Sari

A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std=ISO
* hi, साड़ी, sāṛī, translit-std=ISO
* kn, ಸೀರೆ, sīre, translit-std=ISO
* knn, साडी, कापड, चीरे, sāḍī, kāpaḍ, cīrē, translit-std=ISO
* ml, സാരി, sāri, translit-std=ISO
* mr, साडी, sāḍī, translit-std=ISO
* ne, सारी, sārī, translit-std=ISO
* or, ଶାଢ଼ୀ, śāṛhī, translit-std=ISO
* pa, ਸਾਰੀ, sārī, translit-std=ISO
* ta, புடவை, puṭavai, translit-std=ISO
* te, చీర, cīra, translit-std=ISO
* ur, ساڑى, sāṛī, translit-std=ISO is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent, that consists of an un-stitched stretch of woven fabric arranged over the body as a robe, with one end tied to the waist, while the other end rests over one shoulder as a stole (shawl), sometimes baring a part of the midriff.Alkazi, Roshan (1983) "Ancient Indian costume", Art HeritageGhurye (1951) "Indian costume", Popular book depot (Bombay); (Includes rare photographs of 19th century Namboothiri and nair women in ancient sari with bare upper torso) It may vary from in length, and in breadth, and is form of ethnic wear in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. There are various names and styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style.Linda Lynton(1995), The Sari: Styles, Patterns, History, Technique , page 187; Quote: ''It is in the Karnataka (Mysore) and western Maharashtran area that the nivi style is believed to have originated.''. The sari is worn with a fitted bodice commonly called a choli ( or in southern India, and in Nepal) and a petticoat called , , or . It remains fashionable in the Indian Subcontinent today.

Etymology

The Hindustani word (, ), described in Sanskrit which means 'strip of cloth' and or in Pali, and which evolved to in modern Indian languages. The word is mentioned as describing women's dharmic attire in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist literature called Jatakas.Sachidanand, Sahay (1975) Indian costume, coiffure, and ornament. Chapter 2 'Female Dress', Munshiram Manoharlal publishers Pvt Ltd. pp 31–55 This could be equivalent to the modern day sari. The term for female bodice, the evolved from ancient .Prachya Pratibha, 1978 "Prachya Pratibha, Volume 6", p.121Agam Kala Prakashan, 1991 "Costume, coiffure, and ornaments in the temple sculpture of northern Andhra", p.118 '' Rajatarangini'', a tenth-century literary work by Kalhana, states that the choli from the Deccan was introduced under the royal order in Kashmir.

The petticoat is called (, ) in Hindi-Urdu, () in Marathi, () in Tamil ( in other parts of South India: ml, പാവാട, pāvāṭa, translit-std=ISO, te, పావడ, pāvaḍa, translit-std=ISO, kn, ಪಾವುಡೆ, pāvuḍe, translit-std=ISO), () in Bengali and eastern India, and () in Sinhalese. Apart from the standard "petticoat", it may also be called "inner skirt" or an inskirt.

Origins and history

History of Sari-like drapery is traced back to the Indus Valley civilisation, which flourished during 2800–1800 BCE around the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. Cotton was first cultivated and woven on the Indian subcontinent around the 5th millennium BCE. Dyes used during this period are still in use, particularly indigo, lac, red madder and turmeric. Silk was woven around 2450 BCE and 2000 BCE.

The word ''sari'' evolved from ( sa, शाटिका) mentioned in earliest Hindu literature as women's attire.Mohapatra, R. P. (1992) "Fashion styles of ancient India", B. R. Publishing corporation, The sari or evolved from a three-piece ensemble comprising the , the lower garment; the ; a veil worn over the shoulder or the head; and the , a chestband. This ensemble is mentioned in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist Pali literature during the 6th century BCE. Ancient antariya closely resembled the ''dhoti'' wrap in the "fishtail" version which was passed through the legs, covered the legs loosely and then flowed into long, decorative pleats at front of the legs. It further evolved into ''Bhairnivasani'' skirt, today known as '' ghagri'' and ''lehenga''. Uttariya was a shawl-like veil worn over the shoulder or head. It evolved into what is known today known as dupatta and ghoonghat. Likewise, the evolved into the ''choli'' by the 1st century CE.

