Historical Background and
Transitional Changes in Indian Costumes
Dr. Gauri Goel
India
is a land of colour and diverse cultures, so evident in the varied dresses that
adorn its people. Indian dressing styles are marked by many variations, both
religious and regional with a wide choice of textures and styles. India is
known for its hand-woven textiles, richly embroidered fabrics and authentic
drapes in exclusive designs have been valued by western civilization for
centuries. Indian men and women have always loved to dress up in their traditional
costumes, attires and accessories during festivals and other occasions which
are an integral part of Indian life. Recently, Indian costumes have been
successful in attracting the attention of and capturing the global market.
Indian
clothing has been influenced by diverse cultural influences since time
immemorial. The sari itself, historians say dates back to the Indus Valley
Civilization which flourished in 2800-1800 BC, in the north-western part of
India. In fact studies show that the men’s dhoti is a prototype of the sari and
both the sexes wore the former till the 14th century. The choli or the woman’s
blouse is believed to have come into existence with the various European
colonial powers that once occupied a major portion of the Indian subcontinent.
The British did influence women’s clothing to a great extent. Indian high
society ladies started wearing long-sleeved blouses with frills, very similar
to the Victorian upper garment, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Historians
say that the achkan, a long-sleeved coat worn mainly by Muslim men even today,
originated in Central Asia, more specifically, it was the court costume for
Persian and Turkish nobles. The achkan can reach down to the knees or even
lower, and is buttoned in the front.
Historical background of Indian
traditional saris:
Sari
is the most famous traditional dress of Indian women. Different states and
traditions of India illustrate different styles of wearing sari, distinct
patterns, colours and fabrics. It is an
unstitched piece of cloth, which varies from five to nine yards in length and
can be worn in different styles. A sari is worn over a petticoat and a
short-sleeved midriff-baring blouse. The most popular style of wearing a sari
is by tucking one end into the petticoat at the waist while a major portion of
it is pleated neatly and tucked in the front. The rest of the sari, which is
known as the pallu or pallav is taken over the left shoulder. The pallu is the
most fascinating and striking feature of a sari, it is often heavily
embellished with woven motifs or embroidery.
However,
this authentic Indian garment has lost some of its popularity as daily wear in
the recent past. The western outfits have made an inroad into the Indian
woman’s wardrobe due to a shift towards rapid globalization and emerging
corporate culture. Today, women prefer to wear clothes that offer ease of
movement in addition to style. Also, with the boom in the retail industry
Indians have a wider variety of options to pick and choose from and women are
being increasingly seen in designer outfits western style outfits.
Some well-known regional styles of
wearing a sari:
Bengali:
In the traditional Bengali style, the sari is draped around the body without
pleats and the pallu is left loose by hanging over the left shoulder often with
a bunch of keys attached to it. The earlier generations of Bengali women
preferred the style because of its sheer simplicity and utmost comfort.
Gujarati:
The Gujarati woman sports a distinctive style, as she wears a sari with a
neatly pleated pallu brought in front over the right shoulder with one end
tucked around the waist to the left.
Maharashtrian:
A nine-yard sari called the nawwadi is the traditional style very similar to
the men’s dhoti. The pleats of the sari are placed between the legs and tucked
in the centre back. Fisherwomen in the coastal regions of Maharashtra still
wear a nawwadi and well, it is worn without a petticoat!
Madrasi: This
style is very similar to the Maharashtrian nawwadi or the nine-yard sari. The
pallu is quite long and wrapped around the waist and tucked in.
Some important varieties of Indian
saris:
Banarasi:
These saris are made of finely woven silk and have intricate designs done in
golden thread (zari). Benarasi saris are relatively heavy and worn by Indian
women on important occasions. The trousseau of any Indian bride is deemed
incomplete without the customary red Benarasi sari. In fact in most states the
Benarasi is the sari that the bride wears for the wedding ceremony
Baluchari:
The Baluchari sari of Vishnupur in West Bengal is made of silk and woven on
special looms. The borders and pallu of the sari are very striking because of
its use of intricate thread work to depict stories from the Mahabharata and
Ramayana.
