page_title: Silk in the Indian subcontinent
section_title: Further reading
hierarchical_section_title: Silk in the Indian subcontinent / Further reading
caption_attribution_description: Brilliantly coloured silk threads on a hand-loom being woven into a fancy sari. Kanchipuram is famous in India as producers of exquisite and much sought after saris, especially for weddings, many with elaborate borders, heavy embroidery and embellishment work and gold threads. While the sale price of such a sari can range from INR 5,000 to 100,000 or more and take weeks to make, most artisans still work as piece-work labourers (the buyer supplies all materials), making INR 300 to INR 1,000 a piece. Historically, child labour and bonded labour (where the buyer supplies upfront loan, maintaining the family in a perpetual state of debt), were also common in this industry, but that is slowly improving due to government regulations and significant work by NGOs and artisan collectives in the region.
context_page_description: Silk in the Indian subcontinent is a luxury good. In India, about 97% of the raw mulberry silk is produced in the five Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. Mysore and North Bangalore, the upcoming site of a US$20 million "Silk City", contribute to a majority of silk production. Another emerging silk producer is Tamil Nadu where mulberry cultivation is concentrated in Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri districts. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu were the first locations to have automated silk reeling units.
context_section_description: The Making Of A Hand-Woven Kanjivaram Silk Saree - Read how Kanjivaram Silk saree is being made.
  History of Kanchipuram Silk Sarees - Read more on the history of Kanchipuram Silk sarees.
caption: Silk sari weaving at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
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