The Culture

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The culture, religion, languages spoken and attire of the people of India are as diverse as the landscape of this vast country. Due to its diversity this cultural hub does not have just one dress, which can be called as the National Dress or Indian Dress. If in northern part we find more of the Muslim influence, in the southern part of India Dravidian style of costumes dominate.

DELHI WOMEN'S WEAR

The language, religion and dresses of the people change according to the region they inhabit. In northern part of India Salwar Kameez is prevalent among women. Salwar is a type of loose trouser, which is worn with lose Kurta known as Kameez. This Indian dress is usually accompanied by Dupatta, a kind of veil used to cover head or bosom. This Indian dress is the favorite of North Indian women as it is hassle free to wear and easy to maintain and allows complete freedom of movement which is necessary for hard working women whether in an office or helping her husband in fields. Sari, an unstitched piece of cloth which looks common but lends the uncommon grace and elegance to the women wearing it. In ancient times unstitched fabric was supposed to be pure this belief gave rise to this Indian dress in which is there is no problem of size and shape. It is a six to nine yard piece of cloth. Depending upon the needs and cultural and religious norms of the region, each region has its own style of draping a sari. The style of wearing a sari reflects the age, region, religion, status and occupation of the women to some extent. The different styles of draping a sari are: North Indian: It is the widely used style in which Sari is draped around a waist once and then pleats are tucked in the waistband. The remaining portion of Sari, known as Pallu is put across the left shoulder and is allowed to fall behind.

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But these days the trends are slightly changing. The traditional Indian dresses are paving the way for the ones with western touch. Nowadays, urban Indian women wear jeans, shirt and trouser and skirts, which is more suitable to her working lifestyle. MEN'S SECTION Dhoti and Kurta is supposed to be the native Indian dress for men. Dhoti is a piece of cloth, which is tied at the waist, and one part of it is passed between the legs and is tucked at the back, whereas Kurta is a type of an Indian tunic. In Southern India, men mostly wear Shirt and Lungi. Lungi is also a type of dhoti, worn differently. It is tied at the waist and hung lose at the legs. These days due to the changing occupational demands Indian men are opting for the dresses such as trousers, jeans and shirts etc. HEADGEAR

The cap and dupatta are the main headgears used by Indian men and women respectively. Muslim men use a special type of cap known as 'Topi' to cover their heads whereas turban, locally known as 'Pagadi' in Punjab, is an integral part of a Sikh men. Gujrati Dress Indian jewelry like mangalsutras, necklaces, nose rings, earrings, bangles and rings, toe rings, bracelets are all part of the Gujarati attire. Most of this jewelry is made in 22 carat gold but with incidence of theft rising, cheaper costume jewelry is becoming more common. During weddings, Gujarati brides wear a lot of jewelry. It is common to see a Gujarati (Hindu) male wearing a gold chain and a ring. Years ago, only married Gujarati (Hindu) women wore a red 'bindi' (red powder worn in a round shape on the forehead also found in the form of stickers). These days, most women, married or not, wear 'bindi' as a fashion

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accessory when they wear traditional Indian outfits. Modern Bindis are like stickers, and are available in various shapes, sizes, colors and designs. Only married women however , wear red powder, called 'sindoor', in a short straight line on the scalp, starting near the hairline and covers the area where the hair is generally parted(middle). During a traditional Hindu wedding, the groom applies 'sindoor' on the bride for the very first time. This act can be compared to a ring ceremony in western weddings.

South Indian Dresses South Indian women traditionally wear the sari while the men wear a type of sarong, which could be either a white dhoti or a colourful lungi with typical batik patterns. The sari, being an unstitched drape, enhances the shape of the wearer while only partially covering the midriff. In Indian philosophy, the navel of the Supreme Being is considered as the source of life and creativity.[1] Hence by tradition, the stomach and the navel is to be left unconcealed, though the philosophy behind the costume has largely been forgotten[1]. This makes the realization of sharira-mandala, where in Angikam bhuvanam yasya (the body is your world) unites with the shaariramandala (the whole universe), as expressed in the Natyashastra.[1] These principles of the sari, also hold for other forms of drapes, like the lungi or mundu or panchey (a white lungi with colourful silk borders in kannada) worn by men.The lungi can be draped over clockwise or anticlockwise and can be tied at the back or fixed just along the waist line.It's sometimes lifted till knee and tied at the waist leisurely or just held in hand to speed up walking. In parts of north karnataka men wear kachche panchey where it is tied at back by taking it between legs.Similar pattern is seen in women. All over the peninsular coastal region men wear coloured lungis and women wear sari in a way tying it at back. KASHMIRI DRESS

