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Ethnic Dresses of India
India is a nation with vast and ancient traditions. The country blossoms with co
lourful traditional dresses that various communities and tribes of different sta
tes wear. Each state and region of India has its unique cultural heritage that i
s reflected in its dresses.
Indian clothing is extremely popular for its festive grace. Therefore, it is but
natural that each of its regions has a unique and distinct dress for its men an
d women. Although many urban Indians wear the more conventional western dress, t
he exclusivity of Indian dresses can nevertheless be seen as a part of its ancie
nt past and diverse traditions.
From Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, from Gujarat in the west
to Assam in the east, the country's different regions possess an exclusive and v
ibrant range of dresses that can be identified as the region's very own. Men and
women wear distinct and well-defined dresses that are made to go with the clima
te and ambience of the region they belong to. These dresses also reflect the cul
ture and occupation of the people who wear them. An attempt has been made to cov
er the attires of some of the popular states of India as portrayed subsequently.
Men's Wear - Topsellers

Ethnic Dresses in Northern India

In the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, the weather remains cold for the bul
k of the year. Therefore, people wear a thick long dress called phiran, which is
a voluminous Kashmiri gown. It is hemmed with a border and flows down in large-
shaped folds. This dress is common to both men and women. The people of Laddhak
wear a different dress. The men wear the goucha and the women wear the kuntop an
d the bok.

Punjab is famous for its phulkari work shawls that are worn along with tight fit
ting choli and ghaghra. Punjabi women wear a popular dress called salwar kameez
along with bright coloured dupattas. Men typically wear a kurta along with a lun
ghi or pyjama. Punjab is also famous for its bhangra dress which includes a turl
a - a fan like adornment on the turban, the paggh - a turban especially designed
for this occasion, kurta - a long and loose shirt, a lungi or chaddar to be wor
n around the waist, a juggi - which is a buttonless waistcoat worn around the wa
ist, and rummal, with is a long and wide scarf worn on the finger.
The dresses of Haryana are also very colourful and vibrant. The simple yet vivac
ious lifestyle of this state pulsates as part of their dressing. Women wear Dama
an, Kurti, and Chunder. Daman is an ankle-length skirt which comes in outstandin
g colours. Kurti is a shirt like blouse, which is usually white in colour. The c
hunder is a long coloured piece of cloth which is decorated with glittery laces.
The men usually wear a dhoti along with a white coloured Kurta. The traditional
head gear is called the paghri. The colour of the male dresses is usually white
, which is considered to be a status symbol in society.
Ethnic Dresses in Western India
Women in Rajasthan wear long skirts that reach up to the ankle traditionally kno
wn as ghaghra. It is narrow at the waist and its width increases at the base. Th
ere are a number of pleats on the ghaghra, and it is said that pleats signify th
e wearer's wealth. Ghaghras come in a variety of styles, but the more famous gha
ghras are the laharia, mothra and the chunaris styles. Men wear a turban and ang
arakha - a traditional dress worn above the waist. The two different types of an
garakhas are frock style, waist-length kamari angarakha and the long angarakha w
hich reaches below the knees. Along with the angarakha, dhotis or pyjamas are co
mmon to cover the lower part of the body. White dhotis are the norm, but people
also wear silk dhotis with zari borders.

The traditional dress of Maharashtra is also very popular. Men wear a dhoti and
shirt along with a head dress that is popularly known as a "pheta". The dhoti is
usually around two and a half feet long with or without borders. The women wear
sarees with a short sleeved choli (blouse). The sarees are typically worn tucke
d between the legs and are usually 9 m long.
The western state of Gujarat is also famous for its ethnic wear. A common type o
f dress worn by men in the rural areas is called 'chorno' for the lower part of
the body. A 'kediyu' or angarakhu is used to cover the upper part of the body. A
lso included is a 'phento' or turban. Women in villages usually wear the chaniyo
, which is a coloured petticoat, which is often embroidered with abhala, or roun
d glass pieces. For the upper part of the body, women wear a bodice called the c
holi. Along with this dress is the odhani which is used to cover the head.