Chanderi:
Chanderi, a small town located in Madhya Pradesh has long been famous for its
hand woven sarees. Silk or cotton is used to make a chanderi which is combined
to create beautiful saris with artistic borders that are practically
weightless. They generally have a rich gold border and the exclusive ones have
gold checks with butis (round shaped motifs) all over.
Dhakai:
The dhakai jamdani sari originated in the region now known as Bangladesh and is
made with superior quality cotton. It was originally woven as the legendary
dhakai muslin and woven with beautiful, eye-catching jamdani floral patterns.
Kantha:
Literally speaking, kantha is a style of embroidery that uses the simple
running stitch which is nothing but passing the needle in and out of the fabric
to produce beautiful floral and human patterns. The small town of Bolpur in
West Bengal is famous for producing saris with kantha embroidery.
Dhonekhali,
and Begumpuri are other popular styles of saris made on handlooms in
Bengal. Dhonekhali is known for its stripes and checks. Bengal being a coastal
state, the fish is a much loved and commonplace motif. Consequently Dhonekhali
sarees often depict rows of fish running across in horizontal stripes
throughout the piece of textile.
Kanjeevaram:
These are considered to be the most spectacular and exclusive silk saris of
India. The little town of Kancheepuram near Chennai has been making these saris
for over 400 years. Woven in brilliant colours and the designs Kanjeevarams are
influenced by the paintings in the Pallava temples and palaces. The most
striking characteristic of a Kanjeevaram is its zari (thread made of fine gold
or silver) work done on pallus and borders of the sari.
Mysore
Silk: Mysore silk saris of Karnataka
are famous for their traditional designs and colours. The zari work on the
pallus and borders add to the sophistication and elegance of these saris.
Mysore silk saris are considered to be very durable and can be washed and worn
as often as required.
Maheshwari:
Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, this sari has a natural sophistication that is
difficult to match. The speciality of these saris is its unique striped and
chequered patterns on silk and cotton fabrics. The pallu of a Maheshwari sari
bears five stripes, three coloured and two white.
Narayanpet:
Narayanpet, a small town in Andhra Pradesh is a significant sari manufacturing
centre. These saris come in both silk and cotton and are well known for their
gorgeous zari borders with rudraksh (a special type of fruit) motifs. The pallu
in these saris are very attractive with alternating coloured bands.
Pochampally:
Located in Andhra Pradesh, Pochampally is famous for its rich saris in both
cotton and silk incorporating traditional ikat weaves. Ikat is the name given
to a weaving technique which makes use of the tie-dye process. Traditional
coloures were red and black.
Paithani:
In Maharashtra, a woman’s wardrobe is deemed incomplete without the inclusion
of the Paithani of Paithan, a small town near Aurangabad. The hand-woven silk
sari comes with an ornamented pallu with zari work and is considered to be a
collector’s item. The style of the sari is characterized by the pallus with
peacock designs and exclusive motifs such as flowers, fruits and birds.
Taant:
The word literally means ‘made on the loom’, Taant is the traditional sari of
Bengali women in India. Popularly known as Bengal cotton, taant is hand-woven
in various districts of West Bengal. These saris come in a variety of colours
with simple yet beautiful designs.
Venkatgiri:
Venkatgiri is a small town in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Known for
its fine cotton saris which go by the same name, it is a perfect wear for the
Indian summer. The main characteristic of these saris are their beautiful
jewel-like colours.
With the passage of time many
changes occurred in these beautiful traditional saris.
·
In recent times, Kanjeevarams are being
experimented with patterns from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagwad Gita.
·
Traditionally saris were made on
handlooms but now due to impact of technology spread almost all styles are
weaving on power looms.
·
There is the modification in the
traditional motifs of the saris and the reasons behind this includes rapidly
changing fashion needs of modern society, slow processing of traditional saris
(as worked on handlooms only), influence of western fashion and no protection
of traditional weavers by Indian government.
