'Clothing in India varies on the different ethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of that region. Historically, men and women clothing has evolved from simple Langotas, and loincloths to cover the body to elaborate costumes not only used in daily wear but also on festive occasions as well as rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all strata. India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colours and material of clothing. Colour codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. For instance, Hindu ladies wear white clothes to indicate mourning, whileParsis and Christians wear white to weddings.
History
Main article: History of clothing in India
The Didarganj Yakshi depicting the dhoti wrap
India's recorded history of clothing goes back to the 5th millennium BC in theIndus Valley civilization where cottonwas spun, woven and dyed. Bone needles and wooden spindles have been unearthed in excavations at the site.[1]The cotton industry in ancient India was well developed, and several of the methods survive until today. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian described Indian cotton as "a wool exceeding in beauty and goodness that of sheep".[2]Indian cotton clothing was well adapted to the dry, hot summers of thesubcontinent. The grand epicMahabharata, estimated to be written between 3000-4000 BC, has a mention of an unending saree gifted to Draupadito protect her dignity.[3] Most of the present knowledge of ancient Indian clothing comes from rock sculptures and paintings in cave monuments such as Ellora. These images show dancers and goddesses wearing what appears to be a dhoti wrap, a predecessor to the modern sari.The upper castes dressed themselves in fine muslin and wore gold ornaments[4] The Indus civilisation also knew the process of silk production. Recent analysis of Harappan silk fibres in beads have shown that silk was made by the process of reeling, a process known only to China until the early centuries AD.[5]
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Evidence from the 1st century AD shows some cultural exchanges with the Greeks. Indo-Greek influence is seen in the Greco-Buddhist art of the time. The Buddhas were portrayed as wearing the Greek himation, which is the forerunner of the modern saṃghāti that forms a part of the Kasaya of Buddhist monks.[7]During the Maurya and Gupta period, the people continued to wear the three piece unstitched clothing as in Vedic times. The main items of clothing were theAntariya made of white cotton or muslin, tied to the waist by a sash calledKayabandh and a scarf called theUttariya used to drape the top half of the body.[citation needed]
New trade routes, both overland and overseas, created a cultural exchange with Central Asia and Europe. Romans bought indigo for dyeing and cotton cloth as articles of clothing. Trade with China via the Silk road introduced silk textiles into India. The Chinese had a monopoly in the silk trade and kept its production process a trade secret. However, this monopoly ended when, according to legend, a Chinese princess smuggled mulberry seeds and silkworms in her headdress when she was sent to marry the king of Khotan(present day Xinjiang).[8] From there, the production of silk spread throughout Asia, and by AD 140, the practise had been established in India. Chanakya's treatise on public administration, theArthashastra written around 3rd century BC, briefly describes the norms followed in silk weaving.[9]
Painting on wooden panel discovered by Aurel Stein in Dandan Oilik, depicting the legend of the princess who hid silk worm eggs in her headdress to smuggle them out of China to the Kingdom of Khotan.
A variety of weaving techniques were employed in ancient India, many of which survive to the present day. Silk and cotton were woven into various designs and motifs, each region developing its distinct style and technique. Famous among these weaving styles were the Jamdani, Kasika vastra of Varanasi, butidar and the Ilkal saree.[citation needed] Brocades of silk were woven with gold and silver threads and were deeply influenced by Persian designs. The Mughals played a vital role in the enhancement of the art, and thepaisley and Latifa Buti are fine examples of Mughal influence[10]
Dyeing of clothes in ancient India was practised as an art form. Five primary colours (Suddha-varnas) were identified and complex colours (Misra – varnas) were categorised by their many hues. Sensitivity was shown to the most subtlest of shades; the ancient treatise,Vishnudharmottara states five tones of white, namely Ivory, Jasmine, August moon, August clouds after the rain and the conch shell.[11] The commonly used dies were indigo(Nila), madder red andsafflower.[12][a] The technique ofmordant dyeing was prevalent in India since the second millennium BC.[13]Resist dyeing and Kalamkari techniques were hugely popular and such textiles were the chief exports.
