Traditional Clothing of India
India is said to be the first place that cotton was grown as early as 2500 BC. The Harappan Civilization came from Africa around 40,000 BC. They were hunters and gatherers as many civilizations were at this time. Life was basic. Researchers believe that some time around 4000 BC these people started farming. Some believe that there was a warming trend during a certain period of time that made it hard to get water. This made it harder to find wild plants to eat so they moved. As cities became larger they found a way to channel the water to farm land. Irrigation was created and so came cotton among many edible foods.
Most of the people in India wear cotton cloths however the wealthy often wear silk. Some time around 1500 to 2000 BC the Aryan period women started to ware long pieces of cloth. They called it a sari which comes from a Sanskrit word which simply means cloth. The common women wore cotton sari’s and the wealthy women wore silk sari’s. They could be draped in many ways depending on what the women were doing. For a night on the town, the women may dress up and wear the sari’s like a skirt and then have a piece of it thrown over the shoulder. Over their heads like veils was also a common way to dress up. Draping for working is very different. They usually pulled the sari between the legs to be more like pants or shorts.
The men wore the dhoti which is also a wrapping cloth. It was a shorter piece of cloth because it didn’t need to cover the top. There style was like the women working style which had the cloth going between the legs and up. The men also wore long cloths of cotton on their heads like a wrap. They were called turbans. Today, as you spend time in India. You can find the Sari’s or dhoti in the markets or even the lobby gift shop of the heritage hotel. India has pride in the traditions of their clothing worn in many rich and shiny colors.
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