Ancient Indian Costume c5.s2: Costume
Ancient Indian Costume c5.s2
- Language
- English
Costume
c5.s2.1
Men and women continued to wear three unstitched garments, as in Vedic times. The main garment was the *antariya* of white cotton, linen or flowered muslin, sometimes embroidered in gold or precious stones. For men, it was an unstitched length of cloth draped around the hips and between the legs in the *kachcha* style, extending from the waist to the calf or ankles or worn even shorter by peasants and commoners. The *antariya* was secured at the waist by a sash or *kayabandh*, often tied in a looped knot at the centre front of the waist. The *kayabandh* could be a simple sash, *vethaka*; one with drum-headed knots at the ends, *muraja*; a very elaborate band of embroidery, flat and ribbon-shaped, *pattika*; or a many-stringed one, *kalabuka*. The third item of clothing called the *uttariya* was another length of material, usually fine cotton, very rarely silk, which was utilized as a long scarf to drape the top half of the body.
c5.s2.2
The *uttariya* was worn in several ways to suit the comforts of the wearer: very elegantly by those at court, who could drape it on both shoulders or one shoulder, or diagonally across the chest and casually knotted at the waist, or it could even be worn loosely across the back and supported by the elbows or wrist, and in many other ways according to the whims of the wearer. But for the labourer and the craftsman, it was more a practical garment to be tied around the head as protection from the sun, or tightly around the waist leaving the hands free for work, or again as a towel to mop the face when sweating. Its uses were endless for the poor sections of society and for them it would be made of coarse cotton.
c5.s2.3
Women tied their *antariya* in different ways. Originally opaque, it later became more and more transparent. A simple small *antariya* or strip of cloth, *langoti*, was attached to the *kayabandh* at centre front, and then passed between the legs and tucked in at the back. A longer version of the *antariya* was the knee-length one, being first wrapped around and secured at the waist, the longer end then pleated and tucked in at the front, and the shorter end finally drawn between the legs, *kachcha* style, and tucked in at the waist at the back. Another version, the *lehnga* style, was a length of cloth wrapped around the hips tightly to form a tubular type of skirt. This was not drawn between the legs in the *kachcha* style.
c5.s2.4
The *uttariyas* of upper-class women were generally of thin material decorated with elaborate borders and quite often worn as a head covering. Their *kayabandhs* were very similar to those of the men. In addition, they sometimes wore a *patka*, a decorative piece of cloth attached to the *kayabandh* in front by tucking in one end at the waist. The *patka* was made from plaited wool or cotton, twisted yarn or leather, and at times, it was also woven.
c5.s2.5
Although, footwear is often mentioned in Vedic literature there is no sculptural evidence for this period, except in the case of soldiers who wear the Persian boot. It may be because shoes could not be taken inside a stupa or Buddhist temple, that they were not depicted on the sculptures on stupas.
c5.s2.6
In the more remote villages and jungles, shepherds, hunters and people of similar occupations were mostly aboriginals or belonged to the lowest caste. They generally wore simple unbleached coarse varieties of the cotton *antariya* and turbans, much the same as we find today, and the practice of tattooing was fairly common. The more primitive tribes who lived in the forests wore garments made from grass (*kusa*), skins, and fur.