Murshidabad Silk Nawab Mulberry Textile History West Bengal

Murshidabad district in West Bengal was the capital of the Bengal Nawabs (18th century) and the centre of India's finest silk production, with the legendary Murshidabad silk muslin — lighter than Dhaka muslin — produced from double-cocoon mulberry silkworms in the Berhampore-Jiaganj weaving cluster. Contemporary Murshidabad silk production continues in a diminished but artisanally significant scale, with Korial (silk weaving community) weavers in Jiaganj producing Baluchari-influenced silk sarees with pallu narrative panels woven on traditional handlooms. The Baluchari saree — originally from Murshidabad's Baluchar village before being relocated to Bishnupur — features woven brocade pallu panels depicting Nawabi court scenes including palanquins, huqqa smokers, European steamships, and mythological scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata in a supplementary weft technique on mulberry silk. Murshidabad silk received a GI tag. The Silk Board maintains a rearing station at Berhampore for disease-free layings (mulberry silkworm eggs), and the Bengal government's Tantuja cooperative markets Murshidabad handloom silk through state emporiums.