The world of modern fashion and clothing has evolved over the centuries as much as humanity has. There are many suits and clothing styles that define countries and regions of the world with their unique appearance, wide variety of materials, designs, and prints.
But none occupies the first position like the sari or sari, which is the national costume of India; its influence extends not only to all corners of the country, but its popularity has spawned related clothing styles throughout Southeast Asia.
the indian saree
The term “sari” is a derivative of the Sanskrit word “sati” or “sadi” in Prakrit, which means “a strip of cloth.” In later use, it was adopted as a sari or sari in Hindi. The Jatakas or ancient Jain Buddhist literature, while describing the attire of women, use the word “sattika”. In ancient India, the sari was probably a long piece of cloth that was wrapped around the female body, especially the upper and lower parts, as a form of modest dress to avoid exposure. The blouse, or top garment, also known as a “choli” or “ravikai”, was a shorter version of a vest with sleeves, a low collar at the front and back, buttoned or tied in a knot and ending above the knee. belly button. This garment was probably not worn in the early days; As we see in paintings, drawings and sketches of women, most ancient women went without a top, preferring to draw the sari around the stomach, over the shoulders and back to modestly cover themselves.
The sari, in the modern era, is a typical long piece of cloth, stretching up to fifteen feet or six yards in length with an average height of 44 inches. The upper and inner part of the cloth may be bare without any design or pattern, while the outer part or the part that drapes around the waist and over the left shoulder, called “pallav” or “pallu”, usually contains a pattern, ornate borders or fabric designs, embroidered patches or metal trim. There are many ways to drape a sari, but the usual method adopted is one that is worn over a petticoat or a loose skirt that begins at the waist and falls to the ankles. The petticoat is called ‘lehenga’ in North India, ‘pavadai’ in South India, ‘ghagra’ in West India and ‘shaya’ in East India.
History and origin of the sari
The earliest depiction of the sari as an Indian garment dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization which flourished on the Indian subcontinent between 2800 and 1800 BC. Both men and women draped themselves in long, flowing sari-like cloth. Ancient poems, epics, and writings such as Banabhatt’s Kadambari and the Tamil Silappadhikaram described women draped in exquisite hand-woven saris. The ancient Indian treatise, the Natya Shastra, while providing details on dance styles and ancient costumes, describes the tradition of wearing the costume wrapped in swirling folds around the body leaving the stomach, particularly the navel, exposed. As the human body takes the form of the Supreme Being where the navel is the source of creativity and life, the diaphragm is exposed.
The Gandhara, Gupta and Mathura schools of art and sculpture from the 1st to 6th century AD depict female dancers and goddesses wearing the ‘fishtail’, a kind of dhoti wraparound garment that draped over the legs and then flowed in front of the legs into a decorative and long draping, tied at the waist. The upper part of the body is left uncovered without a choli or bodice.
The cholis or short blouse worn under the sari probably evolved as a form of dress in the 10th century AD. C., when royal women began to appear in public, performing functions of rulers and administrators. The first cholis simply covered the front of the chest leaving the back exposed or tied with ropes; Today these backless tops are not only a modern trend but also represent tribal and village outfits worn by the women of various North Indian states.
Kalidasa’s early works mention garments worn by women as a ‘dhoti’ or ‘sarong’ covering the lower part of the body from the waist down, combined with what was called ‘stanapatta’ or ‘kurpasika’ meaning a garment. that wraps around the bust and an ‘uttariya’ or shawl worn to cover the head. The ‘mundum neryathum’ worn by Kerala women even today is believed to date back to this ancient Indian dress style.
Controversy and the exposed stomach
As the women were mostly confined indoors and rarely appeared before the men, the absence of the upper garment was not strongly felt. In many parts of South India, women in most communities wore only the sari wrapped around their upper and lower bodies and covering their heads. One of the greatest Indian artists, Raja Ravi Varma, sensuously portrayed the female form with yards and yards of flowing material that freely covered the upper and lower parts of the body, but the choli was conspicuously absent. In the mid-19th century, this stomach exposure caused controversy in the princely state of Travancore in Kerala and the style began to decline rapidly. The exposure of the navel became taboo and later clothing styles show women with their midriffs covered.
A sari is described as the ultimate symbol of Indian culture with its graceful and flowing appearance, shaping the contours of the body without revealing too much, yet tastefully enhancing the female form. Seen as the ideal costume, best suited to the hot and muggy climate of the subcontinent, the sari comes woven, printed, painted or embroidered in many types of materials, from pure cotton, varieties of hand-woven and machine-woven qualities to nylon, silk, satin, net etc They can be used for home wear, office wear, festivals and ceremonies, weddings, and even formal occasions like business meetings and engagements.
