Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the Central and Western Rajput States of India v2.c30.t2.250

v2.c30.t2.250

Dress.—The dress of the Bhattis consists of a jama, or tunic of white cloth or chintz reaching to the knee; the kamarband, or ceinture, tied so high as to present no appearance of waist; trousers very loose, and in many folds, drawn tight at the ankle, and a turban, generally of a scarlet colour, rising conically full a foot from the head. A dagger is stuck in the waistband; a shield is suspended by a thong of deer-skin from the left shoulder, and the sword is girt by a belt of the same material. The dress of the common people is the dhoti, or loin-robe, generally of woollen stuff, with a piece of the same material as a turban. The dress of the Bhattianis, which discriminates the sex, consists of a ghaghra, or petticoat, extending to thirty feet in width, made generally of the finer woollen, dyed a brilliant red, with a scarf of the same material. The grand ornament of rich and poor, though varying in the materials, is the churi, or rings of ivory or bone, with which they cover their arms from the shoulder to the wrist.² They are in value from sixteen to thirty-five rupees a set, and imported from Maskat-Mandavi, though they also manufacture them at Jaisalmer. Silver karis (massive rings or anklets) are worn by all classes, who deny themselves the necessaries of life until they attain this ornament. The poorer Rajputnis are very masculine, and assist in all the details of husbandry.