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The story
Tussar is produced across several forested regions by communities who rear or collect wild silkworm cocoons. Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal developed distinct weaving, painting and embroidery traditions around the fibre.
How it is made
Cocoons are sorted, softened and reeled or spun into yarn before dyeing and weaving. The shorter, less uniform fibres produce the characteristic slubbed texture, while regional artisans may add extra-weft motifs, embroidery or painted decoration.
Materials and character
Wild silk fibres naturally range from beige to honey gold. Texture and sheen differ from smooth cultivated mulberry silk, and both handspun and machine-reprocessed yarns are found.
Why it matters
Tussar connects saree design with forest ecologies and diverse artisanal communities across eastern and central India.