Sari

and Indira Raje of Baroda wearing a 'Nauvari', a traditional Maharashtrian sari]] A sari or saree is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma, and Malaysia. 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.

Origins and history

The word sari is derived from Sanskrit शाटी which means 'strip of cloth' and शाडी or साडी in Prakrit, and which was corrupted to in Hindi.

In the history of Indian clothing the sari is traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, which flourished during 2800-1800 BC around the western part of the Indian subcontinent. In ancient Indian tradition and the Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes), the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the sari.

Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st-6th century AD) show goddesses and dancers wearing what appears to be a dhoti wrap, in the "fishtail" version which covers the legs loosely and then flows into a long, decorative drape in front of the legs. No bodices are shown.

Other sources say that everyday costume consisted of a dhoti or lungi (sarong), combined with a breast band and a veil or wrap that could be used to cover the upper body or head. The two-piece Kerala mundum neryathum (mundu, a dhoti or sarong, neryath, a shawl, in Malayalam) is a survival of ancient Indian clothing styles. The one-piece sari is a modern innovation, created by combining the two pieces of the mundum neryathum.

It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls, and veils have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years.

The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. Choli evolved as a form of clothing in 10th century AD and the first cholis were only front covering, the back was always bare but covered with end of saris pallu or veil. Bodics of this type are still common in state of Rajasthan.

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is indeed documented that women from many communities wore only the sari and exposed the upper part of the body till the 20th century. Poetic references from works like Silappadikaram indicate that during the Sangam period in ancient Tamil Nadu, a single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and head covering, leaving the bosom and midriff completely uncovered. including many paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.

Styles of draping

The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the stomach.

Nivi – styles originally worn in Andhra Pradesh; besides the modern nivi, there is also the kaccha nivi, where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into the waist at the back. This allows free movement while covering the legs.

Bengali and Oriya style.

Gujarati – after tucking in the pleats similar to the Nivi style, the loose end is taken from the back, draped across the right shoulder, and pulled across to be secured in the back

Maharashtrian/Konkani/Kashta; this drape is very similar to that of the male Maharashtrian dhoti. The center of the sari (held lengthwise) is placed at the center back, the ends are brought forward and tied securely, then the two ends are wrapped around the legs. When worn as a sari, an extra-long cloth is used and the ends are then passed up over the shoulders and the upper body. They are primarily worn by Brahmin women of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

Dravidian – sari drapes worn in Tamil Nadu; many feature a pinkosu, or pleated rosette, at the waist.

Madisar – this drape is typical of Iyengar/Iyer Brahmin ladies from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala

Kodagu style – this drape is confined to ladies hailing from the Kodagu district of Karnataka. In this style, the pleats are created in the rear, instead of the front. The loose end of the sari is draped back-to-front over the right shoulder, and is pinned to the rest of the sari.

Gobbe Seere - This style is worn by women in the Malnad or Sahyadri and central region of Karnataka. It is worn with 18 molas saree with three four rounds at the waist and a knot after crisscrossing over shoulders.

Gond – sari styles found in many parts of Central India. The cloth is first draped over the left shoulder, then arranged to cover the body.

Malayali style - the two-piece sari, or Mundum Neryathum, worn in Kerala. Usually made of unbleached cotton and decorated with gold or colored stripes and/or borders. Also the Set-saree, a sort of mundum neryathum.

Tribal styles – often secured by tying them firmly across the chest, covering the breasts.

Kunbi style or denthli:Goan Gauda and Kunbis,and those of them who have migrated to other states use this way of draping Sari or Kappad,this form of draping is created by tying a knot in the fabric below the shoulder and a strip of cloth which crossed the left shoulder was fasten on the back. The nivi style is today's most popular sari style. (Dongerkerry K. S. 1959).

The nivi drape starts with one end of the sari tucked into the waistband of the petticoat, usually a plain skirt. The cloth is wrapped around the lower body once, then hand-gathered into even pleats just below the navel. The pleats are also tucked into the waistband of the petticoat. In one of his painting the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing nivi sari. Also due to liberalization and changing global markets,saris are reemerging as an erotic wrap which can expose as much as it conceals. As a result,saris began to be designed in many innovative ways and different materials.Transparent & semi-transparent saris made of sheer fabrics like chiffon etc., is one such example. Another example is what is referred to as Pre-stitched sarees.

Pre-stitched sarees is an automatic saree makes saree wearing a one step easy process. These sarees are draped in such a easy way, just like putting on a skirt. Its a skirt with stitched saree pleats at the centre worn over a petticoat without the fuss or row of tucking, pleating, and adjusting the pallav length as they are already set in the centre to make you feel more comfortable and easy in wearing it . Pre-stitched sari is more often famous in younger age group. Petticoat is worn separately and it is not stitched with saree. This easy to wear, pre-stitched saree can be worn by any body without the bother of actually draping it.

