Jorhat Eri Silk Weaving
The soft, matte 'peace silk' of Assam, spun from cocoons the moth has already left.
Eri silk is a soft, matte, warm silk woven across Upper Assam, with Jorhat a notable centre, and among the Bodo and in Meghalaya. Unlike mulberry and muga silk, the eri cocoon is open-ended, so the moth leaves before the cocoon is processed and the fibre is spun rather than reeled, giving a woolly, cotton-like handle. It is made into shawls, stoles, the chadar-mekhela worn by Assamese women, jackets and blankets, in natural cream and brick tones or dyed.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Jorhat, Assam
Also Known As
Eri (errandi) silk, endi silk, 'ahimsa' or peace silk
Craft Type
Eri silk spinning and handloom weaving
Practising Community
Rural Assamese and tribal households, mostly women, who rear the worms and spin and weave at home
Materials
Eri cocoons (from worms fed on castor and kesseru); soda or plant ash for degumming; and natural dyes such as lac, turmeric, iron and indigo, alongside chemical dyes.
Known For
Eri silk shawls, stoles, chadar-mekhela sets and dress fabric with a warm, woolly handle
Where It's Made
Jorhat and the Upper Assam districts; strong eri traditions also among the Bodo and in Meghalaya
Time to Create
One to two weeks per shawl or set, including spinning
GI Status
Not separately registered; Assam's Muga silk is GI-tagged, and eri is part of the state's wider silk tradition
Process Steps
Rearing the worms
Eri silkworms are reared indoors on castor or kesseru leaves through their growth stages.
Collecting the cocoons
The open-ended cocoons are gathered after the adult moths have emerged.
Degumming
The cocoons are boiled with soda or plant ash to remove the gum and soften the fibre.
Opening and spinning
The softened fibre is teased open and hand-spun into yarn on a takli spindle or spinning wheel.
Dyeing
Skeins are dyed with natural or chemical colours, or left in the natural cream and brick shades.
Warping and weaving
The yarn is warped and woven on a frame or loin loom into shawls, chadar-mekhela sets and fabric.
Finishing
The woven cloth is washed, which softens it further and raises its characteristic gentle nap.
Technique Glossary
Eri (endi) silk
A spun, matte, warm silk from an open-ended cocoon; the moth emerges before processing.
Spun vs reeled silk
Reeled silk is unwound as a continuous filament; spun silk is made from short fibres twisted together, giving a softer, hairier yarn.
Chadar-mekhela
The two-piece draped garment worn by Assamese women, often woven in eri or muga.
Takli
A simple drop spindle used to hand-spin eri fibre into yarn.
Kesseru
A tree whose leaves, with castor, feed the eri silkworm.
Degumming
Boiling cocoons or yarn to remove the sericin gum that stiffens the raw fibre.
Loin loom
A backstrap loom tensioned by the weaver's body, widely used in the northeast for shawls and cloth.
A Craft Through Time
Ancient
A household silk
Eri rearing on castor leaves is a long-established domestic activity in Assam and the eastern hills.
Pre-modern
Everyday warm cloth
Eri is worn as durable, warm daily clothing rather than fine dress, and mostly stays within the family.
20th century
Sericulture support
State sericulture agencies promote eri rearing as a low-land, all-season livelihood.
Late 20th–21st century
The peace-silk market
Self-help groups and the 'ahimsa silk' label expand eri into a commercial handloom product.
Present
Shawls and slow fashion
Eri shawls, stoles and garments reach urban retail and export buyers drawn to its ethics and handle.
Did You Know?
Eri is often called 'peace silk' because the moth is allowed to emerge from its open-ended cocoon before the fibre is collected — no pupa is boiled inside.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.