Ancient Indian Costume c7.s3: Military Costume

Ancient Indian Costume c7.s3

Language: English

Military Costume

c7.s3.1

It is in the military dress of the Mauryan–Sunga period that we find the earliest traces of foreign influence on indigenous garments. At the Gandhara site of the Kushans is a soldier of Mara's (Apollo's) army wearing the Indian *antariya* and turban with a Graeco-Roman style of breast-plate or coat of mail. Coats of mail are said to have been made indigenously of metallic wires, probably iron, woven into a gauze known as *jalaka*. But the soldier's coat of mail appears to be made of metal scales, attached to a backing, rather than woven wire. This could be a foreign-influenced improvement on the indigenous equipment for soldiers. Another soldier is seen wearing full foreign garments in the same army. His coat of mail is worn over a short tunic which is visible at the hem and sleeves, and his bare legs are encased in greaves. On his head is a three-cornered helmet which suggests the well-known whitish grey felt caps of the Tibetans and Khorezmians.

c7.s3.2

Khorez, Bactria, and Sogdiania in Central Asia, had at one time been some of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. They were later taken over by the Persians, Greeks, and then the Kushans. The third soldier in this army of Mara wears the purely Indian *antariya* and has his *uttariya* wound around his waist. All three soldiers carry shields and equipment of various kinds. Foot soldiers are said to have used six-foot bows with very long arrows, tall shields made of undressed ox hide, and broad swords three cubits long. Some carried javelins instead of bows. Horsemen carried smaller shields and were equipped with two lances each, but rode without saddles.

c7.s3.3

Brahmin hermits or ascetics continued to wear garments made of bark leaves, or animal skins, and live austere lives in forests or other isolated places. The clothes of the *bhikshu* continued to be yellow or red in colour and consisted of the same *antaravasaka*, *uttarasanga*, *samghati*, and *kushalaka* as before, along with a buckled belt or *samkaksika*. Only now the cloth of their garments was most probably donated to the monastery by wealthy merchants, and was not made of rags. The sign of physical and spiritual perfection in the Buddha figures is the protuberance or *ushnisa* on the head which evolved from the top knot worn by Brahmins. Another symbol is the *urna* or tuft of hair between the eye-brows, representing the third eye. The elongated ear lobes are yet another sign of perfection.

c7.s3.4

For the first time trade with China was directly established through the ancient silk route. Indian traders settled down in Chinese Turkestan, which was annexed by Kanishka, the Kushan king. This included Kashgar, Khotan, and Yarkhand. Buddhist missions too were sent to China. In Rome, Augustus encouraged trade with India and exports increased resulting in a flourishing merchant class. In the north-western area coarse cotton and wool were used for making tunics and trousers for horsemen, hunters, foreigners, and doorkeepers. In central India textiles were of light-weight cotton, *tulapansi*. Both indigenous and foreign silks were plentiful but still very expensive.

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*Antariyas* were very rarely decorated and when they were, they appear to have been either embroidered, woven, or printed in diagonal check designs enclosing small circles. Turban cloth for rich women was often diagonally striped with every third line made of pearls. This bejewelled material was also used to cover beds and seats. Many other geometric patterns of checks, stripes and triangles were also printed and woven. It is only from literary sources that we know of the textiles and dyes available in the earlier period. There is no evidence of actual fabrics being made in India before the twelveth or thirteenth century. But a large variety of fabrics were recovered from the burial grounds along the silk route, which can be dated to between the first century B.C. and the second century A.D. (Han Period in China). Based on this evidence we may presume that the dyes and textiles of Chinese origin available along this route would surely have found their way into India. Hence, it is possible to maintain that many of the patterns and colours would be similar, or had influenced indigenous fabrics. We know for a fact that the beautiful ultra-marine and lapis-lazuli blue were sent along the trade routes from the famous mines at Badakshan in Central Asia. There is, in addition, much literary evidence of the sophistication of Indian textiles from the earliest times.

