Clothing in India
Historically, clothing has evolved from simple garments like kaupina, langota, achkan, lungi, sari, to perform rituals and dances.
India's recorded history of clothing goes back to the fifth millennium BC in the Indus Valley Civilisation where cotton was spun, woven and dyed.
Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian described Indian cotton as "a wool exceeding in beauty and goodness that of sheep".
The grand epic Mahabharata, composed in about 400 BC, tells of the god Krishna staving off Draupadi's disrobing by bestowing an unending cheera upon her.
[4][better source needed] Most of the present knowledge of ancient Indian clothing comes from rock sculptures and paintings in cave monuments such as Ellora.
The upper castes dressed in fine muslin and wore gold ornaments[5] The Indus civilisation also knew the process of silk production.
During the Mughal period (1556–1707), when kimkhwāb was extremely popular with the rich, the great centres of brocade weaving were Benares (Vārānasi), Ahmādābād, Surat, and Aurangābād.
Nearchus says that the Indians dye their beards various colours; some that they may appear white as the whitest, others dark blue; others have them red, others purple, and others green.
"Evidence from the first century AD shows the Buddhas were portrayed as wearing saṃghāti that forms a part of the Kasaya of Buddhist monks.
[citation needed] New trade routes, both overland and overseas, created a cultural exchange with Central Asia and Europe.
Chanakya's treatise on public administration, the Arthashastra written around the third century BC, briefly describes the norms followed in silk weaving.
[18] A story says that the Roman emperor Aurelian received a purple pallium from a Persian king, made of Asian wool of the finest quality.
In many rural parts of India, traditional clothing is still worn today due to ease of materials, comfort and accessibility.
These include: Sambalpuri Saree from East, Mysore silk and Ilkal of Karnataka and, Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu from South, Paithani from Maharashtra and Banarasi from North among others.
Teenage girls may wear half-sarees, a three-piece set consisting of a langa, a choli and a stole wrapped over it like a saree.
[citation needed] The most significant rignai is called the "Chamathwi bar" and comprises white cloth bordered by maroon or other colors.
[39][40] Churidaar is a variation on the Punjabi suit which is worn by women across India as casual attire or dressed up for occasions as an alternative to the sari or lehenga choli.
Popular among unmarried women other than Gagra choli and Langa voni are kurta tops worn over jeans or light cotton trousers.
[43] Pattu Pavadai or Langa davani is a traditional dress in south India, usually worn by teenage and small girls.
This is a type of South Indian dress mainly worn in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, as well as in some parts of Kerala.
[44] A kaupinam is unsewn while the langota is a sewn loincloth typically worn as underwear in dangal held in akharas, especially wrestling, in order to prevent hernias and hydrocele.
In India, the achkan is generally worn for formal occasions in winter, especially by those from Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad.
Historically, the Angrakha was a court outfit that a person could wrap around himself, offering flexible ease with the knots and ties appropriate for wearing in the various principalities of ancient India.
Other types of headgear such as the Taqiyah and Gandhi cap are worn by different communities within the country to signify a common ideology or interest.
The practice of wearing a Gandhi cap was carried on even after independence and became a symbolic tradition for politicians and social activists.
[68] One of India's most famous exports was the Kashmir shawl, distinctive for its Kashmiri weave, and traditionally made of shahtoosh or pashmina wool.
In the late 18th century, it arrived in Europe, where its use by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Empress Joséphine of France popularised it as a symbol of exotic luxury and status.
It became a toponym for the Kashmir region itself (as cashmere), inspiring mass-produced imitation industries in Europe, and popularising the buta, today known as the Paisley motif.
Today, it continues to be a symbol of luxury in the Western world, commonly used as a gift to visiting dignitaries and used by public figures.
Women's clothing in India nowadays consists of both formal and casual wear such as gowns, pants, shirts, and tops.
