Sualkuchi: Commercial Weaving Enclave of Assam

The approach road to Sualkuchi is lined with shops selling colourful silk fabrics.

The narrow streets of the town have homes and workshops in a seamless continuum. The streets are lined with small weaving units, producing textiles based on traditional Assamese designs.

Peeping in through a window is likely to reveal someone working at a loom.

Sualkuchi fabrics are rooted in Assam’s traditional heritage. Here, a weaver shows a mekhela (women’s attire) just off the loom.

Unlike most weaving centres of Assam, or indeed of the region, in Sualkuchi there are both men and women weavers.

There is also a large number of migrant labour: weavers who have come in search of work. Seen here are two migrant workers in their living and working space.

While the one in the foreground is busy on her loom, her co-worker is preparing the midday meal.

The workshops are a mix of family-run and commercial establishments.

Pictured here is the lady of the house who performs ancillary functions like preparing the yarn, while she supervises the paid workers.

Sualkuchi’s weaving is not restricted to any particular community.

Ram Bayan, pictured here preparing weft yarn to be used on a loom, comes from a line of traditional musicians. His son still plays the drum in the community prayer hall.

His family weaving unit has for generations been supplying traditional fabrics to the Garo tribe in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.

Weaving here is mostly done on frame looms fitted with jacquard mechanisms.

Looms are typically made of wood and bamboo.

Since the fabric is in plain weave, only two shafts are required. The additional treadle operated by the weaver’s foot controls the use of the jacquard.

Some weaving units have warping drums on which the warp for the loom is prepared according to the required length and design.

Besides for their own use, they rent out the drum to other weavers for a small fee per warp.

Jacquard cards based on the design are punched and threaded together in sequence before they are attached to the loom.

They decide the lifting order of warp threads in the fabric being woven, hence defining the woven design.

Sualkuchi is known for typical Assamese designs. Red with accents of black is one of the main colours traditionally used on natural Eri and Muga silk.

The traditional bridal wedding attire is the three piece: mekhela, chadar and riha in white and gold.

Sualkuchi now also produces a range of colourful silks that cater to new consumer preferences.

In fact mekhela chadar in vibrant hues far outnumber the traditional undyed silks in the many small shops of the weaving town.

In traditional designs too, commercial pressures have brought about changes in the yarns used. The gold in the design, once made of fine metallic wire, is now made of metallic or synthetic coating on polyester yarn.

While traditional colour schemes are still used, chemical dyes in place of the original natural dyes make Sualkuchi weaves cheaper and more accessible to a wider market.

Designers and weavers also use new colour schemes in combination with traditional motifs and patters.

While Assamese silks such as Eri and Muga (seen here in the motifs) continue to be used, cheaper Tussar and mulberry silks from other weaving centres such as Bhagalpur and Bangalore are combined with them. These are often dyed using chemical colours.


The success of the weaving town of Sualkuchi lies in its ability to cater to a varied demand and remain relevant in the face of changing times.

Read more about the Sualkuchi weaving traditions here:

- Indigenous Silks of Assam
- The Specialist Weaver: From Anonymous Artisan to Individual Artist