These saris are tied in different ways such as petticoat being tied at about 4-6 inches below the navel and just above the pubic area,or where the blouse is small which ends just below the Breasts and the pallu is thin thereby exposing the some part of the blouse and almost the entire midriff. This were made popular by the celebrities of Bollywood industry and other popular regional film industries like Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema.These are mainly worn by the rich and educated upper class women. But wearing the sari below the navel doesn't always lead to exposing the navel.Sometimes the navel is covered with the pallu in a low-rise sari also.In some corporates in India,saris are required to be worn in an elegant manner avoiding navel exposure.

Bangladesh

The shari is worn by women throughout Bangladesh. Sari is the most popular dress for women in Bangladesh, both for casual and formal occasion. There are many regional variations of them in both silk and cotton. But the Jamdani Tanta/Tant cotton, Dhakai Benaroshi, Rajshahi silk, Tangail Tanter shari, Tash-Har silk, and Katan shari are the most popular in Bangladesh.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, saris are less commonly worn than the Salwar kameez which is worn throughout the country. Because of its long association with the Hindu culture and it exposing the stomach and navel, Sari is considered to be against the injunctions of Islam and as a 'Hindu dress'. Even though the sari has been worn by people living in the region that is now Pakistan since ancient times, it has lost popularity since 1947. Many Islamic right-wing elements have pressed on a move to ban saris. The sari is worn as daily wear by Pakistani Hindus, by elderly Muslim women who were used to wearing it in pre-partition India and by some of the new generation who have reintroduced the interest in saris. Saris are almost exclusively used as Wedding dress throughout the Mohajir, Sindhi, Punjabi and Kashmiri Muslims. The madar-e-millat of Pakistan Fatima Jinnah was always seen wearing a sari.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan women wear saris in many styles. However, two ways of draping the sari are popular and tend to dominate; the Indian style (classic nivi drape) and the Kandyan style (or ''osaria' in Sinhalese). The Kandyan style is generally more popular in the hill country region of Kandy from which the style gets its name. Though local preferences play a role, most women decide on style depending on personal preference or what is perceived to be most flattering for their figure.

The traditional Kandyan (osaria) style consists of a full blouse which covers the midriff completely, and is partially tucked in at the front as is seen in this 19th century portrait. However, modern intermingling of styles has led to most wearers baring the midriff. The final tail of the sari is neatly pleated rather than free-flowing. This is rather similar to the pleated rosette used in the Dravidian style noted earlier in the article.

The Kandyan style is considered the national dress of Sinhalese women. It is the uniform of the air hostesses of Sri Lankan Airlines.

Nepal

Saree is the most commonly worn women uniform in Nepal. Since the time immemorial saree is worn by Nepalese women. It is more importantly worn in religious activities. A woman wearing a saree is regarded as sober lady. A lady with sari seems elegant, gorgeous and sensuous. However, nowadays, modern women prefer a uniform other than a saree for their convenience.

In Nepal, a special style of draping is used in a sari called haku patasihh. The sari is draped around the waist and a shawl is worn covering the upper half of the sari, which is used in place of a pallu.

Cloth

, Tamil Nadu]]

Saris are woven with one plain end (the end that is concealed inside the wrap), two long decorative borders running the length of the sari, and a one to three foot section at the other end which continues and elaborates the length-wise decoration. This end is called the pallu; it is the part thrown over the shoulder in the nivi style of draping.

In past times, saris were woven of silk or cotton. The rich could afford finely-woven, diaphanous silk saris that, according to folklore, could be passed through a finger ring. The poor wore coarsely woven cotton saris. All saris were handwoven and represented a considerable investment of time or money.

Simple hand-woven villagers' saris are often decorated with checks or stripes woven into the cloth. Inexpensive saris were also decorated with block printing using carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes, or tie-dyeing, known in India as bhandani work.

More expensive saris had elaborate geometric, floral, or figurative ornaments or brocades created on the loom, as part of the fabric. Sometimes warp and weft threads were tie-dyed and then woven, creating ikat patterns. Sometimes threads of different colors were woven into the base fabric in patterns; an ornamented border, an elaborate pallu, and often, small repeated accents in the cloth itself. These accents are called buttis or bhuttis (spellings vary). For fancy saris, these patterns could be woven with gold or silver thread, which is called zari work.

Sometimes the saris were further decorated, after weaving, with various sorts of embroidery. Resham work is embroidery done with colored silk thread. Zardozi embroidery uses gold and silver thread, and sometimes pearls and precious stones. Cheap modern versions of zardozi use synthetic metallic thread and imitation stones, such as fake pearls and Swarovski crystals.

In modern times, saris are increasingly woven on mechanical looms and made of artificial fibers, such as polyester, nylon, or rayon, which do not require starching or ironing. They are printed by machine, or woven in simple patterns made with floats across the back of the sari. This can create an elaborate appearance on the front, while looking ugly on the back. The punchra work is imitated with inexpensive machine-made tassel trim.

