, when one of our US-based relatives told us that some of his colleagues still think that silk is produced by plants and is directly picked like cotton, we had just hushed it off with a big laughter. But now we know what might have made them think so. It appears, pictures of harvesting of Tasar silk cocoons from the Tasar food plants might have created such confusion. The famous silk cotton (Cochlospermum religiosum L) plant may be yet another culprit.
Too abstract to determine the particular? But, that is how the Queen of Textiles came into being.
While this royal fabric bestows that extra grace and charm to the wearer, its fabulous furnishings turn your ordinary living room into a royal suite. And, that is the magic of silk. Its exquisite qualities like elegance, natural sheen, softness, affinity for dyes, vibrant colours, light weight and excellent drape have made it the perfect choice of connoisseurs.
For centuries, the secret of silk had been a shrouded mystery. No one knows for sure when exactly silk was discovered. A number of legends surround it like a mile-long filament spun around a pupa. That is one of the reasons why silk always arouses curiosity.
According to a Chinese legend, it was discovered about 2640 BC, by Siling-Ti. It was during 2800 BC that Chin-Nong, the successor of Emperor Fo-hi, invented the plough and other agricultural appliances. The innovative king taught his subjects the art of growing mulberry. Probably, mulberry was grown then for its juicy and tasty fruits.
The cultivation continued during the regime of Emperor Huang-ti also. Once the emperor asked his wife Siling-Ti to find out what was damaging his mulberry crop. The empress observed some tiny insects feeding on the leaves of mulberry. After a few days, she observed that these worms were growing in size. The 14-year-old curious empress continued to watch this process till the shining cocoons were spun by these worms.
She preserved the cocoons till moths emerged. But one day, accidentally, she dropped a cocoon into a tea pot containing hot water. When she tried to pick it out, a delicate, cobwebby tangle separated from the cocoons. She pulled it out and found that a slender thread was unwinding from the cocoons. And yes, she had discovered silk.
She convinced her husband to give her a grove of mulberry trees where she could rear these wonder worms that spun such beautiful cocoons. It is also said that Siling-Ti later invented the silk reel which joined these filaments into a strong thread to suit weaving and to be used to make beautiful garments.
This empress is also credited with the invention of the first loom by 2640 BC. The deep devotion of the empress towards the development of the silk industry had such a wide impact on the public that temples were raised in her memory and she was worshipped as the goddess of silk worms.
Here are some interesting snippets on silk:
* During sixth century, Emperor Justinian sent two Persian monks as Christian missionaries to the lands beyond the Caspian Sea. These monks came to Khotan and learned the techniques of silk production and smuggled the silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds, hiding them in their pilgrim staves (clubs).
* Another story tells how sericulture spread to other parts of Asia, and to India. According to it, during 400 AD, a Chinese princess who married the king of Khotan, carried silkworm eggs and seeds of mulberry, hiding them in the lining of her head gear.
n A Buddhist monk is credited with bringing the Chinese techniques of silk reeling to India during the Gupta period (400 to 600 AD).
* In Assam, the Bodo tribe that originally migrated from Central Asia is said to have brought the art of silk reeling to India.
* In one of the ancient books of Japanese history, there is mention of four concubines employed in the emperor's court to teach the intricate art of silk weaving to people.
*Roman poet Virgil thought that silk thread was derived from combing the fuzz of leaves.
* A legend in England says that some people believed that silk was produced from the worms that emerged from the meat of the calf which was allowed to fester for some days.
Once, when one of our US-based relatives told us that some of his colleagues still think that silk is produced by plants and is directly picked like cotton, we had just hushed it off with a big laughter. But now we know what might have made them think so. It appears, pictures of harvesting of Tasar silk cocoons from the Tasar food plants might have created such confusion. The famous silk cotton (Cochlospermum religiosum L) plant may be yet another culprit.
Too abstract to determine the particular? But, that is how the Queen of Textiles came into being.