The ancient Sanskrit work ''Kadambari'' by Banabhatta and ancient Tamil poetry, such as the '' Silappadhikaram'', describes women in exquisite drapery or sari. In ancient India, although women wore saris that bared the midriff, the Dharmasastra writers stated that women should be dressed such that the navel would never become visible, which may have led to a taboo on navel exposure at some times and places.Encyclopedia of Indian Women Through the Ages: Ancient India – Simmi Jain

It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments for lower body and sometimes shawls or scarf like garment called 'uttariya' for upper body, have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years. In ancient couture the lower garment was called ' nivi' or 'nivi bandha', while the upper body was mostly left bare. The works of Kalidasa mention the , a form of tight fitting breast band that simply covered the breasts. It was also sometimes referred to as an or .

Poetic references from works like Silappadikaram indicate that during the Sangam period in ancient Tamil Nadu in southern India, a single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and head covering, leaving the midriff completely uncovered. Similar styles of the sari are recorded paintings by Raja Ravi Varma in Kerala. Numerous sources say that everyday costume in ancient India until recent times in Kerala consisted of a pleated dhoti or (sarong) wrap, combined with a breast band called or and occasionally a wrap called that could at times be used to cover the upper body or head. The two-piece Kerala mundum neryathum (mundu, a dhoti or sarong, neryath, a shawl, in Malayalam) is a survival of ancient clothing styles. The one-piece sari in Kerala is derived from neighbouring Tamil Nadu or Deccan during medieval period based on its appearance on various temple murals in medieval Kerala.Miller, Daniel & Banerjee, Mukulika; (2004) "The Sari", Lustre press / Roli books

Early Sanskrit literature has a wide vocabulary of terms for the veiling used by women, such as ''Avagunthana'' (oguntheti/oguṇthikā), meaning cloak-veil, ''Uttariya'' meaning shoulder-veil, ''Mukha-pata'' meaning face-veil and ''Sirovas-tra'' meaning head-veil.Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1951) "Indian Costume.", p.236 In the ''Pratimānātaka'', a play by Bhāsa describes in context of ''Avagunthana'' veil that "''ladies may be seen without any blame (for the parties concerned) in a religious session, in marriage festivities, during a calamity and in a forest''". The same sentiment is more generically expressed in later Sanskrit literature.Sulochana Ayyar (1987) "Costumes and Ornaments as Depicted in the Sculptures of Gwalior Museum.", p.152 Śūdraka, the author of Mṛcchakatika set in fifth century BCE says that the ''Avagaunthaha'' was not used by women everyday and at every time. He says that a married lady was expected to put on a veil while moving in the public. This may indicate that it was not necessary for unmarried females to put on a veil. This form of veiling by married women is still prevalent in Hindi-speaking areas, and is known as '' ghoonghat'' where the loose end of a sari is pulled over the head to act as a facial veil.

Based on sculptures and paintings, tight bodices or ''cholis'' are believed to have evolved between the 2nd century BCE to 6th century CE in various regional styles. Early ''cholis'' were front covering tied at the back; this style was more common in parts of ancient northern India. This ancient form of bodice or choli are still common in the state of Rajasthan today. Varies styles of decorative traditional embroidery like gota patti, mochi, pakko, kharak, suf, kathi, phulkari and gamthi are done on ''cholis''. In Southern parts of India, choli is known as ''ravikie'' which is tied at the front instead of back, kasuti is traditional form of embroidery used for cholis in this region.History of Kasuti is mentioned by In Nepal, choli is known as ''cholo'' or ''chaubandi cholo'' and is traditionally tied at the front.

Red is the most favoured colour for wedding saris, which are the traditional garment choice for brides in Hindu wedding. Women traditionally wore various types of regional handloom saris made of silk, cotton, ikkat, block-print, embroidery and tie-dye textiles. Most sought after brocade silk saris are Banasari, Kanchipuram, Gadwal, Paithani, Mysore, Uppada, Bagalpuri, Balchuri, Maheshwari, Chanderi, Mekhela, Ghicha, Narayan pet and Eri etc. are traditionally worn for festive and formal occasions. Silk Ikat and cotton saris known as Patola, Pochampally, Bomkai, Khandua, Sambalpuri, Gadwal, Berhampuri, Bargarh, Jamdani, Tant, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Narayan pet, Chanderi, Maheshwari, Nuapatn, Tussar, Ilkal, Kotpad and Manipuri were worn for both festive and everyday attire. Tie-dyed and block-print saris known as Bandhani, Leheria/Leheriya, Bagru, Ajrakh, Sungudi, Kota Dabu/Dabu print, Bagh and Kalamkari were traditionally worn during monsoon season. Gota Patti is popular form of traditional embroidery used on saris for formal occasions, various other types of traditional folk embroidery such mochi, pakko, kharak, suf, kathi, phulkari and gamthi are also commonly used for both informal and formal occasion. Today, modern fabrics like polyester, georgette and charmeuse are also commonly used.

