War in Ancient India c5.s1.24

c5.s1.24

We may next turn our attention to the dress of the Kṣatriya. The dress marked out one community from another. The under-wear of a Kṣatriya invariably consisted of a deer skin, and that of a Vaiśya of a goat skin. Except in war-time the Kṣatriya spent his time in hunting, and as a hunter he wore the deer skin. The same may be said of the Vaiśya who was an agriculturist. Flax was the material used in the making of his upper garment. The dress of the Kṣatriya consisted of an upper garment and an under garment. A cloak was also worn, and when it was worn it was dyed with madder.²² He was enjoined by the law-givers to follow special modes of dressing, building houses,²³ wearing jewels, and saluting. It is interesting to note that his salutation was made by ‘extending the arm out at a level with the chest ’. ²⁴