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Kashmiri Muslims used to wear the pheran, a long loose gown hanging down below the knees, a white turban tied on a skull cap, a close-fitting shalwar and lace less shoes called gurgabi. A white piece of material is hung on their shoulders like a stole. Hindu men wear churidar pyjama instead of shalwar. The less affluent Muslims wear skull caps, which looks cute and does not carry any shawl. Kashmiri women are among the most beautiful in India. They have "an English rosiness of complexion behind the Eastern tan". The colour of their hair ranges from golden red to brunette and that of eyes from green, blue, grey to black. Besides being boats-women and farmers, the women of Kashmir lend a hand to their men-folk at shawl making, embroidery and other handicrafts. The women wear the pheran, the voluminous Kashmiri gown, hemmed with a border and hanging in awkward folds. The long, loose pheran covers their physique no doubt, but does not blunt their physical appeal. Whereas a Muslim woman's pheran is knee-length, loose and embroidered in front and on the edges, a Hindu woman's pheran touches her feet. For the sake of smartness and ease it is tied at the waist with folded material called lhungi. The long loose sleeves are fashionably decorated with brocade. With this type of Hindu costume goes the head-dress called taranga, which is tied to a hanging bonnet and tapers down to the heels from behind. The folds of the taranga are made of brightly-pressed lines fastened to a pointed red-coloured and brocaded skull cap with a few gold pins at the sides. Over the head and ears are pieces of muslin embroidered in gold thread . The younger Hindu women, however have taken to the sari, after the 'reform movement' of the thirties. Even then, on the wedding day they have to wear the taranga ceremonially. It is covered with the palav of the bride's wedding sari. Taranga, thus stays as part of the bridal trousseau. Unlike a Hindu woman's pheran, which gives her a Roman look, the Muslim woman's pheran is beautifully embroidered in front. Their head gear, the

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Kasaba, looks very different from the taranga. It is red in colour, tied turbanlike and held tight by an abundance of silver pins and trinkets. It has an overhanging pin-scarf which falls grace fully over the shoulders. A work-aday shalwar goes with it. Unmarried Muslim girls wear skull caps, embroidered with gold thread and embellished with silver pendants, trinkets and amulets. With the passage of years, an appreciable change has come about in the dress of the Kashmiri women. Saris, shalwar-kameez, churidars and jeans are becoming popular, yet none of these belong to them as much as the good old pheran. Costumes and Dresses of Rajasthan The site Heritage Hotels of Rajasthan offers to take you on cultural tours to Rajasthan in North India and exposes you to the style of costumes and dresses that have been traditionally worn by the people of Rajasthan, North India. Colorful Rajasthan is a vibrant patchwork of ancient traditions and culture and of course the clothes and dresses worn by the people of Rajasthan, north India is an inseparable part of Rajasthani culture. Even today the men and women in the villages of Rajasthan sport the traditional clothes and headgear. During your cultural tours to Rajasthan, North India you can actually go on tours to the villages of Rajasthan and marvel at the colorful attires and ornaments worn by men and women. In fact the costumes worn by the people of Rajasthan in the villages still reflect the clothing style and costumes of those who lived in the olden times.

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The costumes of the women and men of Rajasthan, North India are influenced by the climatic conditions, family status and the economic status. The popular traditional dresses and costumes of Rajasthan, North India include the Banda, Dhoti, Potia, Bugatari, Khol, Angrakhi, Dhabla, Pachewara, Achkan, Burga, Tilak, Skirts and Saris. The men in Rajasthan wear special headgears called the pagri or the turban depending upon the climatic condition of the particular region. The tradition of wearing bandhni clothes in Rajasthan, north India has been going on for time immemorial. Tie-dye saris, dupattas and turban are very common in Rajasthan, north India. Rajasthani women wear ghagra choli's, saris, lehangas and dupattas. The women who belong to rich families wear special chappals that are decorated with sequins and gold threads. During your cultural tours to Rajasthan, North India you will discover that the women of Rajasthan, North India love to wear ornaments, especially made of gold and silver.

Kerala Dresses Kerala, known as 'God's own country', has its own textile tradition. Kerala Sarees are symbolic of Kerala culture and tradition and is not seen anywhere else in India. The elegant Kerala Saree, off white with gold border is unique for their natural colour, texture and golden border. These sarees lend an extraordinary elegance to the person wearing it. Every Malayali woman possesses at least one Kerala sari in her wardrobe. Traditionally women in Kerala also wear a two piece cloth named 'settu mundu', also known as 'mundum neriyathum' with natural body colour and breathtaking border shades, which when worn, exactly look like a saree.

