Fashion in Ancient India

FASHION IN ANCIENT INDIA.

Scouring the ancient Indian texts such as Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Upanishads reveal that the Aryans who inhabitant India several thousands of years ago, had a great sense of style in tune with simplicity. It also reveals their progress and knowledge of weaving various kinds of clothes, especially cotton and silk. Cotton was grown extensively and exclusively only in India during the early Vedic period.

During the mahabharata time, which dates back to some 5000 years ago, the Aryans had a simple dress code. The men wore ‘Dhoti’ below their waist up to the ankles and another ‘uparna’ of the same length around their upper body. This practice is followed in rural India even today.

There are references to the Greeks and the Romans in the epic and their style was similar and the length of the cloth also did not vary. But the Romans and Greeks tied the cloth around their waist in a circular manner whereas the Aryans formed the pleats and would tie a tail extension from the front- bring it back from in between the legs – tuck it to the back of the waist. Thus, the Aryans revealed better taste in styling of clothes and were well versed with the tying of the ‘Dhoti’, which was more practical and gave more freedom to the movement of legs.

The style and quality of the cloth varied across different classes according to the position in society and profession. The common-folk or working class wore clothes that were made of coarse and unevenly textured cotton which were usually white. The officers in the administration and the king’s court wore clothes made of fine and evenly textured cotton in varied hues and colors. The rich and nobles wore clothes made up of silk which was a bit coarse, but colorful.

            The ministers, princes and kings wore clothes made of super-fine silk and had superior colors. The king’s clothes were trimmed with expensive articles and woven with silver and gold threads to create different patterns and designs. The kings and princes also had a couple of yards long piece of cloth tied on the ‘dhoti’ around the hips and were pleated knotted at the front on the abdomen to justify their rank and position. It was topped up with a ‘cummer-bund’ i.e. a belt of gold encrusted with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones. A large ruby, diamonds or other gem was encrusted at the center of the ‘cummer-bund’ to signify his authority.

The common man wore clothes according to the profession he pursued. It he was a farmer he would use yellow or brown colored clothes. If he was a fisherman he would wear only a loincloth known as ‘langot’. If a cook, he wore black colored clothes due to smoke and grime involved in his profession. The keepers of stables and cowsheds would wear knee-length ‘dhoti. All of these had to forsake the ‘uparna  ‘ during work.

The priests would wear spotlessly white ‘dhoti’ and ‘uparna’ to signify the renouncing of the world. The head priest or "mahant" also known as ‘rajpurohit’ i.e. priests of the royal family, wore yellow colored clothes made of superfine cotton. The pradhan or the prime minister wore coarse silk or superfine silk depending on his experience, knowledge of the administration and the king’s confidence in him. It was certainly not as superfine as the prince or the king. It also had lesser trimmings and intricacies in weaving than the prince or the king. The same for nobles. The ascetics sometimes also wore ‘Valkalas’ made by weaving mats of grass. It symbolized renouncing worldly manifestations, artificial attachments and living in sync with nature.

The womenfolk also followed dress code according to rank and position.

The ‘dasi’ or maidservant wore coarse cotton clothes. If she was a close confidante of the queen or princess she wore superfine cotton and in some exceptional cases, the queen’s or princess’ cast-offs. The women’s dress code was in harmony to their husband’s profession. A priest’s wife wore green or red cotton sari known as ‘kanchuki’. A noble’s wife would be dressed in fine cotton in varied hues according to her husband’s rank. A minister’s wife would be dressed in superfine cotton or coarse to fine silk according to her husband’s position and office. The worker’s wife had to live in sync with her husband’s income and so, more often than not, wore coarse cotton and cast-offs from the society ladies of the time. The colors of their clothes would match their husband’s and she too played a part in her husband’s profession.

                                    HEADGEAR            

The Aryans had a sense of style even when it came to donning the headgear. Almost the entire population had headgears of various styles in accordance with their profession. It was known as ‘Ushnish’ or ‘Pagota’.