·
Now the traditional pure gold and silk
brocade are replaced with silver and gold coated metallic threads and even silk
is not pure, it is mixed with synthetic fibres like rayon, acetate etc. due to
this reason these saris lost their original gorgeous look.
·
In the wearing style of traditional
saris, now due to the globalization of fashion women wear some common style
generally the ulta palla sari. The working status of the women also influenced
their style of wearing sari.
·
The closing stages of dacca mulmul saris
are also well known. Alas! There is no as much fine and soft mulmul production
in anywhere in the country as earlier. Imitation muslins are not of that fine
quality.
·
Traditionally there were some specific
colours and their combinations in the saris of each state but now these are
woven in variety of shades and colour combinations. For example pochympally
saris were traditionally in two colours red & black only but today a
combination of colours are used. In the Indian tradition black colour was not
used for saris but now we can see abundance of this colour.
·
The most heartbreaking change that took
place is the disappearance of the traditional weavers of these saris.
·
The stylized patterns of the modern age
declining the use of traditional floral and human and mythological patterns.
·
The hand embroidered kantha saris are
very rare and the kantha motifs are now seen in the printed form also.
·
The value that was given earlier to the
saris by the society is now decreasing continuously under the influence of
western dresses.
·
The uniqueness and the prestige related
with the sari is now less because mechanization of the weaving process produces
a large number same design and quality but in old age there was class
distinction and caste distinction due to specific saris.
·
The blouses worn with the saris has gone
under many changes like the sleeves, necklines etc.
·
Dyeing process and dyes used in
traditional patola, bandhni and ikat saris is also replaces by the modern
machines and the synthetics dyes replaced the natural dyes.
·
Traditionally young girls in south India
wear a half saree, but now they use it rarely.
Traditional Ghagra Choli:
The
traditional dress for women in Rajasthan and Gujarat is the lehenga choli or
ghagra choli. These cholis are brightly embroidered, waist-length bare-backed
blouses. Ghagras or lehengas are gathered ankle-length skirts secured around
the waist. The attire is completed by a veil-cloth called odhni or dupatta
draped across the neck or over the head. The lehenga-choli or ghagra choli is
extremely colourful, adding verve and colour to the surrounding landscapes. The
kalidar knee length ghagra of Rajasthan, gotedar lahanga of gujrat are very
famous all over the india.
Changes occurred with time:
·
Now high class women do not wear these
ghagras and cholis in these areas, they wear them in ceremonial purpose only.
·
The vegetable dyes were mainly used in
past now being replaced with synthetic dyes.
Traditional
salwar kameez:
A popular, comfortable
and convenient dress is the salwar kameez or churidar kurta. This was
traditonally the dress worn in Punjab. The kameez or the kurta is a knee-length
flowing tunic worn over a salwar or churidar. A salwar is a pyjama-like trouser
which tapers slightly towards the ankles, while the churidar is a tight-fitting
trouser which gathers at the ankles. These gathers at the ankles look like
bangles (churis) and hence the name. A dupatta generally completes the
ensemble. The bright coloured Salwar Kameez were the favorite dress of Panjab
women with gotedar chunri.
It
is the outfit commonly worn by Indian women and is second in line after the
sari. The outfit is probably born out of Islamic influence especially that of
Arabic and Persian cultures. Women all over the country prefer this dress
mainly because of the comfort and ease of movement that it offers, besides near
zero maintenance.
Transitional changes:
·
The most common change is- salwar kameez,
is now the favorite costume of all ladies and girls all over the India, no
matter that they belong to which caste and which state.
·
There is very fast movement in the
fashion- styles of salwar kameez than any other garment. A wide variety of
silhouette, colours, textures, designs are used today.
·
Salwar suits are made with using other
traditional arts like bandhani, ikat, different types of embroideries, gold and
silver work, brocades etc.
·
The dupatta draping styles are also
different and more stylized today.