Integral to the history of Indian clothing is the Kashmiri shawl. Kashmiri shawl varieties include the Shahtoosh, popularly known as the 'ring shawl' and the pashmina wool shawls, historically called pashm. Textiles of wool finds mention as long back as the Vedic times in association with Kashmir; the Rig Veda refers to the Valley of Sindh as being abundant in sheep,[citation needed] [b]and the god Pushan has been addressed as the 'weaver of garments',[14] which evolved into the term pashm for the wool of the area. Woolen shawls have been mentioned in Afghan texts of the 3rd century BC, but reference to the Kashmir work is done in the 16th century AD. The sultan of Kashmir, Zain-ul-Abidin is generally credited with the founding of the industry.[15] A story says that the Roman emperor Aurelian received a purple pallium from a Persian king, made of Asian wool of the finest quality.[citation needed] The shawls were dyed red or purple, red dye procured from cochineal insects and purple obtained by a mixture of red and blue from indigo[16] The most prized kashmiri shawls were the Jamavar and the Kanika Jamavar, woven using weaving spools with coloured thread called kani and a single shawl taking more than a year for completion and requiring 100 to 1500kanis depending on the degree of elaboration.[14]
Indian textiles were traded from ancient times with China, Southeast Asia and the Roman Empire. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions mallow cloth,muslins and coarse cottons.[17][c] Port towns like Masulipatnam and Barygazawon fame for its production of muslins and fine cloth. Trade with the Arabs who were middlemen in the spice tradebetween India and Europe brought Indian textiles into Europe, where it was favored by royalty in the 17th–18th century.[18] The Dutch, French and British East India Companies competed for monopoly of the spice trade in the Indian Ocean, but were posed with the problem of payment for spices, which was in gold or silver. To counter this problem, bullion was sent to India to trade for the textiles, a major portion of which were subsequently traded for spices in other trade posts, which then were traded along with the remaining textiles in London. Printed Indiancalicos, chintz, muslins and patterned silk flooded the English market and in time the designs were copied onto imitation prints by English textile manufacturers, reducing the dependence on India.[19]
The British rule in India and the subsequent oppression following theBengal Partition sparked a nationwideSwadeshi movement. One of the integral aims of the movement was to attain self-sufficiency, and to promote Indian goods while boycotting British goods in the market.[20] This was idealised in the production of Khadi. Khadi and its products were encouraged by the nationalist leaders over British goods, while also being seen as a means to empower the rural artisans.[21]
Woman's clothing
In India, woman's clothing varies widely and is closely associated with the local culture, religion and climate.
Traditional Indian clothing for women in the north and east are saris or ghagra cholis and (lehenga and suits), while many south Indian women traditionally wear sari and children wear pattu langa.[citation needed] Saris made out of silk are considered the most elegant.Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India's fashion capitals.[citation needed] In many rural parts of India, traditional clothing is worn. Women wear a sari, a long sheet of colourful cloth, draped over a simple or fancy blouse. Little girls wear a pavada. Both are often patterned. Bindi is a part of women's make-up.[citation needed] Indo-western clothing is the fusion ofWestern and Subcontinental fashion.Churidar, dupatta, Khara Dupatta,gamchha, kurta, mundum neriyathum,sherwani and kurti are among other clothes.
The traditional style of clothing in India varies with male or female distinctions. This is still followed in the rural areas, though is changing in the urban areas. Girls before puberty wear a long skirt (called langa/paawada in Andhra) and a short blouse, called a choli, above it.
Traditional clothing
Sari
Main article: Sari
A saree or sari[22][23] is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent.[24] A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine meters in length, that is draped over the body in various styles. These include: Sambalpuri Saree from East, Mysore silk and Ilkal of Karnataka and, Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu from South, Paithani from West and Banarasifrom North among others.[25] The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff.[24] The sari is usually worn over a petticoat.[26] Blouse may be "backless" or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with a lot of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist. Teenage girls wear half-sarees, a three piece set consisting of a langa, a choli and a stole wrapped over it like a saree. Women usually wear full sarees.
