Ancient Indian Costume c8.s2.1

c8.s2.1

In this period there was a marked preference for the stitched garment, as compared to any previous age, and clearly defined garments for north India and the Deccan began to emerge, which later crystallized into the garment preference we see in India today. With the Kushans, the stitched garment had gained in status and it was now linked to royalty, for the Kushan kings and their nobles had ruled a large part of India and Central Asia for more than a 100 years. The Gupta kings realized the value of adopting a dress that had traditionally become identified with royalty. They are shown on Gupta coins in full Kushan dress, that is, the coat, trousers and boots. They continued, however, to wear the indigenous *antariya, uttariya* and *kayabandh* for informal occasions.