Clothing
In India
Clothing in India varies
from region to region depending on the ethnicity, geography, climate and
cultural traditions of the people of that region. Historically, men and women
clothing has evolved from simple Langotas, and loincloths to cover the body to
elaborate costumes not only used in daily wear but also on festive occasions as
well as rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western clothing is
common and uniformly worn by people of all strata. India also has a great
diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colours and material of clothing. Colour
codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. For
instance, Hindu ladies wear white clothes to indicate mourning, while Parsis
and Christians wear white to weddings
History
According to the Greek historian Arrian
"The Indians use
linen clothing, as says Nearchus, made from the flax taken from the trees,
about which I have already spoken. And this flax is either whiter in colour
than any other flax, or the people being black make the flax appear whiter.
They have a linen frock reaching down halfway between the knee and the ankle,
and a garment which is partly thrown round the shoulders and partly rolled
round the head. The Indians who are very well-off wear earrings of ivory; for
they do not all wear them. 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. Those who are of
any rank have umbrellas held over them in the summer. They wear shoes of white
leather, elaborately worked, and the soles of their shoes are many-coloured and
raised high, in order that they may appear taller."
A variety of weaving
techniques were employed in ancient India, many of which survive to the present
day. Silk and cotton were woven into various designs and motifs, each region
developing its distinct style and technique. Famous among these weaving styles
were the Jamdani, Kasika vastra of Varanasi, butidar and the Ilkal saree. with
gold and silver threads and were deeply influenced by Persian designs. The
Mughals played a vital role in the enhancement of the art, and the paisley and
Latifa Buti are fine examples of Mughal influence
Dyeing of clothes in
ancient India was practised as an art form. Five primary colours
(Suddha-varnas) were identified and complex colours (Misra – varnas) were
categorised by their many hues. Sensitivity was shown to the most subtlest of
shades; the ancient treatise, Vishnudharmottara states five tones of white,
namely Ivory, Jasmine, August moon, August clouds after the rain and the conch
shell and safflower. prevalent in India since the second millennium BC were the
chief exports.
Integral to the history
of Indian clothing is the Kashmiri shawl. Kashmiri shawl varieties include the
Shahtoosh, popularly known as the 'ring shawl' and the pashmina wool shawls,
historically called pashm. Textiles of wool finds mention as long back as the
Vedic times in association with Kashmir; the Rig Veda refers to the Valley of
Sindh as being abundant in sheep,garments',mentioned in Afghan texts of the 3rd
century BC, but reference to the Kashmir work is done in the 16th century AD.
The sultan of Kashmir, Zain-ul-Abidin is generally credited with the founding
of the industry.purple pallium from a Persian king, made of Asian wool of the
finest quality.cochineal insects and purple obtained by a mixture of red and
blue from indigo using weaving spools with coloured thread called kani and a
single shawl taking more than a year for completion and requiring 100 to 1500
kanis depending on the degree of elaboration.
Indian textiles were
traded from ancient times with China, Southeast Asia and the Roman Empire. The
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions mallow cloth, muslins and coarse
cottons.Port towns like Masulipatnam and Barygaza won fame for its production
of muslins and fine cloth. Trade with the Arabs who were middlemen in the spice
trade between India and Europe brought Indian textiles into Europe, where it
was favored by royalty in the 17th–18th century.French and British East India
Companies competed for monopoly of the spice trade in the Indian Ocean, but
were posed with the problem of payment for spices, which was in gold or silver.
To counter this problem, bullion was sent to India to trade for the textiles, a
major portion of which were subsequently traded for spices in other trade
posts, which then were traded along with the remaining textiles in London.
Printed Indian calicos, chintz, muslins and patterned silk flooded the English
market and in time the designs were copied onto imitation prints by English
textile manufacturers, reducing the dependence on India.
The British rule in
India and the subsequent oppression following the Bengal Partition sparked a
nationwide Swadeshi movement. One of the integral aims of the movement was to
attain self-sufficiency, and to promote Indian goods while boycotting British
goods in the market.was idealised in the production of Khadi. Khadi and its
products were encouraged by the nationalist leaders over British goods, while
also being seen as a means to empower the rural artisans
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