Saris are usually known with different names in different places. In Kerala, white saris with golden border, are known as kavanis and are worn on special occasions. A simple white sari, worn as a daily wear, is called a mundu. Saris are called pudavai in Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka, saris are called Seere.[27]
Ghagra Choli (lehenga choli)
Indian Actress Shriya Saran in a fully embroidered pink Ghagra Choli
Main article: Ghagra choli
A Ghagra Choli or a Lehenga Choli is the traditional clothing of women inRajasthan and Gujarat.[citation needed]Punjabis also wear them and they are used in some of their folk dances. It is a combination of lehenga, a tight choli and an odhani. A lehenga is a form of a long skirt which is pleated. It is usually embroidered or has a thick border at the bottom. A choli is a blouse shell garment, which is cut to fit to the body and has short sleeves and a low neck.
Different styles of ghagra cholis are worn by the women, ranging from a simple cotton lehenga choli as a daily wear, a traditional ghagra with mirrors embellished usually worn during navratri for the garba dance or a fully embroidered lehenga worn during marriage ceremonies by the bride.
Salwar Kameez
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Sonakshi Sinha in salwar kameez
Main article: Salwar kameez
Salwar is a generic description of the lower garment incorporating the Punjabi salwar, Sindhi suthan, Dogri pajamma(also calleed suthan) and the Kashmiri suthan.
The salwar kameez is the traditional wear of women in Punjab, Haryana andHimachal Pradesh and is called thePunjabi suit which is most common in the northwestern part of India (Punjab region). The Punjabi suit also includes the "churidaar" and "kurta" ensemble which is also popular in Southern India where it is known as the "churidaar".[29]
The salwar kameez has become the most popular dress for females. It consists of loose trousers (the salwar) narrow at the ankles, topped by a tunictop (the kameez).[30] Women generally wear a dupatta or odani (Veil) with salwar kameez to cover their head and shoulders.[30] It is always worn with a scarf called a dupatta, which is used to cover the head and drawn over the bosom.
The material for the dupatta usually depends upon that of the suit, and is generally of cotton, georgette, silk,chiffon among others.[citation needed] This dress is worn by almost every teenage girl in lieu of western clothes. Many actresses wear the salwar kameez inBollywood movies.
The suthan, similar to the salwar is common in Sindh where it is worn with the cholo[30] and Kashmir where it is worn with the Phiran.[31] The Kashmiri phiran is similar to the Dogri pajamma.
Churidaar
Plain Churidaar kurta (left) Anarkali style churidaar kameez (right)
Main article: Churidaar
Churidaar is a version of salwar, which is loose up to knees and then fits the calf below. A salwar is a baggy pyjama with pleats which gets narrow at the ankles whereas churidaar fits below the knees with horizontal gathers near the ankles.[32] The churidaar can be worn with any upper garment such as a longkurta, which goes below the knees, or form part of the Anarkali suit.
Pattu Pavadai/Reshme Langa
Girl wearing Pattu Pavadai
Main article: Pattu pavadai
Pattu Pavadai or Langa davani is a traditional dress in south India and Rajasthan, usually worn by teenage and small girls. The pavada is a cone-shaped garment, usually of silk, that hangs down from the waist to the toes. It normally has a golden border at the bottom.
Girls in south India often wear pattu pavadai or Langa davani during traditional functions. Girls in Rajasthan wears this dress before marriage (and after marriage with sight modification in certain section of society. )
Langa - Voni/Dhavani
This is a type of South Indian dress mainly worn in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also in some parts of Kerala and Karnataka. This dress is a 3-piece garment where the langa or lehanga is the cone shaped long flowing skirt.
