Maharani Chimnabai and Indira Raje of Baroda wearing a 'Nauvari', a traditional Maharashtrian sari

A sari or saree is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by female, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma, and Malaysia. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff.

The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (लहंगा lahaṅgā or "lehenga" in the north, langa/pavada/pavadai in the south, chaniyo, parkar in the west, and shaya in eastern India), with a blouse known as a choli or ravika forming the upper garment. The choli has short sleeves and a low neck and is usually cropped, and as such is particularly well-suited for wear in the sultry South Asian summers. Cholis may be backless or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with plenty of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery, and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a short-sleeved shirt tucked in at the waist. The sari developed as a garment of its own in both South and North India at around the same time, and is in popular culture an epitome of Indian culture.

Origins and history

Noble women in Mysore Sari

The word sari is derived from Sanskrit शाटी śāṭī which means 'strip of cloth' and शाडी śāḍī or साडी sāḍī in Prakrit, and which was corrupted to sāṛī in Hindi.

In the history of Indian clothing the sari is traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, which flourished during 2800-1800 BC around the western part of the Indian subcontinent. The earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus Valley priest wearing a drape.

Ancient Tamil poetry, such as the Silappadhikaram and the Sanskrit work, Kadambari by Banabhatta, describes women in exquisite drapery or sari. In ancient Indian tradition and the Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes), the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the sari.

Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st-6th century AD) show goddesses and dancers wearing what appears to be a dhoti wrap, in the "fishtail" version which covers the legs loosely and then flows into a long, decorative drape in front of the legs. No bodices are shown.

Other sources say that everyday costume consisted of a dhoti or lungi (sarong), combined with a breast band and a veil or wrap that could be used to cover the upper body or head. The two-piece Kerala mundum neryathum (mundu, a dhoti or sarong, neryath, a shawl, in Malayalam) is a survival of ancient Indian clothing styles. The one-piece sari is a modern innovation, created by combining the two pieces of the mundum neryathum.

It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls, and veils have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years.

Women wearing a Choli

The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. Choli evolved as a form of clothing in 10th century AD and the first cholis were only front covering, the back was always bare but covered with end of saris pallu or veil. Bodics of this type are still common in state of Rajasthan.

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is indeed documented that women from many communities wore only the sari and exposed the upper part of the body till the 20th century. Poetic references from works like Silappadikaram indicate that during the Sangam period in ancient Tamil Nadu, a single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and head covering, leaving the bosom and midriff completely uncovered. In Kerala there are many references to women being bare-breasted, including many paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.

Styles of draping

Illustration of different styles of Sari & clothing worn by women in South Asia

The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the stomach. However, the sari can be draped in several different styles, though some styles do require a sari of a particular length or form. The French cultural anthropologist and sari researcher Chantal Boulanger categorized sari drapes in the following families:

• Nivi – styles originally worn in Andhra Pradesh; besides the modern nivi, there is also the kaccha nivi, where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into the waist at the back. This allows free movement while covering the legs.
• Bengali and Oriya style.
• Gujarati – after tucking in the pleats similar to the Nivi style, the loose end is taken from the back, draped across the right shoulder, and pulled across to be secured in the back
• Maharashtrian/Konkani/Kashta; this drape is very similar to that of the male Maharashtrian dhoti. The center of the sari (held lengthwise) is placed at the center back, the ends are brought forward and tied securely, then the two ends are wrapped around the legs. When worn as a sari, an extra-long cloth is used and the ends are then passed up over the shoulders and the upper body. They are primarily worn by Brahmin women of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
• Dravidian – sari drapes worn in Tamil Nadu; many feature a pinkosu, or pleated rosette, at the waist.
• Madisar – this drape is typical of Iyengar/Iyer Brahmin ladies from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala
• Kodagu style – this drape is confined to ladies hailing from the Kodagu district of Karnataka. In this style, the pleats are created in the rear, instead of the front. The loose end of the sari is draped back-to-front over the right shoulder, and is pinned to the rest of the sari.
• Gobbe Seere - This style is worn by women in the Malnad or Sahyadri and central region of Karnataka. It is worn with 18 molas saree with three four rounds at the waist and a knot after crisscrossing over shoulders.
• Gond – sari styles found in many parts of Central India. The cloth is first draped over the left shoulder, then arranged to cover the body.
• Malayali style - the two-piece sari, or Mundum Neryathum, worn in Kerala. Usually made of unbleached cotton and decorated with gold or colored stripes and/or borders. Also the Set-saree, a sort of mundum neryathum.
• Tribal styles – often secured by tying them firmly across the chest, covering the breasts.
• Kunbi style or denthli:Goan Gauda and Kunbis,and those of them who have migrated to other states use this way of draping Sari or Kappad,this form of draping is created by tying a knot in the fabric below the shoulder and a strip of cloth which crossed the left shoulder was fasten on the back.

