Angia (also angiya,
angi, or anggiya) is an obsolete form of
bodice or breast-cloth of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n origin dating from the 19th century, covering the entire upper body from bust to waist and tied at the back.
Very short sleeves, if any, and high waist characterized the angia, which was made of fine cotton material such as
muslin
Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.
Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...
. Women in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
wore it beneath dresses such as
Peshwaj
''Peshwaj'' (''peshwaz'', ''paswaj'', ''tilluck'', dress) was a ladies outfit similar to a gown or jama coat with front open, tied around the waist, having full sleeves, and the length was full neck to heels. Peshwaj was one of the magnificent cos ...
.
Francis Buchanan-Hamilton
Francis Buchanan (15 February 1762 – 15 June 1829), later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist whil ...
and
Captain Medows Taylor assert that stitched garments of this kind did not exist prior to the
Muslim invasions in India.
Style
The angia, an early version of the modern ladies' blouse, was completely enclosed in front and contoured to the bosom. Its backside was tied with strings or ribbons both across the shoulder and below the bosom line;
yet, unlike other tight inner garments such as corsets, it merely covered the bosom without providing support to the back. It was worn by both Hindus and Muslims.
The
Ahir
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
woman in
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
was easily identifiable by her angia, lehnga (similar to a ghagri but shorter), and orhni.
In Punjab, women wore angia of colored cloth.
Artwork
In a
Johan Zoffany 1785 painting that still survives in the
India Office Records
The India Office Records are a very large collection of documents relating to the administration of India from 1600 to 1947, the period spanning Company and British rule in India. The archive is held in London by the British Library and is public ...
in London, Fyze Palmer (Mughal wife Fyze Baksh) can be seen, barefoot and dressed in traditional
Lucknavi court attire: "a magnificent saffron
Peshwaz and
dupatta over a brief angia."
See also
*
Ekpatta
Ekpatta was a veil, a simple loose draped garment similar to Dupatta. Ekpatta was made of fine fabric like muslin, a single breadth of fabric that was six cubits long and three cubits wider. It was frequently embellished with silver or gold lace wo ...
*
Pratidhi
''Pratheedhi'', a loose garment was a part of the bride's attire made of simple strip of cloth. Pratidhi was an unstitched garment similar to almost all contemporary clothes that were wrapped around the body in different ways. The women were fast ...
*
Stanapatta
''Stanapatta'' (Stanmasuka) was a loose wrap cloth for the upper body. It was a chest band used in ancient India. It was a simple upper garment of the females during the ancient time similar to the ''mamillare'' or ''strophium'' used by the Roman ...
*
Nivi (garment)
References
{{Reflist
Indian clothing
Women's clothing