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Indian Clothing

The diversity of India would be visible during your vacation to India in the clothes worn by the population. As you move from city to city and from state to state during your dream holiday in India with Voyages Extraordinaire, you will see significant changes in the sense of dressing of the people.

To the foreign traveler, one of the powerful attractions in India is the colorful and diversified attire of its people. The silk Saris, brightly mirrored cholis, colorful lehangas and the traditional salwar-kameez have fascinated many a traveler over the centuries.

While you are on your vacation in India, watch out for some of the most identifiable and widely popular Indian dresses and it may be a good idea for you to take back with you some of these as memorabilia.

Sari or Saree – the most distinguished dress in India. Try this attire while on your trip to India

For a single length of material, the sari must be the most versatile garment in existence. It is only one of the many traditional garments worn by women, yet it has somehow become the national dress of Indian women. A sari is a rectangular piece of cloth, which is five to six yards in length. The style, color and texture of this cloth varies and it might be made from cotton, silk or one of the several man-made materials.
The sari has an ageless charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size. This garment can fit any size and if worn properly can accentuate or conceal. This supremely graceful attire can also be worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.
 
The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. The choli evolved as a form of clothing in 10th century AD and the first cholis were only front covering; the back was always bare. Bodices of this type are still common in the state of Rajasthan.

Apart from the choli, women in Rajasthan wear a form of pleated skirt known as the ghagra or lehanga. This skirt is secured at the waist and leaves the back and midriff bare. The heads are however covered by a length of fine cotton known as orhni or dupatta.

Today the Saree is gaining international popularity and it is common to see it on ramps of international fashion housed and celebrities alike.

Pashmina: Pashmina refers to a type of fine cashmere wool and the textiles made from it. The name comes from Pashmineh, made from sajan Persian pashm ("wool"). The wool comes from changthangi or Pashmina goat, which is a special breed of goat habiting at high altitudes of the Himalayas. Pashmina shawls are hand spun, woven and embroidered in Kashmir, and made from fine cashmere fiber.
The goat sheds its winter coat every spring. One goat sheds approximately 80-170g (3-6 ounces) of the fiber. To meet the demand, these goats are now commercially reared in the Gobi Desert area in Inner and Outer Mongolia. The region has identical harsh weather conditions to those of the Himalayan region, and is thereby apt for the goats to grow this finer wool, also has acres of grazing ground to produce cashmere economically and commercially. During spring (the molting season) the goats shed its wool, which re-grows in winter. The wool is collected and spun to produce cashmere. The quality of the cashmere produced in the Gobi Desert is just as high as that produced in the Himalayas, while the costs are less.
A softening process is used by manufacturers of 100% Pashmina products, which gives the Pashmina a soft, almost silken sheen. Sometimes Pashmina is a blend of pure Pashmina wool and silk. This gives strength and durability to the Pashmina. As a general rule though, the higher content of Pashmina wool, the more expensive the textile. While you are on your India Vacation, make it a point to experience this fabric against your skin.

Indian dressing styles are marked by many variations, both religious and regional and one is likely to witness a plethora of colors, textures and styles in garments worn by the Indians.

Turbans – Paghdi
While on your vacation in India, you will be amazed to see people, especially in some parts of North India, wearing Turbans of different shapes, styles and colors. Indian turban is a headdress consisting of long scarf-like single piece of cloth, wound around the head. It is worn by a certain section of men in India and is very much a part of the country's culture and tradition. The mention of turban in the sacred Indian scriptures, like the Vedas, proves that it was a crucial part of Indian men's costume, even during Vedic times. Though the popularity of the head turban has somewhat waned with the modernization of man, yet even today, whenever it's donned, it's done so with a lot of dignity and honor.

Some of the common styles of Turbans in India are:
Sikh Turban
The turban is closely associated with the Sikh faith and the vast majority of people who wear turbans in Western countries are Sikhs. Those who undergo initiation, Khande di Pahul (a type of baptism) to join the Khalsa, are forbidden to cut their hair.
Such men are required to wear a turban to manage their long hair and also a Sikh turban is a distinct symbol of the Sikh identity.
Some baptised women also choose to wear turbans; however, non-baptised Sikh women usually do not wear turbans, whereas, non-baptised males sometimes do.

Rajasthani Turbans
Gurjar, Jats and Rajputs from the Indian state of Rajasthan wear distinctive turbans. Gujjars and Rajputs traditionally wear coloured turbans whereas Jats wear white turbans. The Marwaris wear light coloured turbans. Many styles of turbans are found in Rajasthan; it is said [ citation needed ] that the style of the turban changes with every 15 km you travel. In some areas, especially in Rajasthan the turban's size may indicate the position of the person in society. Royalty in different parts of India have distinctly different styles of turbans, as do the 'peasants', who often just wear a small piece of cloth wound around the head.

Mysore Turbans
The people of the Indian districts of Mysore and Kodagu wear turbans called Mysore peta. Distinguished people are honoured by the award of a Mysore peta in a formal ceremony.

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