Styles of draping

There are more than 80 recorded ways to wear a sari. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the midriff. However, the sari can be draped in several different styles, though some styles do require a sari of a particular length or form. Ṛta Kapur Chishti, a sari historian and recognised textile scholar, has documented 108 ways of wearing a sari in her book, 'Saris: Tradition and Beyond'. The book documents the sari drapes across fourteen states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The French cultural anthropologist and sari researcher Chantal Boulanger categorised sari drapes in the following families:Boulanger, Chantal; (1997) ''Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping'', Shakti Press International, New York.

The Sari Series, a non-profit project created in 2017 is a digital anthology documenting India's regional sari drapes providing over 80 short films on how-to-drape the various styles.
* Nivi sari – style originally worn in Deccan region; besides the modern nivi, there is also the ''Nauvari'', ''kaccha'' or ''kasta nivi'', where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into at the back. This allows free movement while covering the legs.
* Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarati, Rajasthani – It is worn similar to nivi style but with loose end of sari ''aanchal'' or ''pallu'' placed in the front, therefore this style is known as ''sidha anchal'' or ''sidha pallu''. After tucking in the pleats similar to the nivi style, the loose end is taken from the back, draped across the right shoulder, and pulled across to be secured in the back. This style is also worn by Punjabi and Sindhi Hindus.
* Bengali and Odia style is worn with single box-pleat. Traditionally the Bengali style is worn with single box pleat where the sari is wrapped around in an anti-clockwise direction around the waist and then a second time from the other direction. The loose end is a lot longer and that goes around the body over the left shoulder. There is enough cloth left to cover the head as well.
* Himalayan - Kulluvi Pattu is traditional form of woolen sari worn in Himachal Pradesh, similar variation is also worn in Uttarakhand.
* Nepali: Nepal has many different varieties of draping sari, today the most common is the Nivi drape. The traditional Newari sari drape is, folding the sari till it is below knee length and then wearing it like a nivi sari but the pallu is not worn across the chest and instead is tied around the waist and leaving it so it drops from waist to the knee, instead the pallu or a shawl is tied across the chest, by wrapping it from the right hip and back and is thrown over the shoulders. Saris are worn with blouse that are thicker and are tied several times across the front. The Bhojpuri and Awadhi speaking community wears the sari sedha pallu like the Gujrati drape. The Mithila community has its own traditional Maithili drapes like the madhubani and purniea drapes but today those are rare and most sari is worn with the pallu in the front or the nivi style. The women of the Rajbanshi communities traditionally wear their sari with no choli and tied below the neck like a towel but today only old women wear it in that style and the nivi and the Bengali drapes are more popular today. The Nivi drape was popularized in Nepal by the Shah royals and the Ranas.
* Nauvari and Kasta: this drape is worn similar to ancient form of navi sari worn in ''"Kacche"'' style where pleats in the front are tucked in the back, though there are many regional and societal variations. The style worn by Brahmin women differs from that of the Marathas. The style also differs from community to community. This style is popular in Maharashtra and Goa.
* Madisar – this drape is typical of Iyengar/Iyer Brahmin ladies from Tamil Nadu. Traditional Madisar is worn using 9 yards sari. The Parsi ‘gara’ is a quintessence of embroidery, art and history, and it has a Chinese link
* Pin Kosuvam - this is the traditional Tamil Nadu style
* The Brahmika sari was introduced to Bengal by Jnanadanandini Devi after her tour in Bombay in 1870. Jnanadanandini improvised upon the sari style worn by Parsi and Gujarati women, which came to be known as Brahmika style.
* Kodagu style – this drape is confined to ladies hailing from the Kodagu district of Karnataka. In this style, the pleats are created in the rear, instead of the front. The loose end of the sari is draped back-to-front over the right shoulder, and is pinned to the rest of the sari.
* ''Gobbe Seere'' – This style is worn by women in the Malnad or Sahyadri and central region of Karnataka. It is worn with 18 molas sari with three-four rounds at the waist and a knot after crisscrossing over shoulders.
* Karnataka – In Karnataka, apart from traditional Nivi sari, sari is also worn in ''"Karnataka Kacche"'' drape, kacche drape which shows nivi drape in front and kacche in back, there are Four kacche styles known in Karnataka - "''Hora kacche''", "''Melgacche''" ,"''Vala kacche''" or "''Olagacche''" and "'' Hale Kacche''".
* Kerala sari style – the two-piece sari, or Mundum Neryathum, worn in Kerala. Usually made of unbleached cotton and decorated with gold or coloured stripes and/or borders. Also the Kerala sari, a sort of mundum neryathum.
* Kunbi style or ''denthli'': Goan Kunbis and Gauda, and those of them who have migrated to other states use this way of draping sari or ''kappad'', this form of draping is created by tying a knot in the fabric below the shoulder and a strip of cloth which crossed the left shoulder was fasten on the back.
* Riha-Mekhela, Kokalmora, Chador/Murot Mora Gamusa - This style worn in Assam is a wrap around style cloth similar to other wrap-around from other parts of South-East Asia and is actually very different in origin from the Mainland Indian sari. It is originally a four-set of separate garments (quite dissimilar to the sari as it is a single cloth) known ''Riha-Mekhela, Kokalmora, Chador/Murot Mora Gamusa''. The bottom portion, draped from the waist downwards is called ''Mekhela''. The ''Riha'' or ''Methoni'' is wrapped and often secured by tying them firmly across the chest, covering the breasts originally but now it is sometimes replaced by the influence of immigrant Mainland Indian styles which is traditionally incorrect. The ''Kokalmora'' was used originally to tie the ''Mekhela'' around the waist and keep it firm.
* ''Innaphi'' and ''Phanek'' - This style of clothing worn in Manipur is also worn with three-set garment known as ''Innaphi'' Viel, ''Phanek'' lower wrap and long sleeved ''choli''. It is somewhat similar to the style of clothing worn in Assam.
* Jainsem - It is a Khasi style of clothing worn in Khasi which is made up of several pieces of cloth, giving the body a cylindrical shape.