The farmers and the working class while working wore short in –length cotton headgear, which was tied casually around the head and sometimes, covering the ears. It doubled up as a napkin or towel to wipe away sweat, grime etc. it also served as a protection from the sun.  During the past time or a day –off the headgear would be longer in length and was systematically tied in several windings around the head. The cook used to make do without one, as it was impractical while cooking due to the smoke and vapours. On an off day, he too would don the headgear known as ‘Pagota’ like other people.

The officer-cadre would wear headgear made out of fine cloth usually cotton in varied hues and colors. The color of the headgear would complement the color of the dress. The nobles would wear super-fine cotton headgear with trimmings. The head priest or purohit would wear superfine cotton headgear in a particular style unique to his position with gold or silver trimmings. The ministers, particularly ‘Pradhan’ or the prime minister, would wear headgear of cotton –silk blends or pure silk to assert their authority. It would be decorated with feathers, lace, pearls, brooch and other trimmings.

            The prince and other members of the royal household would have a gold crown on their heads. A young prince would usually wear a half-crown façade with intricate designs. The ‘Yuvraj’ or the king-in-waiting would wear a full crown encrusted with precious stones. The height of the crown would be less than that of the king’s crown. The king’s crown was the most majestic and tallest of them all. It was encrusted with several precious stones and was intricately carved in gold. At the center of the crown, above his forehead, would be a large diamond, ruby or other precious stone. It was known as ‘Shiromani’. No other crown or ‘Shiromani’ in the kingdom was as large or even nearer in size to the king’s. The size would also depend on the wealth, might and expanse of his kingdom. The vassal king’s would have smaller crown and lesser-valued ‘Shiromani’.   A ‘Kalash’ topped the crown.

            The elderly members of the royal family would usually wear white silk headgear with trimmings. It underlined their wisdom and experience. It also went well with their white hair and beard. A Greek historian, Arian notes in his anecdotes on Indian life-style:” The people of Bharat wear a lengthy cloth below their waist to the ankles and it is pleated and has numerous folds. Each leg has an independent cover of cloth and it is taken from the front and tucked in the back. The same quality of cloth is used to cover upper body and tied in a knot above the left shoulder. This is to ensure maximum freedom to the right hand. The head is covered by tying the same cloth around the head by multiple windings.”

Another Greek historian of the time, Herodotus, remarks:” The natives of Bharat wear a fine material from the waist to the feet and wrap cotton clothe around their heads. They also pay great attention to the footwear. The art of foot-wear is well-developed there.”

Hair dos: - The Brahmins or the priests were clean shaved and there heads tonsured, except the "shikha", that is a collage of hair at the top of the head. It asserted their profession and brooked respect in the general populace. The "Rishis" i.e. had long hairs which was tied in a knot at the top of the head and also had beard and moustaches on. They practiced yoga and the laws of nature and hence accepted the natural anatomy of the whole body. Hence the look. The ascetics would fully tonsure the head and clean shave the face, as they renounced the worldly ways the working class generally had long hair and were clean-shaven. Cooks are mentioned to have close cropped hair, as long hair was miserable to handle due to smoke and vapour and thus he beard was impractical to their profession, the young men were generally clean shaven ad had long hair, It was oiled and combed back to prevent it from interfering with vision while     working. The nobles, minister, etc used to have long hairs and sometimes kept the moustaches but shaved the beard.

The royal family men too had long hair. The prince was clean-shaven and had long flowing hair.  A young king had moustaches on but shaved off the beard, and elderly king would have trimmed short beard and moustaches on.

It expressed its control on the kingdoms affair, and underlined his authority as a keeper of the law, and dispenser of the justice. The older men would have flowing beard and bushy moustaches.

 Arian, a Greek philosopher and historian points in his anecdotes that –“ the elderly men in Bharat have a long flowing beard which has whitened with age. They are known as men of wisdom, they have white colored clothes and headgear on to match it. The whole get up is white, some men dye their hair, beard and moustaches with juices from leaves of particular trees, some juices render copper color (henna)”. He also points out that though the style of dressing is simple the Indians have great taste and experiment with jewelry, hair dos, accessories and colors.

