SAREE

A sari or saree is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular inIndia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma, Mauritius, and Malaysia. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat or "lehenga" in the north, langa/pavada/pavadai in the south, chaniyo, parkar in the west, and shayain eastern India), with a blouse known as a choli or ravika forming the upper garment. The choli has short sleeves and a low neck and is usually cropped, and as such is particularly well-suited for wear in the sultry South Asian summers. Cholis may be backless or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with plenty of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery, and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a short-sleeved shirt tucked in at the waist. The sari developed as a garment of its own in both South and North India at around the same time, and is in popular culture an epitome of Indian culture Origin and history The word sari is derived from Sanskrit which means 'strip of cloth' and or s in Prakrit, and which was corrupted to s in Hindi. In the history of Indian clothing the sari is traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, which flourished during 2800-1800 BC around the western part of theIndian subcontinent. The earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus Valley priest wearing a drape. Ancient Tamil poetry, such as the Silappadhikaram and the Sanskrit work, Kadambari by Banabhatta, describes women in exquisite drapery or sari. 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 sari.[8] Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st-6th century AD) 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.

Other sources say that everyday costume consisted of a dhoti or lungi (sarong), combined with a breast band and a veil or wrap that could 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 Indian clothing styles. The one-piece sari is a modern innovation, created by combining the two pieces of the mundum neryathum. It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls, and veils have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years. The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. Choli evolved as a form of clothing in 10th century AD and the first cholis were only front covering, the back was always bare but covered with end of saris pallu or veil. Bodics of this type are still common in state of Rajasthan. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is indeed documented that women from many communities wore only the sari and exposed the upper part of the body till the 20th century. Poetic references from works like Silappadikaram indicate that during the Sangam period in ancient Tamil Nadu, 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 paintings by Raja Ravi Varma. Styles of Draping

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 stomach. However, the sari can be draped in several different styles, though some styles do require a sari of a particular length or form. The French cultural anthropologist and sari researcher Chantal Boulangercategorized sari drapes in the following families:

Nivi styles originally worn in Andhra Pradesh; besides the modern nivi, there is also the kaccha nivi, where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into the waist at the back. This allows free movement while covering the legs. Bengali and Oriya style. Gujarati this style differs from the nivi only in the manner that the loose end is handled: in this style, the loose end is draped over the right shoulder rather than the left, and is also draped back-to-front rather than the other way around. Maharashtrian/Konkani/Kashta; this drape is very similar to that of the male Maharashtrian dhoti. The center of the sari (held lengthwise) is placed at the center back, the ends are brought forward and tied securely, then the two ends are wrapped around the legs. When worn as a sari, an extra-long cloth is used and the ends are then passed up over the shoulders and the upper body. They are primarily worn by Brahmin women of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh andGoa.

Dravidian sari drapes worn in Tamil Nadu; many feature a pinkosu, or pleated rosette, at the waist. Madisaara style this drape is typical of Iyengar/Iyer Brahmin ladies from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala 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 saree with three four rounds at the waist and a knot after crisscrossing over shoulders. Gond sari styles found in many parts of Central India. The cloth is first draped over the left shoulder, then arranged to cover the body. Malayali style - the two-piece sari, or Mundum Neryathum, worn in Kerala. Usually made of unbleached cotton and decorated with gold or colored stripes and/or borders. Also the Set-saree, a sort of mundum neryathum. Tribal styles often secured by tying them firmly across the chest, covering the breasts. Kunbi style or denthli:Goan Gauda and Kunbis,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.

The nivi style is today's most popular sari style. The 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 just below the navel. The pleats are also tucked into the waistband of the petticoat. 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 pallu or pallav or 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 in which the sari is being worn. The long end of the pallu hanging from the back of the shoulder is often intricately decorated. The pallau may either be left hanging freely,tucked in at the waist,

used to cover the head, or just 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 of the pallu tucked by the left hip, covering the torso/waist. The Nivi sari was popularised through the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. In one of his painting the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing nivi sari. Eastern styles

Sambalpuri Saree silk & Cotton Sambalpur, Orissa Ikkat Silk & Cotton Bargarh, Orissa Tangail cotton Bangladesh Jamdani Bangladesh Muslin Bangladesh Rajshahi Silk Bangladesh Tussar Silk Bihar Mooga silk Assam Tant famous Bengali cotton Shantipur, West Bengal Dhaniakhali cotton West Bengal Murshidabad silk West Bengal Baluchari silk West Bengal Khandua Silk & Cotton Cuttack, Orissa Bomkai/Sonepuri Sari Silk & Cotton Subarnapur, Orissa Berhampuri Silk Bramhapur, Orissa Mattha or Tussar Silk Mayurbhanj, Orissa Bapta Silk & Cotton Koraput, Orissa Tanta Cotton Balasore, Orissa Shantipur Cotton West Bengal Phulia Cotton West Bengal Banarasi Uttar Pradesh Shalu Uttar Pradesh

Northern styles

Tanchoi; Uttar Pradesh

Western styles

Paithani Maharashtra Bandhani Gujarat and Rajasthan Kota doria Rajasthan Lugade Maharashtra Patola Gujarat

Central styles

Chanderi Madhya Pradesh Maheshwari Madhya Pradesh Kosa silk Chattisgarh

Southern styles

Kanchipuram (locally called Kanjivaram) Tamil Nadu Kumbakonam Tamil Nadu Set Saree; Kerala Neriyathu Saree; Kerala HAlf saree; Kerala Thirubuvabam Tamil Nadu Thanjavur Tamil Nadu Arani Tamil Nadu Pochampally Andhra Pradesh (GI rights applied)[22] Venkatagiri Andhra Pradesh Gadwal Andhra Pradesh Narayanpet Andhra Pradesh Mangalagiri Andhra Pradesh Balarampuram Kerala

Madurai Tamil Nadu

Guntur Andhra Pradesh

Mysore silk Karnataka Ilkal Karnataka