Daijiworld Media Network – Mysuru
Mysuru, Dec 19: Adding another feather to Karnataka’s cap as India’s largest silk-producing state, the country’s first-ever silk museum is set to be established in Mysuru — a city renowned for its exquisite silk sarees. The museum will showcase the complete history of silk in India, detailing every stage of production — from silkworm cocoon to the finished fabric.
The central government has already launched silk tourism in Jammu and Kashmir and is working on establishing another circuit in Thoapatali, Assam. While both state and central governments are promoting silk chains and fabric in these states, Mysuru will soon host a unique museum that demonstrates how silk threads are extracted and processed.
According to Dr Mantrira Murthy, director of the National Silkworm Seed Organisation (NSSO) under the Central Silk Board (CSB), the museum will illustrate the entire process — from the silkworm’s pupa stage to the weaving of silk fabric. “This will be the first and only museum of its kind in the country. A dedicated team has been assigned to work on it, and the total project cost will be determined once the tenders are finalized,” she said. The museum will be set up at the CSB premises in Mysuru, which spans 120 acres.
To design the museum, CSB officials studied similar facilities in China and Italy — examining the finest collections in Italy and silk exhibits dating back 2,000 years in China. Work has already begun to collect traditional and heritage items related to silk production from silk-producing states and farmers across India for display at the museum.
The exhibition will also educate visitors on how to identify genuine silk. “Our target is to complete the project within two years, starting from the next financial year. The museum will display antique collections and explain the importance of silkworms, as well as how to distinguish between genuine and artificial silk,” Dr Murthy added.
Experts and farmers are being engaged in the project, which is being promoted by the Ministry of Tourism, said CSB member Shivakumar Periyasamy. The museum will also include a section dedicated to silk by-products. Global demand for silk protein and silk-based ingredients used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals has been rising, and this trend will be showcased to visitors.
According to the Seri-States of India 2024 report, Karnataka contributes around 32% of India’s total silk production. The state has 11,526 sericulture villages, 1,48,704 silk farmers, and 6,749 reelers.
Sericulture in Mysuru dates back to the era of Tipu Sultan, who introduced and encouraged silk farming in the region. The major silk-producing areas include Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Ramanagara, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, and Bengaluru Rural, which have since expanded to several other regions.
In 2023–24, Karnataka produced 12,463 tonnes of silk — including 2,806 tonnes of bivoltine silk and 9,657 tonnes of multivoltine varieties — reaffirming its position as the nation’s silk leader.