The women had long hair dangling up to the waist; the hair was usually divided at the center of the head to form two plaits. On ceremonial occasional however the hair dos would be formed in to a bun, noted at the top and the remaining divided into three parts and formed into a “ veni”. The maidservants had to knot the hairs at the back and the remaining length to be brought in the front over the right shoulder,

Jewellery: -The Aryans wore simple clothes, but were very conscious and had a high test in jewellery and accessories. The art of jewellery making was very well developed and organized even in those times. The Aryan obsession with jewellery and their knowledge of metallurgy had various precious gems found a mention in Asian Greek and roman scriptures. Milton, a roman historian describes in his literature work the abundance of gems, particularly pearls in the Indian subcontinents. Jewellery making was the skillful profession with emphasis for intricate details. Some jeweler made jewellery exclusively for the royal house hold that each chief jewellery had several other art cents working under him and they having their hands full all year round, speaks volume about Aryans fondness for jewellery. The kings, nobles and the rich citizens vied competitively with each other, to have the best and innovative jewellery on them and their family

The Greeks and the Romans were amazed by the Indian art cent skill in stringing the pearls together, exactly through the epicenter of the pearls, with gold. The discretion of wealth and the rich culture of the Aryans, in Greek textures by their historians prompted Alexander to invade India, which is described by Greek traders and nobles who visited it, as the “sparrow of gold”

            The general population used to wear silver and gold ornaments any Indian worth his salt, poor though he may be, used to wear at least a thread of gold around his neck. From plain designs to intricately carved gems and crusted jewellery, the jewellery varied across all economical classes. Silver ornaments were common with the poor. Silver utensils were common in the upper class and gold ones wit the kings and super rich.

            The armlets known as “ Kebur” or “Angada” were worn on the arms. The royal members had gems encrusted in them. The anklets known as “ Toda’ s were worn on the ankles. Earrings were known as “ Kundala” s.  These made in gold with jewels and pearls encrusted in them. The common man had silver version of the same minus the gems.

The crowns of the princess and kings had designs in great detail and resembled a mesh of gems. The queens and princesses had half crown. In addition, they had a band of gold and gems   to be worn around their foreheads. The partition in the foreheads of the queens had a string of diamonds set in gold. The crowns were known as “ Mukut” or “ Kirit”. The queens, the princesses and the rich ladies wore a diamond or a ruby or an emerald brooch. Another ornament worn around the waist by the rich and royals was ‘Cummerbund’ for men and ‘Cummerpatta’ or ‘mahishi’ for women. In simple words-belt. They varied according to the status and wealth quotient. The king had the thickest and the widest. It generally had a large gem prominently at the center and other gems encrusted along the length. The queen’s Cummerpatta was similar with an exception to the head queen. Hers was known as “Mahashi” and the bearer herself was known as “Patta-rani” or “Nayika”.

The queen also wore a “Kanchi” or a “Rashna” around the waist and “Nupurs” on the ankles. The kanchis and rashnas were several strings of pearls and gems respectively, were left dangling below the waist. They would originate from under the center of Cummerpatta or Mahishi and extent to the back at the spine position. The nupurs were a form of anklets, which had several tiny bells, which while walking or even a little moment of the feet created a musical jingle.

The nupurs and cummerpattas find a mention by historian- Strobe who says, “ the people of bharat, especially women, are very fond of jewels and ornaments. The arm bands and anklets worn by women their would put any Greek woman to shame. Such is the inferiority of the finest Greek ornaments compared to those of Bharat. The art is very well developed and far ahead of Greeks and Romans” .He light heartedly points out that the Indian obsession with jewellery may lead to prohibitive excavation of prices of jewels and ornaments. Any foreign visitor visiting India may have a feeling that all of the world’s wealth is concentrated there. One cannot figure out how old the art is. The name “sparrow of gold” is very apt, he notes.

Another ornament which was an exclusive privilege of married woman is mangalsutra, also known as saubhagya sutra, It was a string of black beads interwoven in gold. The wristband or “Kada” was also on same lines as armlets . Another ornament unique to women was “Nath” or nose ring. It was  a bunch of pearl outside the nose dangling from a gold string wore inside out. The lowest end of the bunch in the royal household had a ruby or an emerald or both. Besides women wore necklaces such as “Kanthi” – chokers and  “Haar” such as Laxmi haar , Chandra haar etc. The Laxmi haar was a string of gold coins, which dangled up to the naval. The chandra haar had a design resembling the crescent moon . There were several variations of necklaces, which were made to the preference of the wearer.