Mundum Neriyathum
A painting depicting a Woman in Mundum Neriyathum
Main article: Mundum Neriyathum
Mundum Neriyathum is the oldest remnant of the ancient form of the sareewhich covered only the lower part of the body, a traditional dress of women in Kerala, South India.[33][34] The basic traditional piece is the mundu or lower garment which is the ancient form of the saree denoted in Malayalam as 'Thuni' (meaning cloth), while the neriyathuforms the upper garment the mundu.[33][34]
Mekhela Sador
Main article: Mekhela chador
Mekhela Sador (Assamese: মেখেলা চাদৰ) is the traditional Assamese dress worn by women. It is worn by women of all ages.
There are three main pieces of cloth that are draped around the body.
The bottom portion, draped from the waist downwards is called the Mekhela(Assamese: মেখেলা). It is in the form of a sarong—very wide cylinder of cloth—that is folded into pleats to fit around the waist and tucked in. The folds are to the right, as opposed to the pleats in the Nivi style of the saree, which are folded to the left. Strings are never used to tie the mekhela around the waist, though an underskirt with a string is often used.
The top portion of the three-piece dress, called the Sador (Assamese: চাদৰ), is a long length of cloth that has one end tucked into the upper portion of the Mekhela and the rest draped over and around the rest of the body. The Sador is tucked in triangular folds. A fitted blouse is worn to cover the breasts.
The third piece is called a Riha, which is worn under the Sador. It is narrow in width. This traditional dress of the Assamese women are very famous for their exclusive patterns on the body and the border. Women wear them during important religious and ceremonious occasions of marriage. Riha is worn exactly like a Sador and is used as Orni.
Male clothing
A Chakravartin wears a pancha in an ancient style.Circa first century BCE/CE. Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. Musee Guimet
Traditional clothing
For men, traditional clothes are theSherwani, Lungi, Kurta, Angarkha, Jamaand Dhoti or Pajama. Additionally, recently pants and shirts have been accepted as traditional Indian dress by the Government of India.[35]
Dhoti
Main article: Dhoti
A dhoti is from four to six feet long white or colour strip of cotton. This traditional attire is mainly worn by men in villages.[36] It is held in place by a style of wrapping and sometimes with the help of a belt, ornamental and embroidered or a flat and simple one, around the waist.[37]
In south India men also wear long, whitesarong like sheets of cloth known asMundu. It's called dhotar in Marathi. In north and central Indian languages likeHindi, and Odia, these are called Mundu, while in Telugu they are called Pancha, inTamil they are called veshti and inKannada it is called Panche/Lungi. Over the dhoti, men wear shirts.
Panche or Lungi
A person togged in a mundu
A Lungi, also known as sarong, is a traditional garment of India. A Mundu is a lungi, except that it is always white.[37]It is either tucked in, over the waist, up to knee-length or is allowed to lie over and reach up to the ankle. It is usually tucked in when the person is working, in fields or workshops, and left open usually as a mark of respect, in worship places or when the person is around dignitaries.
Lungis, generally, are of two types: the open lungi and the stitched lungi. The open lungi is a plain sheet of cotton or silk, whereas the stitched one has both of its open ends stitched together to form a tube like structure.
Though mostly worn by men, elderly women also prefer lungi to other garments owing to its good aeration.[38]It is mostly popular in south India, though people of Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Somalia also can be seen in lungis, because of the heat and humidity, which create an unpleasant climate for trousers, though trousers have now become common outside the house.[39]
Sherwani
Main article: Sherwani
Sonu Nigam wearing sherwani at his concert
A Sherwani is a long coat / jacket that usually sports exposed buttons through the length of the jacket. The length is usually just below the knees and the jacket ends just below the knee. The jacket has a Nehru collar,[40] which is a collar that stands up.[citation needed] TheSherwani is worn with tight fitting pants or trousers called churidars. Churidars are trousers that are loose around the hips and thighs, but are tight and gathered around the ankle.[35] Sherwaniis usually worn during the wedding ceremonies by the groom and is usually cream, light ivory, or gold coloured.[citation needed] It may be embroidered with gold or silver. A scarf called a dupatta is sometimes added to the sherwani.