Some
Interesting Regional Costumes:
Mekhla
Chadar: The mekhla chadar is the traditional attire of the
women of Assam, a state in the North-East India. It is a two-piece ensemble and
resembles the sari – the lower part, called a mekhla is neatly pleated and
tucked into the petticoat in the front. The upper piece, called a chadar is
also tucked at the waist and taken over the left shoulder as a pallu. A typical
mekhla chadar is made of white or golden Assamese silk with prominent thread
work done in red along the lower border.
Changes
occurred:
·
Now the mekhla chaddar is available in
synthetic material also.
·
Now different colours are also used with
the essential traditional golden yellow colour and red border.
·
The tradition of wearing mekhla chaddar
is also reducing among women as they also prefer sari.
Traditional sari from Kerala:
During the festival of Onam, women wear a two-piece garment very similar to a
sari, with a blouse. It is worn in the same fashion as a sari but without
pleats in the front. This drape usually comes in shades of white or sandalwood
with a bright gold border.
Changes occurred:
·
Now women prefer one piece set sari
instead of two piece sari.
·
The traditional unbleached cotton saris
are also available today with different colours with same patterns.
Other changes that took place in
Indian women’s costumes are:
·
Now females are adopting western attires
all over the India. Jeans, tops, skirts, evening gowns, and tunics are some
very common garments that they are adopting.
·
The dress distinction between male and
female in not much prominent.
·
Young girls wear skirts and dresses,
particularly to schools.
Some
traditional costumes of Indian men are:
Dhoti
& Kurta: This remains the most traditional
garment of the Indian male. It is a 6 yard-long rectangular piece of unstitched
white cloth, which is wrapped around the waist and between the legs. The dhoti
is ideal for the torrid summer of India. Its usage can be traced back to
ancient times. Though western outfits have replaced the dhoti over the years,
yet it remains the chosen one for Indian festivals and weddings. It may be
found in cream or off white shades, both in cotton and silk fabrics. But today
one can find designer dhotis in different colours and designs.
A
dhoti can be worn in a variety of ways and have different names according to
the style. For example, it is called a dhuti in Bengali, veshti in Tamil and
pancha in Telugu. A dhoti is usually complemented with a kurta on top but in
southern parts of India, it is worn mostly with a shirt. An angavastram or an
unstitched piece of cloth is placed over the left shoulder in this case. A
South Indian dhoti is worn like a lungi and often has a broad zari border. A
common sight in South India is that of men folding the dhoti up to the knees
for the purpose of comfort, during work.
In
Bengal, a dhuti is worn pleated, almost touching the ankles and tucked at the
centre back. The style is such that the other end is well folded and can be
held in the right hand. The garment is quite synonymous with the babus of
Calcutta who worked as government servants during the British Raj. Those days
the dhoti was worn with a long shirt. It also became the symbol of the Bengali
gentleman and the elite who wore a plain dhoti kurta and discussed politics and
literature over endless cups of tea at cafes and restaurants! Even today,
Bengali men flaunt their exclusive designer dhutis with brilliant kantha
stitched kurtas, during festivals and other occasions.
In
some parts of Maharashtra, men still wear the traditional dhoti, which is worn
shorter than the way Bengalis wear it. A white kurta and a Nehru cap completes
the look of the typical Maharashtrian man.
Lungi:
This is a piece of cloth sewn in a circle and worn around the waist like a
sarong. Besides India, lungis are popular in several communities across Asia,
such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The most common patterns of lungis
are plain, checks or stripes. It is considered to be a very comfortable garment
among males in regions where conditions make it impossible and uncomfortable
for the men to wear trousers all the time.
In
Punjab, a lungi is also called a tehmat, which is made of extravagant silks in
an endless variety of hues and shades. It is draped in a manner where the
pleats fall in the front. Punjabi men wear this with a long kurta and an
embroidered jacket and of course, a colourful pagdi (turban).
The
Pathani suit is very similar to the salwar-kameez and is generally worn by men
in north India. The Achkan is a long coat that also popular among north Indians.
They wear it with churidar payjamas.
