Clothing in India
Clothing in India varies from region to region depending on
the 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, while Parsis and Christians wear white to weddings.
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 (lehengas) while many south Indian women traditionally wear sari and children wear pattu langa. Saris made out of silk are considered the most elegant. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India's fashion capitals. 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. Indo-western clothing is the fusion of Western and Subcontinental fashion. Churidar, dupatta, Khara Dupatta, gamchha, kurta, mundum neriyathum, sherwani 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.
A saree or sari is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent. 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. There are various traditional styles of saree: Sambalpuri Saree from East, Kanchipuram from South, Paithani from West and Banarasi from North among others. 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. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat. 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
kupsas.
A Ghagra Choli or a Lehenga Choli is the traditional clothing of women in Rajasthan and Gujarat. 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.
Popular among unmarried women other than shalwar kameez are
Gagra choli and Langa voni.
Salwar Kameez
Salwar is a generic description of the lower garment incorporating the Sindhi suthan, Dogri pajamma and the Kashmiri suthan. The Salwar kameez is the traditional wear of women in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The suthan, similar to the salwar is common in Sindh and Kashmir. 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 tunic top (the kameez). It is named as "Punjabi suit" or simply "shalwar" in the north and "churidaar" in Southern India. Women generally wear a dupatta or odani (Veil) with salwar kameez to cover their head and shoulders. 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. This dress is worn by almost every teenage girl in lieu of western clothes. The salwar kameez is most common in the northwestern part of India. Many actresses wear the salwar kameez in Bollywood movies.
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. Usually a long kurta, which goes below the knees, is
worn with the churidaar.
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. )
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 apparel where Langa or Lehanga is the cone shaped long flowing
skirt.
Mundum Neriyathum is the oldest remnant of the ancient form
of the saree which covered only the lower part of the body, a traditional dress
of women in Kerala, South India. 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 neriyathu forms the upper garment the mundu.
Mekhela Sador
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.
Men's Clothing
A Chakravartin wears a pancha in an ancient style. Circa
first century BCE/CE. Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.
Traditional clothing
For men, traditional clothes are the Sherwani, Lungi, Kurta
and Dhoti or Pajama. Also, most recently Pant and shirt have also been accepted
as traditional Indian dress by the Government of India.
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. 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.
In south India men also wear long, white sarong like sheets
of cloth known as Mundu. Its called dhotar in Marathi. In north and central
Indian languages like Hindi, and Oriya, these are called Mundu, while in Telugu
they are called Pancha, in Tamil they are called veshti and in Kannada it is
called Panche/Lungi. Over the dhoti, men wear shirts.
Panche or Lungi
A Lungi, also known as sarong, is a traditional garment of
India. A Mundu is a lungi except that, it is always white. 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. 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.
Sherwani
A Sherwani is a long coat / jacket that usually sports
exposed buttons through the length of the placket. The length is usually just
below the knees and the jacket ends around high on the calf. The jacket has a
Nehru collar,which is a collar that stands up. The Sherwani 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.
Sherwani is usually worn during the wedding ceremonies by the groom and is
usually cream, light ivory, or gold coloured. 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 and Gandhi cap are worn by different communities within the country to signify a common ideology or interest.
Dastar
The Dastar, also known as 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, the Kesh which is one of the Five Ks of Sikhism. Over the years, the dastar has evolved into different styles pertaining to the various sects of Sikhism such as the Nihang and the Namdhari.
uncut hair, the Kesh which is one of the Five Ks of Sikhism. Over the years, the dastar has evolved into different styles pertaining to the various sects of Sikhism such as the Nihang and the Namdhari.
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. The main types are the Puneri Pagadi, Kolhapuri and Mawali pheta.
styles in different regions. The main types are the Puneri Pagadi, Kolhapuri and Mawali pheta.
Mysore Peta
Originally worn by the kings of Mysore during 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 and Kodagu district. The Mysore University replaced the
conventional mortarboard used in graduation ceremonies with the traditional
peta.
Rajasthani Pagari
Turbans in Rajasthan are called pagari. 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. 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.
traditional in Mewar while the safa is to Marwar. 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.
Gandhi Cap
The Gandhi cap, a white coloured cap made of khadi was
popularised by Mahatma 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
Pradesh and 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 the Delhi 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.
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 the Delhi 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.
Contemporary 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.
Women's clothing nowadays consist of both formal and casual
wear such as gowns, pants, shirts and tops. Traditional Indian clothing such as
the kurti 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.
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