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In a list compiled of the fabrics recovered from the ancient silk route, fabrics in the following colours were found: bright blue, rich blue, light blue, dark blue-copper, dull gold-buff, bronze-brown, dark brown, pale brown, snuff brown, myrtle green, green, dark bronze-green, crimson, pink, crimson-brown, rich red, yellow, yellow-brown, yellow-green, rich dark yellow-brown. These are all variants and mixtures of the colours in dyes that were available in India in this period.

c7.s3.7

The Kushan influence was felt in what developed into the Gandhara art and the art of Mathura which, while retaining the massive scale of Bharut and Sanchi, had carvings more sophisticated and images more flamboyant and sensuous than had been seen before. It is as if in the provocative display of courtesans with their sinuous bodies in the *tribhanga* pose and the delicate flower-like gesture of the hands, the foreigners had found aspects of the Indian experience that fired their imagination.

c7.s3.8

In the same period, however, there are the wall paintings at Kizil in Afghanistan, where the wiry line of the drawing with its flat brilliant colours dominated by lapis-lazuli gives a heraldic appearance, static and frozen, like the group of portrait statues found at Mathura. The latter have the still, formal depiction of the Kushan kings, showing in complete detail the kind of heavy garments they wore. The Kushans were not originally an artistic people. Of Scythian origin, their only expression had been the metal work displayed in their horse trappings, hunting gear, and in the ornamental plaques which they stitched on their garments.

c7.s3.9

But they had lived for many years in Bactria before entering India and this prepared them for the role they were to play as great patrons of the arts, as seen in the development of the Gandhara art and the evolution of the indigenous art of Mathura. Later, both these styles fused to create the Renaissance of Gupta Art.

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*(Begram)*

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**Antariya** worn extremely short in the *kachcha* style; the end that is passed between the legs has been tucked in at the back; the other piece is looped to mid-thigh in front and the end tucked in a small looped frill at the centre

c7.s3.13

**Kayabandh** there are two: one is a wide sash tied in a loop on both sides to the knees with steamers at each side of the hips hanging to floor length; the other is the *kakshyabandha*, a thick jewelled roll worn aslant which has a large clasp at the left hip

c7.s3.14

**Mekhala** five-stringed pearl or jewelled hip belt, it holds the *antariya* and cloth *kayabandh* in place

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**Hara** necklace of pearls, probably strung on thread or wire and worn between the breasts

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**Kantha** short necklace of beads with central pendant and looped chains

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**Keyura** simple armlets, of looped design, in gold or silver

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**Valaya** bracelets of two kinds: the central one consists of a series of rings like a wrist band; on both sides are larger rigid bracelets

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**Kundala** square earrings decorated with a flower motif and with pearls suspended

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**Nupura** anklets—wide rings with an elaborate design

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**Anguliya** finger rings of solid gold

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**Mukuta** bejewelled crown on the head and a head band

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**Hairstyle** small symmetrical curls at the forehead, hair tied in a looped knot projecting vertically at the back

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36. MILK MAID

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*(Mathura)*

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**Ghagri** simple narrow calf-length skirt stitched at the centre-front border, it has either a drawstring through it or is rolled over a string; this is an example of the earliest form of a stitched lower garment for women

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**Kantha** short flat necklace with decorative design

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**Keyura** armlets of same decorative design as for *kantha*

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**Valaya** simple ring-type bangles

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**Kundala** simple ring-type earrings

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*She rests her pitcher on a head-rest probably of cane, like an inverted basket.*

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37. YAKSHI: FEMALE DOOR-KEEPER

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*(Gandhara)*

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**Antariya** worn in *lehnga* style, simply wrapped around and tucked in at the left

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**Uttariya** thrown casually over the shoulders

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**Tunic** with front opening, held at the neck by button; long ruched sleeves have ruching held by jewelled bands or buttons; tunic is fork-length and form-fitting

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**Mekhala** four-stringed girdle with clasp and decorative leaf at the centre