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The typical Kerala saree is hand woven and is 100 per cent unbleached cotton. It is known for its fineness of count in weaving. The traditional design of a Kerala saree had a 1 inch to 6-7 inch pallu while the body remained plain. But now the pallu goes up to one metre and the border and pallu is decorated with common designs of animals such as peacock and flowers. The sari is now available in checks, stripes and a wide variety of designs as well as in cotton mixed with silk. Men in Kerala wear Kasavu mundu or dhothies during festive occasions. In all places of worship, specially in temples, the most preferred dress is the dhoti. This light pure cotton handlooms edged with golden thread is some times touched with contrasting bright colours. Dhoti's are available in regular, large and extra large sizes.

Assams Dresses There is a wide variety of clothing and textiles involved with Assamese culture. An enumeration of the significant items as well as terms used to refer to them is shown below. • Cotton • Dhoti • Endi • Eri • Gamosa • Jaapi • Khadi • Mekhela chador • Muga silk • Pat silk • Riha • Suriya • Tongali • Uroni

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The Gamosa is an article of great significance for the people of Assam. It is generally a white rectangular piece of cloth with primarily a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on the fourth (in addition to red, other colors are also used). Although cotton yarn is the most common material for making/weaving gamosas, there are special occiasion ones made from Pat silk. Mekhela is the traditional Assamese dress worn by women. There are two main pieces of cloth that are draped around the body. The bottom portion, draped from the waist downwards is called the mekhela . It is in the form of a very wide cylinder that is folded into pleats to fit around the waist and tucked in. The top portion if 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. Invariably there is a blouse that is worn underneath the top half of the body HARYANA DRESSES The dress of the people is generally simple. It consists of a dhoti, shirt, turban and a pair of shoes. A blanket or chaddar serves as wrapper. The turban has a different style for a Jat, an Ahir, a Rajput, a Bania or a Brahman. There is also difference in the dress of various communities particularly among women. A Jat woman's full dress, thel, consist of ghaggri, shirt and a printed orhni (a length of cloth draped over the front and shoulders) the ghaggri seldom falling below the calves. The Ahir woman can always be recognized by her lehenga or peticoat, angia (a tight blouse) and orhni. Her orhni is broader than that of a Jat women. She employs it also to cover her abdomen. It is usually red or yellow, decorated with bosses and fringes, with a fall. The Rajput woman's dress is similar to that of an Ahir woman. Their orhni may be plain white with silver fringe but without a fall.

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The dhotis and saris are the favourite items of dress among Brahmans and Aggarwal women. A women would need at least three different sets of clothes, one for working at the grindstone, another for the field, another for drawing water from the well. Clothes indicate family status. Coloured clothes are worn by the Hindus at weddings. The marriage party colour their duppatas only and the bridegroom his turban. A duppata or overcloth, kamiz or skirt, pajamas, salwar or ghagra with differences in make and colour is generally the female dress. Among the educated classes in the villages women are taking to saris of different colours. The dresses worn by women display more variety than male attires. The dress also proclaims the caste or community of the woman. A Gujjar woman can be known at once from the blue clothes and a Chamar from her red clothes. Round bits of glass are adorned by the clothes of a Gujjar women. Unmarried girls abstain from gaudy dress to avoid undue attention.

COSTUMES OF WEST BENGAL The costumes of West Bengal reflect the state's rich cultural traditions. The traditional costume of the women of West Bengal is saree, though salwar kameez and western wears are also gaining in popularity. The women of West Bengal prefer to adorn themselves with a variety of colourful sarees, which they wear in a characteristically Bengali fashion. Both silk and cotton sarees are very much popular in West Bengal. Among the silk sarees, Baluchari sarees have achieved a legendary reputation. They are the products of wonderful craftsmanship of the weavers of West Bengal, which endow the wearer with a seminal style statement. Daccai sarees are also quite famous and popular both within and outside West Bengal. In fact, West Bengal has an exquisite weaving tradition, which has given its sarees a unique appeal. Shantipur in Nadia district, Begumpur in Hooghly district, Kenjekura in Bankura district are weavers' havens.

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The traditional costumes for the men of West Bengal are dhoti and panjabi. The former is a lower garment, while the latter is an upper garment. Panjabi is similar to kurtas that are worn in north India as upper garments. The dhoti and panjabi can be of cotton as well as silk. However, very few Bengali men of this generation and even its earlier generation, wear dhoti and panjabi, except on formal occasions like weddings or Durga Puja. In day-to-day usage, they prefer to wear western wear in work and leisure. Besides handlooms, West Bengal is also known for its intricate needlework, which even in this information age is practiced by the women of West Bengal in homes. Colourful kanthas are the products of this painstaking but emotionally rewarding embroidery and needlework. These multi-coloured patchwork quilts, stitched from often discarded pieces of garments, are not only beautiful to look, but useful. They can serve as bedspreads, as mirrorwraps or as plain quilts to ward away mild winters. Sometimes these kanthas have illustrated artworks stitched on them, which adds to their aesthetic appeal.