Lotus silk from Myanmar — Buddha’s sacred plant
The lotus flower stands for purity, fertility and enlightenment. The people of Myanmar call it Buddha’s sacred plant, for the fabric is said to have magical powers.
The plants come from Lake Inle, which lies inland in the Shan hills of Myanmar. It is the home of the Intha — the people of the lake. Not only do their houses appear to float above the water on stilts, they also grow everything else on floating gardens. They live from and on the lake.
Photo by Mega Caesaria on Unsplash
How is lotus silk made?
The Inle fishermen have developed their own technique: for hours on end they stand on their boats on one leg, wrapping the other around their paddle — the only way they can use both hands to cast their nets after the plants. They are after the stems of the lotus flowers, for hidden deep within lies a precious treasure.
After harvesting, the plants must be processed while they are still moist.
One cut and the wafer-thin threads, as fine as spiders‘ webs, are revealed. From these threads the Intha women make the most expensive fabric in the world — lotus silk. They can produce a maximum of 20 metres of thread in a day, so delicate is it.
Why is lotus silk so precious?
The craft is already centuries old and is passed down from generation to generation. Only a few women master the art of weaving, for which they receive just one dollar a day. It is no wonder, then, that a single scarf costs 100 times as much. European designers in particular have become aware of the fabric and have it imported. A bespoke jacket in Italy, for instance, costs around 7,000 euros.
The Intha themselves are not permitted to wear lotus silk, for only the Buddha himself was pure enough to wear this fabric, and in Myanmar it is now permitted only to monks.
But ever since the tourists discovered Lake Inle for themselves and brought money into the country, anyone who can afford it can wear the sacred silk.