Hand-woven, hand-decorated saris are naturally much more expensive than the machine imitations. While the overall market for handweaving has plummeted (leading to much distress among Indian handweavers), hand-woven saris are still popular for weddings and other grand social occasions.

Practicality

Because of the harsh extremes in temperature on the Subcontinent, the sari fills a practical role as well as a decorative one. It is not only warming in winter and cooling in summer, but its loose-fitting tailoring is preferred by women who must be free to move as their duties require. For this reason, it is the costume of choice of air hostesses on Air India.

The Sari Goes International

Curiously, the former Eagan, MN based Northwest Airlines considered issuing saris to flight attendants working the Minneapolis-Amsterdam-Delhi route that began in the 1990s. However, this never occurred largely due to a union dispute. And as a nod to the fashion-forward philosophy established by the designs of Emilio Pucci, the now-defunct Braniff International Airways envisioned their air hostesses wearing a more revealing version of a sari on a proposed Dallas-Bombay (conceivably via London) service in the late 1970s. However this was never realized due to Halston's resistance to working with a palette outside of his comfort zone.

Types

While an international image of the modern style sari may have been popularised by airline stewardesses, each region in the Indian subcontinent has developed, over the centuries, its own unique sari style. Whilst Air India is considered to be India's flagship carrier, the saris that their air hostesses wear are actually of the Jamdani style, native to Bangladesh. The Dhakai Jamdani is woven painstakingly by hand on the old fashioned Jala loom, and many take even up to one year to weave a single sari. It feels supple to the touch and drapes gently to reveal the contours of the wearer.

Following are other well-known varieties, distinct on the basis of fabric, weaving style, or motif, in South Asia:

Eastern styles

Sambalpuri Saree silk & Cotton –Sambalpur, Orissa

Ikkat Silk & Cotton – Bargarh, Orissa

Tangail cotton – Bangladesh

Jamdani – Bangladesh

Muslin – Bangladesh

Rajshahi Silk – Bangladesh

Tussar Silk – Bihar

Mooga silk – Assam

Tant famous Bengali cotton – Shantipur, West Bengal

Dhaniakhali cotton – West Bengal

Murshidabad silk – West Bengal

Baluchari silk – West Bengal

Khandua Silk & Cotton –Cuttack, Orissa

Bomkai/Sonepuri Sari Silk & Cotton – Subarnapur, Orissa

Berhampuri Silk – Bramhapur, Orissa

Mattha or Tussar Silk –Mayurbhanj, Orissa

Bapta Silk & Cotton –Koraput, Orissa

Tanta Cotton –Balasore, Orissa

Shantipur Cotton – West Bengal

Phulia Cotton – West Bengal

Northern styles

Banarasi – Uttar Pradesh

Shalu – Uttar Pradesh

Tanchoi; Uttar Pradesh

Western styles

Paithani – Maharashtra

Bandhani – Gujarat and Rajasthan

Kota doria Rajasthan

Lugade – Maharashtra

Patola – Gujarat

Central styles

Chanderi – Madhya Pradesh

Maheshwari – Madhya Pradesh

Kosa silk – Chattisgarh

Southern styles

Kanchipuram (locally called Kanjivaram) – Tamil Nadu

Kumbakonam – Tamil Nadu

Set Saree; Kerala

Neriyathu Saree; Kerala

HAlf saree; Kerala

Thirubuvabam – Tamil Nadu

Thanjavur – Tamil Nadu

Madurai – Tamil Nadu

Arani – Tamil Nadu

Pochampally – Andhra Pradesh (GI rights applied)

Venkatagiri – Andhra Pradesh

Gadwal – Andhra Pradesh

Guntur – Andhra Pradesh

Narayanpet – Andhra Pradesh

Mangalagiri – Andhra Pradesh

Balarampuram – Kerala

Mysore silk – Karnataka

Ilkal – Karnataka

Images

See also

Achkan

Indian wedding clothes

Dhoti

Lungi

Choli

Ghoonghat

Indian dress

Salwar kameez

sarong

Churidar

Kurta

Ghagra

Lehenga

Dupatta

Wedding sari

Lehenga Style Saree

Notes

Further reading

Ambrose, Kay (1950) Classical Dances and Costumes of India. A. & C. Black, London.

Craddock, Norma. (1994). Anthills, Split Mothers, and Sacrifice: Conceptions of Female Power in the Mariyamman Tradition. Dissertation, U. of California, Berkeley.

External links

Banarasi Sari Making & History

Sari vs. salwar kameez on the subcontinent

Indian sari falls from grace as urban women adopt Western styles

Category:Dresses Category:Indian clothing Category:Bangladeshi clothing Category:History of Asian clothing