Historic photographs and regional styles

File:Shri Lakshmi Lustrated by Elephants (Gaja-Lakshmi) LACMA M.85.62 (cropped).jpg, Lakshmi depicted in ancient variation of sari, 1st century BCE
File:Ajanta Paintings.jpg, Women in ''choli'' (blouse) and antariya , Gupta Empire
File:Detail of a leaf with the birth of mahavira.jpg, Kalpa Sūtra manuscript
File:Green Tara. Sumtsek hall at Alci monastery, Ladakh, ca. 11th century.jpg, Green Tara depicted with sari,
File:Lovers in graden, Deccan, 1600 CE.jpg, Woman dressed in sari, deccan, ca. 1600
File:Women in Garden, Deccan, 1565 CE.jpg, Women dressed in sari, deccan, ca. 1565
File:Flames of unrequited passion arise from Mahji as she mourns for her lost beloved. Deccan, c. 1600.jpg, Women dressed in sari, ca. 1600
File:Gujrati Sari.jpg, Girl in Gujarati sari; in this style, the loose end is worn on the front
File:Tamil Sari.jpg, Woman in Tamil sari; in this style, the loose end is wrapped around the waist
File:Bengali Sari.jpg, Girl in Bengali sari; in this style sari is worn without any pleats
File:Ceylon India 1880.jpg, Kandyan Sinhalese lady wearing a traditional Kandyan sari ()
File:Girl standing in a veranda wearing a Pochampalli sari.jpg, Girl in nivi Pochampally ikat sari, 1895 CE
File:Marathi Women.jpg, Woman in Nauvari sari
File:Mysore Women.jpg, A member of the royal family of Mysore in Mysore sari
File:Karnataka kacche drape.jpg, Women depicted in Melgacche drape, from Karnataka , Kannada manuscript 16th17th century
File:Hale Kacche sari(ಹಳೆಕಚ್ಚೆ ಸೀರೆ).jpg, Sari draping style of Karnataka, Hale Kacche sari/ಹಳೆಕಚ್ಚೆ ಸೀರೆ.
File:Telugu Lady.jpg, Woman in Nivi sari & vaddanam
File:Newar bride 1941.jpg, Women in Nepali style sari, 1941

Nivi style

The Nivi in most common style of sari worn today, which originated in Deccan region. In the Deccan region the Nivi existed in two styles, a style similar to modern Nivi and the second style worn with front pleats of Nivi tucked in the back.