Nivi style

The nivi is today's most popular sari style.

Model in a modern halterneck blouse and nivi style draped sari exposing the navel.

The nivi drape starts with one end of the sari tucked into the waistband of the petticoat, usually a plain skirt. The cloth is wrapped around the lower body once, then hand-gathered into even pleats just below the navel. The pleats are tucked into the waistband of the petticoat. They create a graceful, decorative effect which poets have likened to the petals of a flower.

After one more turn around the waist, the loose end is draped over the shoulder. The loose end is called the pallu, pallav, seragu, or paita depending on the language. It is draped diagonally in front of the torso. It is worn across the right hip to over the left shoulder, partly baring the midriff. The navel can be revealed or concealed by the wearer by adjusting the pallu, depending on the social setting. The long end of the pallu hanging from the back of the shoulder is often intricately decorated. The pallu may be hanging freely, tucked in at the waist, used to cover the head, or used to cover the neck, by draping it across the right shoulder as well. Some nivi styles are worn with the pallu draped from the back towards the front, coming from the back over the right shoulder with one corner tucked by the left hip, covering the torso/waist. The nivi sari was popularised through the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. In one of his paintings, the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing nivi sari.

The only ornament accepted by the Hindu culture that can be worn in the midriff region are the waist chains.They are considered to be a part of bridal jewellery.

Modern style of draping

Due to migration to Western countries like South Africa, many Indian women began to wear the normal sari below the waistline exposing the navel, known as low-rise sari or low hip sari. Also due to liberalization and changing global markets, saris are reemerging as an erotic wrap which can expose as much as it conceals. As a result, saris began to be designed in many innovative ways and materials. Transparent and semi-transparent saris made of sheer fabrics like chiffon are an example.

These saris are tied in different ways such as petticoat being tied at about 4–6 inches below the navel and just above the pubic area or where the blouse is small and ends just below the breasts and the pallu is thin, thereby exposing the some part of the blouse and almost the entire midriff.Some even wear navel jewels or navel piercings to emphasize and make the navel attractive.This were made popular by the celebrities of Bollywood industry and other popular regional film industries like Kannada, Tamil and Telugu cinemas. These are mainly worn by rich and educated upper-class women.

Wearing the sari below the navel doesn't always lead to exposing the navel. Sometimes the navel is covered with the pallu in a low-rise non-transparent sari. In some corporates in India, saris are required to be worn in an elegant manner avoiding navel exposure.

Bangladesh

The shari is worn by women throughout Bangladesh. Sari is the most popular dress for women in Bangladesh, both for casual and formal occasion. There are many regional variations of them in both silk and cotton. But the Jamdani Tanta/Tant cotton, Dhakai Benaroshi, Rajshahi silk, Tangail Tanter shari, Tash-Har silk, and Katan shari are the most popular in Bangladesh.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, saris are less commonly worn than the Salwar kameez which is worn throughout the country. Because of its long association with the Hindu culture and it exposing the stomach and navel, Sari is considered to be against the injunctions of Islam and as a 'Hindu dress'. Even though the sari has been worn by people living in the region that is now Pakistan since ancient times, it has lost popularity since 1947. Many Islamic right-wing elements have pressed on a move to ban saris. However, the sari remains a popular garment among the upper class for many formal functions. The sari is worn as daily wear by Pakistani Hindus, by elderly Muslim women who were used to wearing it in pre-partition India and by some of the new generation who have reintroduced the interest in saris. Saris are almost exclusively used as Wedding dress throughout the Mohajir, Sindhi, Punjabi and Kashmiri Muslims. The madar-e-millat of Pakistan Fatima Jinnah was always seen wearing a sari.

Sri Lanka

Traditional Sinhalese Sari

Sri Lankan women wear saris in many styles. Two ways of draping the sari are popular and tend to dominate: the Indian style (classic nivi drape) and the Kandyan style (or osaria in Sinhalese). The Kandyan style is generally more popular in the hill country region of Kandy from which the style gets its name. Though local preferences play a role, most women decide on style depending on personal preference or what is perceived to be most flattering for their figure.

The traditional Kandyan (osaria) style consists of a full blouse which covers the midriff completely and is partially tucked in at the front as is seen in this 19th century portrait. However, modern intermingling of styles has led to most wearers baring the midriff. The final tail of the sari is neatly pleated rather than free-flowing. This is rather similar to the pleated rosette used in the Dravidian style noted earlier in the article.

