The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c15.s1.65

c15.s1.65

The help of the art of sewing seems to have been first taken for preparing the bodice. This took place even before 600 B.C.; for Buddhist and Jain nuns were enjoined to use it. Its traces can be seen below the breast in the of statue Chaṇḍā Yakshiṇī at Bharhut (Cunningham, Pl. XXII, fig. 3); if the garment is not shown on other female statues at the place, the desire to show off the ornaments at the neck and the chest must have been the obvious reason. The bodice did not require much tailoring like the modern blouse. It had short sleeves but no buttons, and it was secured in its proper place by its ends being tied together in between the two breasts¹. On one of the coins of Samudragupta, Lakshmī can be seen wearing the bodice precisely in this way. We can see both the knot and the two ends hanging down in its continuation. (See Pl. V, B). From Kālidāsa, however, we learn that sometimes the ends of the bodice were tied in a knot on the shoulder²; what was the make up of this type of bodice and how it was tied on the shoulder is rather difficult to understand. The bodice required very little tailoring and women used to stitch it at home. It could be easily taken out, if necessary, to protect oneself against the lunar or solar rays (*Śṛiṅgāraśataka*, 17).