Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
: ,
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
: ) is a woman's dress that was worn between early 20th centuries in
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
courts of
Oudh
The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...
by royalty and ladies from privileged classes of Uttar Pradesh (formerly
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1921; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces (UP), by which the province had been ...
in North India). Modeled after the flowing
gown
A gown, from the Saxon word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the term ''gown ...
s worn by
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
noblewomen, the complete outfit consists of three basic parts – the kurta or a long shirt, the
dupatta
The dupattā is a Hindu shawl traditionally worn by women in Indian subcontinent to cover the head and shoulders. The dupatta is currently used most commonly as part of the women's shalwar kameez outfit, and worn over the kurta and the gharara.
...
or the long stole (an essential piece in traditional Indian wear covering the head and chest), and the third and most important, the farshi pajama, which is a flowing two-legged skirt held by drawstrings. It falls straight to the ankles from where it starts flaring flowing copiously onto the floor. The farshi pajama in this era is often called Farshi Gharara, a term not used before the mid-20th century and is considered a distortion. The confusion is said to be because of the Farshi Pajama's similarity with the
Gharara
A gharara (Urdu: , Hindi: ग़रारा, Bengali: ঘারারা) is a traditional Lucknowi outfit, traditionally worn by Muslim women of the Hindi-Urdu Belt region of India. It consists of a kurti (a short, mid-thigh length tunic), a ...
.
Farshi means "associated with the "farsh" or floor (for example ''farshi baithak'' which is associated with sitting on the floor). When combined with the word
Pajama
Pajamas (American English, US) or pyjamas (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth) (), sometimes colloquially shortened to PJs, jammies, jam-jams, or in South Asia night suits, are several related types of clothing worn as night ...
, the term evolves to mean a bottom-wear garment that falls generously on the floor and trails as one walks. In reality, when walking, an expert wearer holds the dress by carefully pulling up and folding the excess flaring trail and holding it in her left hand, keeping the right one free. The large quantity (historically, 9–15 yards) of expensive cloth, embroidered using the art of
goldwork (embroidery)
Goldwork is the art of embroidery using metal threads. It is particularly prized for the way light plays on it. The term "goldwork" is used even when the threads are imitation gold, silver, or copper. The metal wires used to make the threads hav ...
and
sterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.
''Fine silver'', which is 99.9% pure silver, is r ...
Zari
''Zari'' (or ''jari'') is an even thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver used in traditional Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani garments, especially as brocade in saris etc. This thread is woven into fabrics, primarily silk, to make in ...
/
Zardozi
Zardozi or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from Classical Persian زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; fa, label=Modern Persian, زَردوزی, translit=zarduzi; hi, ज़रदोज़ी, tg, зардӯзӣ, ur, زردوزی ...
etc.), used to make a farshi gharara mainly reflects the grandeur and extravagance of the nobles and rulers of that era.
Different eras brought changes to the fashion and cuts of the dress. These variations were also dependent from one princely state's court to another.
Modified, smaller-length versions are still, but rarely, worn by women in weddings 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 ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
to recreate bygone elegance.
Movies such as '' Umrao Jaan'' (1981) and ''
Shatranj Ke Khilari
''Shatranj Ke Khilari'', also subtitled and later internationally released with the translated title ''The Chess Players'', is a 1977 Indian film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name ...
'' (1977) that depict Muslim culture of 19th-century Lucknow show noblewomen and royal courtesans wearing farshi pajamas.