The Kandyan style is considered the national dress of Sinhalese women. It is the uniform of the air hostesses of SriLankan Airlines.

Nepal

Saree is the most commonly worn women uniform in Nepal. Since the time immemorial saree is worn by Nepalese women. It is more importantly worn in religious activities. A woman wearing a saree is regarded as sober lady. A lady with sari seems elegant, gorgeous and sensuous. However, nowadays, modern women prefer a uniform other than a saree for their convenience.

In Nepal, a special style of draping is used in a sari called haku patasihh. The sari is draped around the waist and a shawl is worn covering the upper half of the sari, which is used in place of a pallu.

Cloth

Silk sari weaving at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Saris are woven with one plain end (the end that is concealed inside the wrap), two long decorative borders running the length of the sari, and a one to three foot section at the other end which continues and elaborates the length-wise decoration. This end is called the pallu; it is the part thrown over the shoulder in the nivi style of draping.

In past times, saris were woven of silk or cotton. The rich could afford finely-woven, diaphanous silk saris that, according to folklore, could be passed through a finger ring. The poor wore coarsely woven cotton saris. All saris were handwoven and represented a considerable investment of time or money.

Simple hand-woven villagers' saris are often decorated with checks or stripes woven into the cloth. Inexpensive saris were also decorated with block printing using carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes, or tie-dyeing, known in India as bhandani work.

More expensive saris had elaborate geometric, floral, or figurative ornaments or brocades created on the loom, as part of the fabric. Sometimes warp and weft threads were tie-dyed and then woven, creating ikat patterns. Sometimes threads of different colors were woven into the base fabric in patterns; an ornamented border, an elaborate pallu, and often, small repeated accents in the cloth itself. These accents are called buttis or bhuttis (spellings vary). For fancy saris, these patterns could be woven with gold or silver thread, which is called zari work.

Sometimes the saris were further decorated, after weaving, with various sorts of embroidery. Resham work is embroidery done with colored silk thread. Zardozi embroidery uses gold and silver thread, and sometimes pearls and precious stones. Cheap modern versions of zardozi use synthetic metallic thread and imitation stones, such as fake pearls and Swarovski crystals.

In modern times, saris are increasingly woven on mechanical looms and made of artificial fibers, such as polyester, nylon, or rayon, which do not require starching or ironing. They are printed by machine, or woven in simple patterns made with floats across the back of the sari. This can create an elaborate appearance on the front, while looking ugly on the back. The punchra work is imitated with inexpensive machine-made tassel trim.

Hand-woven, hand-decorated saris are naturally much more expensive than the machine imitations. While the overall market for handweaving has plummeted (leading to much distress among Indian handweavers), hand-woven saris are still popular for weddings and other grand social occasions.

Practicality

Because of the harsh extremes in temperature on the Subcontinent, the sari fills a practical role as well as a decorative one. It is not only warming in winter and cooling in summer, but its loose-fitting tailoring is preferred by women who must be free to move as their duties require. For this reason, it is the costume of choice of air hostesses on Air India.

The sari goes International

Aishwarya Rai in a Sabyasachi sari at London premiere of Raavan.

As a nod to the fashion-forward philosophy established by the designs of Emilio Pucci, the now-defunct Braniff International Airways envisioned their air hostesses wearing a more revealing version of a sari on a proposed Dallas-Bombay (conceivably via London) service in the late 1970s. However this was never realized due to Halston's resistance to working with a palette outside of his comfort zone. The former Eagan, Minnesota–based Northwest Airlines considered issuing saris to flight attendants working the Minneapolis-Amsterdam-Delhi route that began in the 1990s. This never occurred largely due to a union dispute.

The sari has gained its popularity internationally due to the growth of Indian fashion trends globally. Many Bollywood celebrities, like Aishwarya Rai, have worn it at international events representing the Indian culture. In 2010, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone wanted to represent her country at an international event, wearing the national costume. On her very first red carpet appearance at the Cannes International Film Festival, she stepped out on the red carpet in a Rohit Bal sari.

Even popular Hollywood celebrities have worn this traditional attire. Pamela Anderson made a surprise guest appearance on Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother, dressed in a sari that was specially designed for her by Mumbai-based fashion designer Ashley Rebello. There was a definite Indian flavour to the red carpet at the annual Fashion Rocks concert in New York, with designer Rocky S walking the ramp along with Jessica, Ashley, Nicole, Kimberly and Melody — the Pussycat Dolls — dressed in saris.

