Ethnic Dresses of India

India is a nation with vast and ancient traditions. The country blossoms with colourful traditional dresses that various communities and tribes of different states wear. Each state and region of India has its unique cultural heritage that is reflected in its dresses.

Indian clothing is extremely popular for its festive grace. Therefore, it is but natural that each of its regions has a unique and distinct dress for its men and women. Although many urban Indians wear the more conventional western dress, the exclusivity of Indian dresses can nevertheless be seen as a part of its ancient past and diverse traditions.

From Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, from Gujarat in the west to Assam in the east, the country's different regions possess an exclusive and vibrant range of dresses that can be identified as the region's very own. Men and women wear distinct and well-defined dresses that are made to go with the climate and ambience of the region they belong to. These dresses also reflect the culture and occupation of the people who wear them. An attempt has been made to cover the attires of some of the popular states of India as portrayed subsequently.

Ethnic Dresses in Northern India

In the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, the weather remains cold for the bulk of the year. Therefore, people wear a thick long dress called phiran, which is a voluminous Kashmiri gown. It is hemmed with a border and flows down in large-shaped folds. This dress is common to both men and women. The people of Laddhak wear a different dress. The men wear the goucha and the women wear the kuntop and the bok.

Punjab is famous for its phulkari work shawls that are worn along with tight fitting choli and ghaghra. Punjabi women wear a popular dress called salwar kameez along with bright coloured dupattas. Men typically wear a kurta along with a lunghi or pyjama. Punjab is also famous for its bhangra dress which includes a turla - a fan like adornment on the turban, the paggh - a turban especially designed for this occasion, kurta - a long and loose shirt, a lungi or chaddar to be worn around the waist, a juggi - which is a buttonless waistcoat worn around the waist, and rummal, with is a long and wide scarf worn on the finger.

The dresses of Haryana are also very colourful and vibrant. The simple yet vivacious lifestyle of this state pulsates as part of their dressing. Women wear Damaan, Kurti, and Chunder. Daman is an ankle-length skirt which comes in outstanding colours. Kurti is a shirt like blouse, which is usually white in colour. The chunder is a long coloured piece of cloth which is decorated with glittery laces. The men usually wear a dhoti along with a white coloured Kurta. The traditional head gear is called the paghri. The colour of the male dresses is usually white, which is considered to be a status symbol in society.

Ethnic Dresses in Western India

Women in Rajasthan wear long skirts that reach up to the ankle traditionally known as ghaghra. It is narrow at the waist and its width increases at the base. There are a number of pleats on the ghaghra, and it is said that pleats signify the wearer's wealth. Ghaghras come in a variety of styles, but the more famous ghaghras are the laharia, mothra and the chunaris styles. Men wear a turban and angarakha - a traditional dress worn above the waist. The two different types of angarakhas are frock style, waist-length kamari angarakha and the long angarakha which reaches below the knees. Along with the angarakha, dhotis or pyjamas are common to cover the lower part of the body. White dhotis are the norm, but people also wear silk dhotis with zari borders.

The traditional dress of Maharashtra is also very popular. Men wear a dhoti and shirt along with a head dress that is popularly known as a "pheta". The dhoti is usually around two and a half feet long with or without borders. The women wear sarees with a short sleeved choli (blouse). The sarees are typically worn tucked between the legs and are usually 9 m long.

The western state of Gujarat is also famous for its ethnic wear. A common type of dress worn by men in the rural areas is called 'chorno' for the lower part of the body. A 'kediyu' or angarakhu is used to cover the upper part of the body. Also included is a 'phento' or turban. Women in villages usually wear the chaniyo, which is a coloured petticoat, which is often embroidered with abhala, or round glass pieces. For the upper part of the body, women wear a bodice called the choli. Along with this dress is the odhani which is used to cover the head.

Ethnic Dresses in Eastern & North Eastern India

The state of West Bengal reflects its cultural traditions in its costumes. Though the traditional dress of women in West Bengal is the Bengali saree, a lot of women also wear the salwar kameez, which they have adopted from the traditional dress of Punjab. West Bengal is also renowned for its silk sarees and cotton sarees. Men wear the traditional dhoti and the panjabi. The panjabi is either made of cotton or silk. The dhoti is worn around the lower part of the body, while the panjabi is similar to the kurta worn as garment for the upper part of the body.

The state of Orissa, which is essentially a tribal dominated state, is also famous for its sarees with ikat patterns. The state is also famous for its ikat, bomkai, bandha and pasapalli patterns. Sambalpur and Cutaki sarees of Orissa are also famous across the country. Behrampuri silks are also very popular.

The typical traditional costume of many Assamese women is called the mekhla chadar. This dress resembles a saree, but yet is not a saree. Actually, a mekhla consists of two or three pieces of cloth, whereas a saree is a single length of cloth. One half of the mekhla is worn as the skirt or a lungi, while the other half called the chadar is used as the upper body dress for the skirt. A blouse is also worn below the chadar to complete the dress. There are a variety of beautiful patterns worn as part of these dresses. The men in Assam usually wear dhotis made of silk. They also wear a chalang, which is a scarf. Another traditional shirt called the 'sula' is also worn by Assamese men.

The north eastern states comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura are interdependent and have a lot of striking commonality between them. They also have a brilliant cultural background, and their dresses are eye capturing and striking. This is significant of the various ethnic tribes and cultures that intermingle there.

Ethnic Dresses in Southern India

The traditional dress of Kerala consists of mundu and neriyathu for both men and women. Saree and blouse also form a popular alternative as a traditional dress for women. Whle the mundu forms the lower garment, the neriyathu forms the upper garment. The mundu is hand-woven which is worn around the hips below the navel. It is generally cream or white in colour.

The mundu's border is coloured and is generally called the kara. For men, the traditional attire is the kasavu mundu. More popular in the rural areas, it is around three to four meters in length and has a silk border. Another popular dress for men is the kaily or lungi. This forms an informal dress for men. While going outdoors, the men generally wear a shirt and mundu while draping a small neriyathu on the shoulder.

The traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh is saree and blouse for women and dhoti and kurta for men. Some tribals of Andhra Pradesh have their own dresses such as lambadies, which are famous for their attractive and colourful garments. There are a lot of beads, sequins and mirror work studded on them. They also wear wide skirts in many bright shades of red, orange, and blue colours.

Women of Tamil Nadu wear a saree which has a special place in the costumes of Tamil Nadu. These are an essential part of the state's heritage. Sarees are extremely popular in Tamil Nadu, and are worn on a number of occasions. Of special mention are the Kanchipuram sarees which are extremely famous throughout the country and abroad. Sarees of Tamil Nadu usually are of five or six years in length. Some ceremonial sarees are also nine yards in length. The traditional costume of Tamil Nadu for women is generally the saree and the blouse, while men prefer to wear lungi or dhoti and angavasthram. However, many younger people today prefer wearing trousers and shirts instead of lungi and angavasthram.

In Karnataka, men wear lungi and shirt, along with an angavasthram, while women wear sarees and salvar suits. Kanchipurram sarees are also very famous in Karnataka.

Thus it can be seen that the costumes of South India intermingle with each other creating a harmonious blend of culture and tradition.

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In many ways, India's many traditions interweave with its dresses. However, with the onslaught of western culture, many people have taken to wearing a western styled dress which has diluted Indian culture to a considerable extent. Nevertheless, Indian culture is very much alive and throbbing, albeit there is now a need to preserve the country’s many cultural and dressing traditions from descending into oblivion.