Kurta
It is worn plain or with embroidered decoration, such as chikan; and it can be loose or tight in the torso, typically falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer.
[4] The front and back of a traditional kurta are made of rectangular pieces, and its side-seams are left open at the bottom, up to varying lengths, to enable ease of movement.
[9] Young women and girls in urban areas are increasingly wearing kurtis, which are short hip-length kurtas, with jeans or leggings, in addition to more traditional lower-body garments.
[10] kurta (n): A loose collarless shirt worn by people from South Asia, usually with a salwar, churidars, or pyjama.
[19] with Mahmud of Ghazni, the floodgates opening with the Muslim conquests of the late 12th century, until the kurta became an item of common attire during the early modern era.
According to Alkazi:[18] ...In the Ghaznavid period, we have only one clear visual reference to their actual costume, those worn by the Mamluk (slave) palace guards of Mahmud of Ghazni, in the wall paintings of Lashkari Bazaar in Afghanistan.
The side seams are left open for 6-12 inches above the hem, also referred to as the chāk, which gives the wearer some ease of movement.
(Note: chāk derives from the Persian "چاك ćāk, Fissure, cleft, rent, slit, a narrow opening intentionally left in clothes).
A very common fabric for the kurta pajama is linen, or a linen-cotton mix ideal for both summers and winters.
[citation needed] Kurtas are typically fastened with tasselled ties, cloth balls, and loops, or buttons.
Kurtas worn on formal occasions might feature decorative metal buttons, which are not sewn to the fabric, but, like cufflinks, are fastened into the cloth when needed.
[citation needed] Tailors from the South Asia command a vast repertoire of methods, traditional and modern, for decorating fabric.
Many light summer kurtas feature Chikan embroidery, a specialty of Lucknow, around the hems and front opening.
[23][note 1] The Hyderabadi kurta is named after the former royal state of Hyderabad and is a short top which sits around the waist, with a keyhole neck opening.
Over the kurta, some versions have net material, the combination of which is called jaali karga, worn by men and women.
Traditional Punjabi kurta of the Punjab region is wide and falls to the knees[48] and is cut straight.
[54] The wife was thus granted a divorce on the ground of cruelty as defined under section 27(1)(d) of Special Marriage Act, 1954.
However, traditionally, the kurti refers to waistcoats,[56] jackets and blouses[57] which sit above the waist without side slits, and are believed to have descended from the tunic of the Shunga period (2nd century B.C.).