Types

While an international image of the modern style sari may have been popularised by airline stewardesses, each region in the Indian subcontinent has developed, over the centuries, its own unique sari style. Whilst Air India is considered to be India's flagship carrier, the saris that their air hostesses wear are of the Jamdani style, native to Bangladesh. The Dhakai Jamdani is woven painstakingly by hand on the old fashioned Jala loom, and many take even up to one year to weave a single sari. It feels supple to the touch and drapes gently to reveal the contours of the wearer.

Following are other well-known varieties, distinct on the basis of fabric, weaving style, or motif, in South Asia:

Sambalpuri Saree

Central styles

• Chanderi – Madhya Pradesh
• Maheshwari – Madhya Pradesh
• Kosa silk – Chattisgarh

Eastern styles

Bomkai Saree of Orissa

• Sambalpuri Saree silk & Cotton – Sambalpur, Orissa
• Ikkat Silk & Cotton – Bargarh, Orissa
• Tangail cotton – Bangladesh
• Jamdani – Bangladesh
• Muslin – Bangladesh
• Rajshahi Silk – Bangladesh
• Tussar Silk – Bihar
• Mooga silk – Assam
• Tant famous Bengali cotton – Shantipur, West Bengal
• Dhaniakhali cotton – West Bengal
• Murshidabad silk – West Bengal
• Baluchari silk – West Bengal
• Khandua Silk & Cotton –Cuttack, Orissa
• Bomkai/Sonepuri Sari Silk & Cotton – Subarnapur, Orissa
• Berhampuri Silk – Bramhapur, Orissa
• Mattha or Tussar Silk –Mayurbhanj, Orissa
• Bapta Silk & Cotton –Koraput, Orissa
• Tanta Cotton –Balasore, Orissa
• Shantipur Cotton – West Bengal
• Phulia Cotton – West Bengal

Western styles

Kota sari

• Paithani – Maharashtra
• Bandhani – Gujarat and Rajasthan
• Kota doria Rajasthan
• Lugade – Maharashtra
• Patola – Gujarat

Southern styles

Mysore silk saree with golden zari.

• Kanchipuram (locally called Kanjivaram) – Tamil Nadu
• Kumbakonam – Tamil Nadu
• Set Saree; Kerala
• Neriyathu Saree; Kerala
• HAlf saree; Kerala
• Thirubuvabam – Tamil Nadu
• Thanjavur – Tamil Nadu
• Madurai – Tamil Nadu
• Arani – Tamil Nadu
• Pochampally – Andhra Pradesh (GI rights applied)
• Venkatagiri – Andhra Pradesh
• Gadwal – Andhra Pradesh
• Guntur – Andhra Pradesh
• Narayanpet – Andhra Pradesh
• Mangalagiri – Andhra Pradesh
• Balarampuram – Kerala
• Mysore silk – Karnataka
• Ilkal – Karnataka

Banarasi sari

Northern styles

• Banarasi – Uttar Pradesh
• Shalu – Uttar Pradesh
• Tanchoi – Uttar Pradesh

Images

• 

  Women in sari 230 BCE Satavahana dynasty

• 

  Girl in Gujarati sari; in this style the loose end is worn on the front

• 

  Women in Tamil sari; in this style the loose end is wrapped around the waist.

• 

  Girl in Bengali sari; in this style sari is worn without any pleats.

• 

  Girls in Mysore sari; long pleats are trademark of this style.

• 

  Women in sari 1912

• 

  Girl in Nauvari sari a form of Kachha Nivi worn in Maharashtra.

• 

  Women in Gujarati sari

• 

  Dancer in Kerala sari

• 

  Ramanadha Rao in sari

• 

  Sari Showcase at a store

• 

  Woman in nivi sari by Raja Ravi Varma

• 

  Fatima Jinnah in sari

• 

  A Keralite Malayali woman dressed in a set-saree, a "quasi," Mundum Neriyathum

See also

• Achkan
• Indian wedding clothes
• Dhoti
• Lungi
• Choli
• Ghoonghat
• Indian dress
• Salwar kameez
• sarong
• Churidar
• Kurta
• Ghagra
• Lehenga
• Dupatta
• Wedding sari
• Lehenga Style Saree

Notes

Further reading

• Ambrose, Kay (1950) Classical Dances and Costumes of India. A. & C. Black, London.
• Craddock, Norma. (1994). Anthills, Split Mothers, and Sacrifice: Conceptions of Female Power in the Mariyamman Tradition. Dissertation, U. of California, Berkeley.