The history of Indian clothing is diverse depending on the region, culture, religion and climate. Saris and shalwar kameez (suit, consisting of a pair of loose trousers and tunics) - traditional clothing of Indian women. Men traditionally wear lungi, or dhoti kurta. Though in the big cities of India like Mumbai, you can often find a European-style clothes, many Indians adhere to the traditional way of dressing.

History and Politics

Traditional Indian Costume acquired political significance in the first half of the 20th century, during the struggle for India's independence from Britain. Head of the liberation movement of India Mohandas Gandhi is known, wore traditional Indian clothes Traditional Indian clothes - Eastern Standards : Dhoti and shawl. Dhoti - a long rectangular piece of cloth about 6, 5 meters. The men wear dhoti, twisting and tying it around the legs and waist.

Gandhi's hand spun yarn fabric worn. His choice of costume proved politically significant because the British calling reject the goods and products and to maintain the Indian tradition.

Sari

Sari - a long piece of non-crosslinked tissue that is wrapped around the body of a woman in many ways. At the end of the 20th century often began to wear a sari like this: put it on top of the lower skirt and tight blouse with short sleeves, called "choli" or "Ravick."

Sari history

Historical references to the clothes in the form of drape fabric belong to India or Harappan civilization (2800-1800 BC). Archaeologists have discovered a statue of the priest, dressed in a cloth wrapped around the body. Although the exact date is not defined, most historians agree that the sari appeared simultaneously in both North and South India, and the women wore saris in its current form for centuries.

At the end of the 19th and in the 20th century, the sari has become a symbol of the Indian nation. Such famous artists like Ravi Varma and Abanindranath Tagore painted pictures depicting many women dressed in saris regional variants that symbolized the diversity and unity of the Indian people.

Dhoti

In the western Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra large number of men still wear a dhoti. There are many local variations in how men all over India are dhoti. In Gujarat, for example, men wear dhoti with a short kurta, which is worn on the upper body, called "kediyya" (Kurt - a loose tunic Tunica: from ancient Greece to the present day That is the front half fastens with buttons).

Dhoti also are subject to certain rules of etiquette. In southern India, men sometimes tuck dhoti and twist the upper part around the waist, while the dhoti has a length just below the knee. However, many believe that to talk to a woman being dressed in a short dhoti, indecent and disrespectful.

Dhoti in history

As sari and dhoti-like garment worn Indians for centuries. Dhoti can be seen in the city of Amaravati sculptures that were made during the reign of Dynasty Satavahanas in South India (in 2-3 centuries BC). Dhoti these sculptures often have kamarbandy, wide, lap belts.

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