Ethnic Dresses in Eastern & North Eastern India

The state of West Bengal reflects its cultural traditions in its costumes. Thoug
h the traditional dress of women in West Bengal is the Bengali saree, a lot of w
omen also wear the salwar kameez, which they have adopted from the traditional d
ress of Punjab. West Bengal is also renowned for its silk sarees and cotton sare
es. Men wear the traditional dhoti and the panjabi. The panjabi is either made o
f cotton or silk. The dhoti is worn around the lower part of the body, while the
panjabi is similar to the kurta worn as garment for the upper part of the body.
The state of Orissa, which is essentially a tribal dominated state, is also famo
us for its sarees with ikat patterns. The state is also famous for its ikat, bom
kai, bandha and pasapalli patterns. Sambalpur and Cutaki sarees of Orissa are al
so famous across the country. Behrampuri silks are also very popular.
The typical traditional costume of many Assamese women is called the mekhla chad
ar. This dress resembles a saree, but yet is not a saree. Actually, a mekhla con
sists of two or three pieces of cloth, whereas a saree is a single length of clo
th. One half of the mekhla is worn as the skirt or a lungi, while the other half
called the chadar is used as the upper body dress for the skirt. A blouse is al
so worn below the chadar to complete the dress. There are a variety of beautiful
patterns worn as part of these dresses. The men in Assam usually wear dhotis ma
de of silk. They also wear a chalang, which is a scarf. Another traditional shir
t called the 'sula' is also worn by Assamese men.
The north eastern states comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur
, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura are interdependent and have a lot of striking c
ommonality between them. They also have a brilliant cultural background, and the
ir dresses are eye capturing and striking. This is significant of the various et
hnic tribes and cultures that intermingle there.
Ethnic Dresses in Southern India
The traditional dress of Kerala consists of mundu and neriyathu for both men and
women. Saree and blouse also form a popular alternative as a traditional dress
for women. Whle the mundu forms the lower garment, the neriyathu forms the upper
garment. The mundu is hand-woven which is worn around the hips below the navel.
It is generally cream or white in colour.

The mundu's border is coloured and is generally called the kara. For men, the tr
aditional attire is the kasavu mundu. More popular in the rural areas, it is aro
und three to four meters in length and has a silk border. Another popular dress
for men is the kaily or lungi. This forms an informal dress for men. While going
outdoors, the men generally wear a shirt and mundu while draping a small neriya
thu on the shoulder.
The traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh is saree and blouse for women and dhoti
and kurta for men. Some tribals of Andhra Pradesh have their own dresses such as
lambadies, which are famous for their attractive and colourful garments. There
are a lot of beads, sequins and mirror work studded on them. They also wear wide
skirts in many bright shades of red, orange, and blue colours.
Women of Tamil Nadu wear a saree which has a special place in the costumes of Ta
mil Nadu. These are an essential part of the state's heritage. Sarees are extrem
ely popular in Tamil Nadu, and are worn on a number of occasions. Of special men
tion are the Kanchipuram sarees which are extremely famous throughout the countr
y and abroad. Sarees of Tamil Nadu usually are of five or six years in length. S
ome ceremonial sarees are also nine yards in length. The traditional costume of
Tamil Nadu for women is generally the saree and the blouse, while men prefer to
wear lungi or dhoti and angavasthram. However, many younger people today prefer
wearing trousers and shirts instead of lungi and angavasthram.
In Karnataka, men wear lungi and shirt, along with an angavasthram, while women
wear sarees and salvar suits. Kanchipurram sarees are also very famous in Karnat
aka.
Thus it can be seen that the costumes of South India intermingle with each other
creating a harmonious blend of culture and tradition.
The website www.infibeam.com has brought out an exclusive range of unique and ge
nuine ethnic dresses as part of its ethnic collection. Available on the website
are beautiful and exquisite ethnic dresses reflecting the dressing of most parts
of India. Visit the www.infibeam.com and choose from a fine ensemble of ethnic
dresses
In many ways, India's many traditions interweave with its dresses. However, with
the onslaught of western culture, many people have taken to wearing a western s
tyled dress which has diluted Indian culture to a considerable extent. Neverthel
ess, Indian culture is very much alive and throbbing, albeit there is now a need
to preserve the country s many cultural and dressing traditions from descending i
nto oblivion.

