One of the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of India is it’s traditional attire- saree. The origin of a saree can be dated back to the Indus Valley Civilization and tracked down history.
The rich cultural heritage of a country as diverse as India reflects in many aspects of life including clothing. Indian attires vary according to the customs, climate and gender. Indian men’s clothing is radically different from those in the west, but it is the women’s dresses that stand out and represent the country’s heritage. Traditionally, Indian saree, salwar kameez and lehengas. In different regions of the country variations of these dresses are worn, such as Mekla in Assam, Paithani in Maharashtra, Bandhani in Gujrat and many such others.
One of the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of India is it’s traditional attire- saree. The origin of a saree can be dated back to the Indus Valley Civilization and tracked down history. A typical saree is a 5 meter long cloth of designs and prints which is draped around the lower portion of a woman’s body with pleats and worn like a skirt. A blouse or Choli is worn on top and the portion left after draping is called Pallav. This is used to cover the head which is an important part of Indian tradition. However each region of India displays a unique and very different style of draping. In Kerala women wear a two piece saree, while in Maharashtra the saree is usually worn like a dhoti. The Nivi style, Dravidian style and Bengali style of wearing sarees are also extremely popular.
Ideally a women’s wardrobe is incomplete without one saree from each region. A Benarasi from Uttar Pradesh, Kanjivaram from Tamil Nadu, Naranyanpet from Andra Pradesh, Mysore Silk from Karnataka, Tussar Silk from Bihar, Jamdani and Dhakai Benarasi from Bangaladesh, Baluchari, Kotki and Ikkat from West Bengal are among few favorites of women who adorn almost every occasion with their sarees. These cloths of heaven are usually hand made. The weavers weave together various kinds of threads to produce a piece of work which may take a few weeks to months. Sarees may also be printed or embroidered Sarees. Printed Saris can be made of Hand block printing, roller printing, Tie & dye, Batik or by "Kalamkari". The Saris printed by hand block or screen are more prized than the ones printed in mills. There are many regional styles of embroidery in India as well. Each of these embroideries has names like "Kantha", "Chikan", "Parsi", which are all done in different ways.
Saree is truly a symbol of India. Its long and flowing shape represents the various rivers flowing across the country. The rich hues of a saree represent the colourful culture of the country it originates from. Today sarees are also worn by international celebrities. It is a beautiful garment and is easily identifiable by anyone wearing it.
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The popular Patiala style
The Patiala salwar kameez has its origins in the district of Patiala in Punjab. Legend says that a certain maharaja of Patiala was very fond of the pleated baggy salwars worn with a loose kameez with full sleeves.
The Grace of Indian Sarees
The different regions of India each have their own traditional clothing. The Punjabis have their Patiala salwar, marwaris have their lehenga, gujratis have sarees as well as lehengas and so on and so forth. But inspite of this the saree has encompassed the entire country so that women wear it in all parts of the country.