Headgear
The Indian turban or the pagri is worn in many regions in the country, incorporating various styles and designs depending on the place. Other types of headgear such as the Taqiyah andGandhi cap are worn by different communities within the country to signify a common ideology or interest.
Dastar
Main article: Dastar
A Sikh wearing dastar
The Dastar, also known as a pagri, is a turban worn by the Sikh community of India. Is a symbol of faith representing values such as valour, honour and spirituality among others. It is worn to protect the Sikh's long, uncut hair, theKesh which is one of the Five Ks ofSikhism.[41] Over the years, the dastar has evolved into different styles pertaining to the various sects of Sikhism such as the Nihang and theNamdhari.[42]
Pheta
Main article: Pheta (turban)
Pheta is the Marathi name for turbans worn in the state of Maharashtra. Its usually worn during traditional ceremonies and occasions. It was a mandatory part of clothing in the past and have evolved into various styles in different regions.[43] The main types are the Puneri Pagadi, Kolhapuri and Mawalipheta.[43]
Mysore Peta
Main article: Mysore Peta
Originally worn by the kings of Mysoreduring formal meeting in durbar and in ceremonial processions during festivals, and meeting with foreign dignitaries, the Mysore peta has come to signify the cultural tradition of the Mysore andKodagu district.[44] The Mysore University replaced the conventionalmortarboard used in graduation ceremonies with the traditional peta.[45]
Rajasthani safa
Turbans in Rajasthan are calledpagarior "safa". They are distinctive in style and colour, and indicate the caste, social class and region of the wearer. In the hot and dry regions, turbans are large and loose. The paggar is traditional in Mewar while the safa is to Marwar.[46]The colour of the pagaris have special importance and so does the pagari itself. In the past, saffron stood for valour and chivalry. A white turban stood for mourning. The exchange of a turban meant undying friendship.[47][48]
Gandhi cap
Main article: Gandhi cap
Bose Gandhi 1938 wearing a gandhi topi
The Gandhi cap, a white coloured cap made of khadi was popularised byMahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence movement. The practice of wearing a Gandhi cap was carried on even after independence and became a symbolic tradition for politicians and social activists. The cap has been worn throughout history in many states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradeshand West Bengal and is still worn by many people without political significance. In 2013, the cap regained its political symbolism through the Aam Aadmi Party, which flaunted Gandhi caps with "I am a Common Man" written over it. This was partly influenced by the "I Am Anna" caps used during Anna Hazare's Lokpal movement. During theDelhi Legislative Assembly election, 2013, these caps led to a scuffle between Aam Aadmi Party and Congress workers, based on the reasoning that Gandhi caps were being used for political benefits.[49]
Contemporary clothing
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Actress Parineeti Chopra wearing casual western clothing
Western clothing made its foray into the Indian society during the times of the British Raj. Indian professionals opted to wear western clothing due to its relative comfort or due to regulations set then. By the turn of the 21st century, both western and Indian clothing had intermingled creating a unique style of clothing for the typical urban Indian population. Women started wearing more comfortable clothing and exposure to international fashion led to a fusion of western and Indian styles of clothing. Following the economic liberalisation, more jobs opened up, and created a demand for formal wear. While women are allowed to wear traditional dress to work most Indian multinational companies explicitly ban men from wearing traditional dresses at workplaces and insist of Western wear with some going to the extent of penalising anyone who breaks the rules.
Women's clothing in India nowadays consist of both formal and casual wear such as gowns, pants, shirts and tops. Traditional Indian clothing such as thekurti have been combined with jeans to form part of casual attire. Fashion designers in India have blended several elements of Indian traditional designs into conventional western wear to create a unique style of contemporary Indian fashion. Both mini skirts and shorts are now worn by girls in bigger urban areas.[50]
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