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**Hara** one long pearl necklace worn between the breasts and one short one with a pendant

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**Kundala** large ring-type earrings

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**Head-dress** chaplet of leaves or turban with a central flower worn around the top knot of hair

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**Sitara** round ornament on the forehead

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38. FEMALE GUARD

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*(Gandhara)*

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**Tunic** Kushan type with long ruched sleeves

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**Antariya** could be *chalana*—Kushan loose trousers

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**Kayabandh** twisted sash

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**Hara** long necklet worn between the breasts

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**Valaya** three bangles are visible on the right hand

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**Nupura** heavy ring-type anklets

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**Hairstyle** hair at the front is divided into three portions, the central one is made into a roll, the two at the side are combed downwards with tassels suspended

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*She carries a long spear and round embossed shield. A mixture of foreign and indigenous costume.*

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39. DONOR FIGURE

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*(Mathura)*

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**Antariya** sari-like, tied in front, while one end is passed between the legs, pleated and tucked in at the back, the other end is partly pleated and tucked in at the front, then wound around and worn over the left shoulder

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**Tunic** Kushan style with ruched long sleeves either tucked into *antariya* or worn short to waist

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**Valaya** one bangle on each wrist

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**Nupura** simple ring-type anklets

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**Kundala** twisted or suspended disc earrings

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**Hairstyle** centre parting with long hair looped on one side

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*Mixture of foreign and indigenous costume. This early form of kachcha-style sari is still used in Maharashtra and parts of South India.*

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40. FEMALE

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(*Gandhara*)

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**Antariya** sari-like, worn in the *kachcha* style, the other end being taken across the body and over the left shoulder

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**Kayabandh** simple sash, twisted in parts

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**Uttariya** worn across the back and over both shoulders, the left end is loosely tucked in at the waist

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**Valaya** four bangles on left wrist

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**Hara** pearl necklace worn between the breasts

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**Kundala** simple disc-like earrings

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**Nupura** heavy double rings on the ankles

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**Hairstyle** chaplet of leaves

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41. DONOR FIGURE

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*(Gandhara)*

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**Antariya** *kachcha* style, only the pleated end hanging at the back has been shortened

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**Uttariya** worn over the left shoulder across the back and under the right arm, then across the chest and taken again over the left shoulder

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**Kantha** short necklace

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**Hairstyle** in a double knot at the centre of the head

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*Purely indigenous style.*

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42. KING KANISHKA

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*(Mathura)*

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**Tunic** calf-length and heavily quilted, with braid at the bottom edge

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**Chugha** a coat which is longer than the tunic, worn open at centre front; it has a decorative braid at the centre front and hem with probably long gathered-up sleeves

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**Belt** of metallic decorative plaques

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**Boots** padded, with straps around the ankle and under the boot held together by a decorative clasp; either the boots are calf length or baggy trousers (*chalana*) have been inserted into short boots

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*This is the dress of the Kushan foreigners of Saka-Parthian origin. He holds two swords in decorative scabbards.*

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43. KUSHAN KING *(Mathura)*

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| **Chugha** calf-length with a wide richly embroidered border down the centre-front opening, hem and edge of long sleeves (probably ruched); the material of the coat has small rosettes and a V-neck and there is a round motif on the right sleeve | **Chalana** baggy trousers tucked into calf-length padded boots; there is a wide band of vine pattern at the centre from toe to top (not visible in drawing); straps around the ankle and instep |
| | **Kantha** short necklace with pendant |
| **Tunic** kurta-like undergarment visible at the neck | *Purely foreign costume of Scythic origin.* |

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44. SOLDIER

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*(Gandhara)*

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**Antariya** worn in *kachcha* style

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**Armour** chain armour made of scale or rhombus-patterned plaques, fastened together with strings (like a Japanese or Tibetan armour); the end of the sleeves, waist and hem are strengthened with cording; the skirt portion is made of parallel rows of rectangular plaques

Ancient Indian Costume c7.s3: Military Costume

Military Costume

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