Saris are of different types worn by women of the Subcontinent of Asia. They are traditional saris, designer saris, saris, handloom sari, embroidered saris and printed saris. By occasion wise it is classified as bridal saris, wedding, party wear, casual and festival wear ones. The cotton and the silk only were worn by the royal and ordinary people from ages. The history begins that the sari was known from the 5,000 year old Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It may be a legend, fantasy, history or fact. The sari of Draupathy, it is the first recorded reference to the long lasting attractive sari history and became the most eternal in the history and women's fashion .
In the subcontinent, majority of women wear saris. There are different ways of wearing it and ways to show them were they live whether in North, South, East or West .The sari is a long piece of cloth about 1 meter wide and 5.25 - 5.75meters long. The sari is worn over a long skirt of same color as the sari a tight fitting wear known as blouse or choli is worn on the upper part of the body. Excavations done many years back also brought to light a torso of a woman draped in sari, the way the Hindu women wear it today and it is clear that the women, in South India, wear sari. The period noted was around 1st century A.D.
The Sari history is said to be born on the loom of a weaver. He dreamt of woman with tears, the drape of her falling hair, the softness of her touch. Dreaming the above he wove many yards and this was folk tale said by weavers to their kids. Mostly the south Indians wear saris. Women of Tamil Nadu wear Kamahi silk sari woven with jari and thread work on special occasions. The Brahmin community in Tamil Nadu wear sari in a different way without wearing the long skirt. The length of the sari they wear is long approximately 9 yards. It is worn in a proper way without restricting the person's free movement.
Andhra is famous for its cotton saris which are designed with jerry and thread. The cotton woven at Venkatagiri and silk at Pochhampalli in Andhra are famous. Bengal cotton saris of is ideal as a summer wear. In Kerala, women wear their traditional 2 pcs cloth called mundu and neriyathu. The 'mundu' is draped around waist. The other one 'neriyathu' is worn on top, over a blouse in the same way as the sari. This mundu also called 'Settu Mundu'. It is the traditional attire for them. In royal families the mundu was also worn in a different way by the women.
After the inventions of new methods of weaving and manufacturing fabrics new varieties of fabrics such as georgette ,crepe, cotton , chiffon , silk ,net ,satin ,tissue ,faux sari are in the market. Saris of different designs are available in plenty of colors. These are made out of cotton, silk and other synthetic materials. The cost of the saris varies according to the quality. The outer end of the sari pallu is concentrated the most. These are worn according to the season’s summer, winter, spring and fall sari.
See also:
Indian Traditional Dress - Sari