            Greek historian Homer notes that the Indian women appeared due to the jewel and application of various oils and pastes to their bodies. But inspite of all this they were very well manner and cultured in their behaviours. This men respect the women and both are very faithful to each other.

            The Indianwomen were very  conscious of theirlook and make up was a practice very common even in those days. The artificial make up packs as of today were naturally non existence then the emphasis was on natural ingradiants such as milk and fruit juces rose patels serial sandal woods herbal oils etc.

            Milk was used for tonning and cleancing .The princeses and the queens were bath by maid servants in milk . the rose patels were ground to paste and makes with milk which was filled into bath tuband the royal women bathed in it. It nourished the skin making it supple and taut.It is also helped to enance the complexion making it fairer.

            Almond milk and oil was used to tone and massage the face, arms and legs or sometimes the whole body. It imparted a golden glow to the skin and made it supple .  This eradicated all the blemeshious Almond oil was also use by royal women to massage their hair root and scalp.  It was thus use as a hair vitalizer too.

            Soon After bathing the royal women folk used to apply sandal wood paste to their bodies and face. It would be left to dry and penetrate the skin. It acted as a fairness agent. It was later washed off. The sandal wood pasteacted as a sunscreen and gave a cooling effect to the body. It also made the skin soft.

            The paste of red sandal woodwas applied to hands and legs. The fingers,toes, feet, palms were given a red hue by this paste. It acted as a beauty aid and a temporary colour. It had medicinal properties and acted as a anticeptic.

            Orange juice was applied to the skin. It did away with the dead skin cells and acted as ableaching agent giving the skin a vibrant glow and a healthy look instantly.

            The gram flour was used as a skin scrub. It was mixed with sandal wood powder , kesar (saffron) powder and milk. To create  a face pack. It gave  the face a clean finish,and enhanced the complextion.

Clothes:-

            ‘Aruna’ was a cloth made from the sheep’s wool. ‘Rankav’ was from  ‘Ranku’ deer’s wool. The silk came principally from china. The shahtoosh shawls were made from the hair of shahtoosh  deet found largely in Kashmir. The hair of shahtoosh is ultra soft and the art of weaving the shawls is very fine and requires great deal  of expertise. The shawl was intricate artwork and very expensive. It was very warm and light and was worn by royals during marriage, crowning ceremonies, cristening of prince and princess and other functions. The shahtoosh deer were hunted for their hair and skin. The hairs had to be extracted  from two to three  shahtoosh deers to be made into one shawl.

The shahtoosh deer were bred during the mahabharata and medic times and the hair would be obtained by neately trimming it off their bodiesThe Mahabharata notes that King Yudhisthira was presented one such type of shahtoosh shawl by the ruler of Kambhoj underlining the former’s  supremacy and to earn his goodwill.

            In last two centuries with the advent of sophisticated machines and demand for leather goods the shahtoosh deer was poached for its tender skin to create luxurious leather  accessiories. Its highly rated leather led to  enourmous killing of shahtoosh deer and is on the verge of extinction and so is the fine art of shahtoosh shawl weaving.

            Woolen shawls were also made from mountain goats wool, burrowing deers wool etc. The poor and the common used shawls made from cotton wool blends.

            The weavers when wearing the super fine variety of cotton ,silk or woollen   cloth were not in a financial position of manufacturing the expensive looms and weaving machinery. Hence the kings patronized and financed the artists  with required setup. The king would be benefited by exporting the surplus production  to  other provinces. According to the mahabharata, King yudishthira would arrange  the ‘dravya’- finance and the ‘upakaran’ – machinery  for the production of cloth.

            In the near past , Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore patronized the art of weaving and inspired the art of wearing silk with traditional  motifs and carvings from temple architecture. It heralded a modern and sophisticated art form in the wearing of sarees.  Maheshwari sarees were distributed exclusively  through an established setup  by Ahilyabai to give thee artists their right dues. Due to this  the demand for maheshwari saree increased which is in great demand even today.