The main states covering North India are Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Pu
njab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Check out the traditional dresses of women in thes
e northern states of India:
Punjab: Phulkari, Salwar Kameez
Punjab and Haryana are the rich agricultural states of India. The traditional dr
esses of women in Punjab are extremely colorful and beautiful to look at. Costum
es of Punjab are a clear indication of the vibrant culture of the people. Punjab
is well known for the use of "phulkari" emboidery in its costumes. Phulkari is
a popular Indian form of embroidery where there is flower work embroidery in mul
tiple colors. This is seen in the shawls, which are worn over a tight-fitting ch
oli and ghagra. Phulkari is the traditional dress of rural women of this region.
The women of Punjab are responsible for the state's most famous item of handicr
aft - the phulkari. It is a custom in Punjab to make a phulkari known as "bagh"
(garden) on every ceremonial purpose. It is made in such a way that the entire c
loth is covered with embroidery that the base cloth cannot be seen at all. The s
alwar kameez is most common dress worn by women in Punjab. A dupatta or a chudni
about 2.5 metres long generally completes the ensemble. Its a matter of pride f
ro every Punjabi women to have a good collection of woolen shawls.
Haryana: Damaan, Kurti and Chunder
Like Punjab, the costumes of Haryana are also very vibrant and colorful. The sim
plicity of the people of Haryana and their spirited enthusiasm for life is visib
le in their way of dressing up. The women of this state have a special affection
towads colors. The basic traditional dress of Haryani women is the Damaan, Kurt
i and Chunder. The Daaman is the ankle length, flairy long skirt, available in b
right colors. Kurti is a waist length shirt or blouse, usually in light colours.
Chunder is the actually the long, coloured piece of cloth like the chudni. The
highlight of the chunder is usually the shiny laces all anong the border and is
used to cover the head and is drawn in the front like the 'pallav' of the saree.
Jammu and Kashmir: Phiran
The most popular attire of women in Jammu and Kashmir is the pheran. They are lo
ng, loose gowns that cover their physique but do not reduce the appearance or th
e physical appeal of the women. These gowns are decorated with colorful floral m
otifs and designs. Whereas a Muslim woman wears a pheran that is knee-length, lo
ose and embroidered in front and on the ends, a Hindu woman's wear their pherans
long, stretching up to their feet with narrowed down sleeves. Phirans are tied
at the waist with folded material called lhungi. The Hindu women wear a "taranga
", a headdress, stitched to a suspended cap and it narrows down at the back, tow
ards the heels. On the other hand, Muslim Kashmiri women wear a red headgear kno
wn as the "kasaba". The kasaba is stitched in the form of a turban and is pinned
together by brooches. A pin-scarf suspended from the kasaba descends towards th
e shoulder. Elaborate embroideries or floral patterns are a prominent feature of
a Kashmiri woman's pheran. Today phirans are worn by women of other parts of In
dian as well.
Rajasthan: Ghaghra choli
The otherwise dull colored monotone of the sands Rajasthan becomes cheery, color
ful with the vibrant spirits of the people who wear attractive and colors to mak
e up for the absence of blooming flowers. Everything from head-to-toe, the dress
, jewellery and even the footwear establishes the identity, the religion and the
social and economic status of a Rajathani women. The traditional dress of a Raj
asthani woman is the ghagra-choli and odhani. It is said that the width and the
number of pleats in the "Ghagra" or the long ankle length skirt symbolize one's
prosperity. The dress is available in many colors and styles. Rajasthan is famou
s for tie and dye prints or bandhani prints. The traditional dresses of Rajastha
ni women display a colorful look with their colorful motis and prints in tie dye
. Rajasthan traditional dresses of women are vibrant and extremely well-suited t
o the climatic conditions of the desert region. Though the modern influence and
urbanization is also reflected in the changing attire of the state, the traditio
nal dress continues to exist in perfect harmony with modern ways of dressing.