Turban and Caps:
In
Hindi, an Indian Language, a turban is called a pagdi. The turban is a
headdress, of Asian origin, consisting of a long scarf wound round the head or
an inner hat. The turban comes in many shapes and sizes and color of turbans
vary, with the cloth`s length being up to 45 meters. Early Persians wore a
conical cap sometimes encircled by bands of cloth, which may be considered one
of the origins of the modern turban.
In
states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Maharashtra men wear a safa or
turban on their heads. It is a long scarf which is wound round the head in
different ways. Elsewhere too, various kinds of topis are worn like kullu cap.
Changes in men costumes:
·
Men are considerably less traditional
when it comes to dressing. In urban areas, they have adapted to a western style
of dressing.
·
The lungi originated in the south but is
now worn all over india in villages.
·
In India, men’s everyday clothing is by
and large restricted to western wear such as trousers, shirts and formal suits.
But when it comes to festivities, it is the ethnic pajama kurta or dhoti kurta
which hold sway.
·
At home men prefer shorts and payjamas
instead of lungi and dhoti.
·
Now among the boys and men the western
style of T-shirt is most common upper garment.
·
Kurtas with batik prints and Lucknawi
embroidery are becoming popular too.
·
Now day’s men can wear embroidered
churidar kurta sets in tissue, crochet sherwani with a dupatta or a jacket
sherwani for the wedding.
·
Today different types of plain,
coloured, printed, embroidered fabric are used for men clothing which were
previously restricted to some plain fabrics with some specific colours like
white.
Western
dressing styles are increasingly gaining popularity among the urban youth of
both sexes, but women largely restrict themselves to fashion trends within
Indian dressing mores. After adolescence, and almost certainly after marriage,
women are expected to wear traditional Indian clothing. This trend is changing
with more women entering the urban work force, but this is confined to sections
of society that are highly exposed to international lifestyles.
Make-up, jewellery and footwears:
In
India, as elsewhere, accessories are an integral part of the ritual of
dressing. The world over, Indian women are associated with the 'dot' in the
middle of their forehead, called Kum Kum or bindi. Traditionally round, the
bindi is now available in various colours, shapes and sizes. A bindi was
traditionally a sign of marriage, or in some states, was worn as soon a s a
girl reached young adulthood. Today it is for the most part an adornment.
Vermilion or sindoor applied at the parting of the hair indicates a married
woman.
A
traditional Indian woman is rarely seen without jewellery. A mangal-sutra, a
necklace made with black and gold beads is considered sacred, and in many areas
is always worn by a married woman. Many women, particularly in the rural areas
of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat wear ornately crafted nose-rings. Gold,
silver or colourful glass bangles are another favourite, dating from the
tradition of never having your hands bare. Women in Rajasthan wear bangles that
go all the way to their shoulders. Indian women generally have their ears
pierced, and commonly sport ear-rings.
Changes occurred:
·
In the present era of fashion the
society is not much restricted to the use of their traditional jewellery, today
women are allowed to wear designer jewellery.
·
Traditional jewellary of gold and silver
is now used with the other metallic, plastics, pearl and stone’s jwellery.
·
Punjabi chudas are increasingly being
popular in today’s fashion.
·
Traditionally Indian do not wear
footwear or they wear wooden kharaun or
jute footwear but now both men and women wear different styles of fashionable
footwear.
·
Traditionally round kumkum of only red
colour was essential for Indian married women but now being replaced by the
bindis of different colours and designs.
·
Now working women prefer some very
decent kind of jewellery at work place and generally do not use typical
cultural jewellary.
·
Some traditional jwellery like big naths
and head ornaments like mang- tikas etc are used only at some occasion, while
were worn in day to day life earlier.
Conclusion:
India
has its very rich cultural dresses specific to each state and caste. Those were
very strictly followed in traditional time. But as the western culture
influenced the Indian life style there are many changes took place with time.
Technology spread carried revolutionary changes in Indian dressing style. But
even today Indian people are proud of wearing their beautiful traditional
dresses and they always prefer them for special occasions. To preserve the
Indian rich heritage it is essential that government and people should
collaborate and enforce to new generation for not to forget their traditional
and valuable cultural practices.
