A Sari is a Woman's Best Friend Too

TRADITIONAL ATTIRE 

The history of Indian clothing traces the sari back to the Indus Valley civilization. It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls and veils have been worn by Indian women in their current form for hundreds of years. Some costume historians are of the opinion that the earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus Valley priest wearing a drape. In ancient Indian tradition and the Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes), the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the saree.

A sari or saree is a traditional female garment of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Essentially a sari is a very long strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine meters in length, which can be draped in various styles. The most common style is wrapping the sari around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder; baring the midriff.

The history of Indian clothing traces the sari back to the Indus Valley civilization. It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls and veils have been worn by Indian women in their current form for hundreds of years. Some costume historians are of the opinion that the earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus Valley priest wearing a drape.

In ancient Indian tradition and the Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes), the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the saree.

Some costume historians believe that the men's dhoti, which is the oldest Indian draped garment, is the forerunner of the sari. They say that until the fourteenth century, the dhoti was worn by both men and women.

Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools, from the first through the sixth centuries show goddesses and dancers wearing (what appears to be) a dhoti wrap, in the 'fishtail' version which covers the legs loosely and then flows into a long, decorative drape in front of the legs. No bodices are shown.

However, the history of the choli, or sari blouse and the petticoat is a subject of considerable controversy. Some researchers state that these garments were unknown before the British arrived in India and that they were introduced to satisfy Victorian ideas of modesty. Previously, women only wore one draped cloth and casually exposed the upper body and breasts. Many historians refer/point to textual and artistic evidence to state that in the olden days various forms of breastband and upper-body shawl pieces were worn.

In South India, it is indeed documented that women from many communities wore only the sari and exposed the upper part of the body until the twentieth century. Poetic references from works like 'Silappatikaram' indicate that during the Sangam Period in ancient South India, a single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and head covering, leaving the bosom and midriff completely uncovered. In Kerala there are many references to women being bare-breasted including many pictures by Raja Ravi Varma (1848 – 1906). Even today, women in some rural areas do not wear cholis. In the privacy of their homes, even city women sometimes find it convenient and comfortable to drape the sari as a cover-all, without the choli.

Saris are woven with one plain end (the end that is concealed inside the wrap), two long decorative borders running the length of the sari and a one- to three- foot section at the other end which continues and elaborates the length-wise decoration. This end is called the 'pallu' and it is the part thrown over the shoulder.

In the past, saris were woven from silk or cotton. The rich could afford finely-woven, diaphanous silk saris that according to folklore, could be passed through a finger-ring. The poor wore coarsely woven cotton saris. All saris were hand-woven and represented a considerable investment of time or money.

Simple hand-woven villagers' saris are often decorated with checks or stripes woven into the cloth. Inexpensive saris were also decorated with block printing using carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes, or tie-dyeing, which is known in India as 'bandhani' work.

The more expensive saris had elaborate geometric, floral or figurative embellishments created on the loom as part of the fabric. Sometimes warp and weft threads were tie-dyed and then woven, creating 'ikat' patterns. Sometimes threads of different colours were woven into the base fabric in patterns- an ornamented border, an elaborate pallu and often, small repeated accents were woven in the cloth itself. These accents are called 'buttis' or 'bhutties'. For fancy saris, these patterns could be woven with gold or silver thread, which is called zari work.

Sometimes the saris were further decorated, after weaving, with various sorts of embroidery. Resham work is embroidery done with coloured silk thread. Zardozi embroidery uses gold and silver threads and sometimes pearls and precious stones. Cheap modern versions of zardozi use synthetic metallic thread and imitation stones, such as faux pearls and Swarovski crystals.

In modern times, saris are increasingly woven on mechanical looms and made of artificial fibers, such as polyester, nylon, or rayon, which do not require starching or ironing. They are printed by machine, or woven in simple patterns made with floats across the back of the sari. This can create an elaborate appearance on the front, while looking ugly on the back.

Hand-woven, hand-decorated saris are naturally much more expensive than the machine imitations. While the over-all market for hand-weaving has plummeted (leading to much distress among Indian hand-weavers), hand-woven saris are still popular for weddings and other grand social occasions.

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