The increased interactions during colonial era saw most women from royal families come out of purdah in the 1900s. This necessitated a change of dress. Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar popularised the chiffon sari. She was widowed early in life and followed the convention of abandoning her richly woven Baroda shalus in favour of the unadorned mourning white as per tradition. Characteristically, she transformed her " mourning" clothes into high fashion. She had saris woven in France to her personal specifications, in white chiffon, and introduced the silk chiffon sari to the royal fashion repertoire.

Under colonial rule, petticoat was adopted, along with Victorian styles of puffed-sleeved blouses, which was commonly seen among the elites in Bombay presidency and Bengal presidency. Nivi drape starts with one end of the sari tucked into the waistband of the petticoat, usually a plain skirt. The cloth is wrapped around the lower body once, then hand-gathered into even pleats below the navel. The pleats are tucked into the waistband of the petticoat.Dongerkerry, Kamala, S. (1959) ''The Indian sari''. New Delhi. They create a graceful, decorative effect which poets have likened to the petals of a flower. After one more turn around the waist, the loose end is draped over the shoulder. The loose end is called the ''aanchal'', ''pallu'', ''pallav'', ''seragu'', or ''paita'' depending on the language. It is draped diagonally in front of the torso. It is worn across the right hip to over the left shoulder, partly baring the midriff. The navel can be revealed or concealed by the wearer by adjusting the ''pallu'', depending on the social setting. The long end of the ''pallu'' hanging from the back of the shoulder is often intricately decorated. The ''pallu'' may be hanging freely, tucked in at the waist, used to cover the head, or used to cover the neck, by draping it across the right shoulder as well. Some Nivi styles are worn with the ''pallu'' draped from the back towards the front, coming from the back over the right shoulder with one corner tucked by the left hip, covering the torso/waist. The Nivi sari was popularised through the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma.Miller, Daniel & Banerjee, Mukulika, ''The Sari'' (2004), Lustre press / Roli books. In one of his paintings, the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing Nivi sari. The ornaments sometimes worn in the midriff region on top of a sari are waist chains. They are sometimes worn as a part of bridal jewellery.

Professional style of draping

Because of the harsh extremes in temperature on the Indian subcontinent, the sari fills a practical role as well as a decorative one. It is not only warming in winter and cooling in summer, but its loose-fitting tailoring is preferred by women who must be free to move as their duties require. For this reason, it is the uniform of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Air India uniform for air hostesses. An air hostess-style sari is draped in similar manner to a traditional sari, but most of the pleats are pinned to keep them in place. Bangladeshi female newsreaders and anchors also drape their sari in this particular style.

Saris are worn as uniforms by the female hotel staff of many five-star luxury hotels in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh as the symbol of Indian, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi culture, respectively.

Similarly, the female politicians of all three countries wear the sari in a professional manner. Bangladeshi politicians usually wear saris with long sleeve blouse while covering their midriff. Some politicians pair up saris with hijabs or shawls for more coverage.

The women of the Nehru–Gandhi family like Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have worn a special blouse for the campaign trail which is longer than usual and is tucked in to prevent any midriff showing while waving to the crowds. Stylist Prasad Bidapa has to say, "I think Sonia Gandhi is the country's most stylish politician. But that's because she's inherited the best collection of saris from her mother-in-law. I'm also happy that she supports the Indian handloom industry with her selection."

Most female MPs in the Sri Lankan Parliament wear a Kandyan osari. This includes prominent women in politics, the first female premier in the world, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Contemporary examples include Pavithra Wanniarachchi, the sitting health minister in Cabinet. The adoption of the sari is not exclusive to Sinhalese politicians; Muslim MP Ferial Ashraff

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