A saree is also called a sari and is a garment that is worn in special folds by a large number of Indian women. It is usually of 5-6 yards and is worn with a blouse which reaches just above the breast bone. The petticoat is the lower garment beneath the saree. Sarees come in all kinds of cloth be it cotton, silk, synthetic etc.
Sarees of particular cloth are specialties of certain regions for instance the kanjeewaram saree is a specialty of the south typically Tamil Nadu. The method of wearing sarees is also different in different states. For instance the Bengali women wear the sari in a different fashion than the people from the north part of India. Sari however can be classified as something that is worn by Hindu women only.
The style of draping the saree in the Andhra Pradesh is called nivi. Here the plates that are made are passed between the legs and tucked in behind the back. The Maharashtrian style of draping the saree is very similar to the way the men’s dhoti is worn. The original sarees were nine yards long as compared to the five to six yard saree worn today. The length was reduced for the sake of convenience.
Also in the yester years all the sarees were hand woven and required a lot of time to be made. The rich people could afford to wear sarees made of silk while the poor wore sarees of rough cotton only. The pallu of the saree that hangs freely was then as well as now decked with additional stuff like beads and the embroidery is heavier on this area. Saree is actually considered the traditional dress of the Indian Hindu women and also very popular with all foreign women who come to India. |
