Traditional Costumes of India: Mekhla Chador, Phanek, Phiran, Nauvari and the Sarees UPSC Tests

Traditional Costumes of India: Mekhla Chador, Phanek, Phiran, Nauvari and the Sarees UPSC Tests

UPSC asks traditional costumes as match-the-pair questions: the garment, the state it belongs to, and the way it is worn. This guide covers ten costumes from nine states and regions, from the Mekhla chador of Assam to the Phulkari of Punjab.

Mekhla chador: Assam

The Mekhla chador is the traditional dress of Assamese women. It is a two piece garment: the mekhela, a cylindrical cloth worn around the waist, and the chador, a long cloth draped over the upper body.

• Fabric: woven in silk: paat, muga and eri, the silks of Assam.
• Men: wear a dhoti and kurta with a gamocha, the checked cloth of Assam.
• Remember: Mekhla chador, Assam, two piece, muga silk.

Phanek: Manipur

The Phanek is the traditional dress of Manipuri women. It is a wraparound skirt, worn with a blouse and a shawl called the innaphi.

• How it is worn: the phanek is wrapped around the waist like a sarong and falls to the ankles.
• Men: wear a dhoti with a jacket.
• Remember: Phanek, Manipur, wraparound skirt.

Phiran: Jammu and Kashmir

The Phiran, also spelled Pheran, is the loose long gown of Jammu and Kashmir, worn by both men and women. It falls below the knees and is made in wool for the winter cold.

• Women's phiran: is often worked with zari and embroidery.
• Why it matters: its loose cut lets the wearer carry a kangri, the earthen fire pot, beneath it in winter.
• Remember: Phiran, Jammu and Kashmir, long loose gown, both men and women.

Nauvari saree: Maharashtra

The Nauvari, also called the Lugda or Kasta saree, is the nine yard saree of Maharashtra. It is draped in the dhoti style, tucked between the legs, and worn without a petticoat.

• Length: nine yards, which is about 8.2 metres, against the usual six yards.
• Men: wear a dhoti, called dhotar, with a kurta and a pheta, the Maharashtrian turban.
• Remember: Nauvari, Maharashtra, nine yard, dhoti style drape.

Paithani saree: Maharashtra

The Paithani is the silk saree of Maharashtra, named after Paithan town. It is woven in silk with gold zari borders, and its pallu carries peacock and lotus motifs.

• Worn for: festivals and religious functions.
• Remember: Paithani, Maharashtra, silk, gold zari, peacock motifs. Do not confuse it with the Nauvari, which is a drape, not a weave.

Patola saree: Gujarat

The Patola is the double ikat silk saree of Gujarat, handwoven at Patan. Both the warp and the weft threads are tied and dyed before weaving, so the pattern appears identical on both sides of the cloth.

• Heritage: once worn only by royalty and the aristocracy; the craft is kept alive by the Salvi weavers of Patan.
• GI tag: Patan Patola received a Geographical Indication tag in 2013.
• Remember: Patola, Gujarat, Patan, double ikat silk, GI tag.

Chaniya choli: Gujarat

The Chaniya choli is the three piece dress of Gujarati women: the chaniya, a flared skirt, the choli, a blouse, and the odhani, a veil. It is worked with mirror work and bright embroidery.

• Worn for: Navratri and the Garba dance.
• Men: wear a kediyu, a flared upper garment, with a dhoti.
• Remember: Chaniya choli, Gujarat, three piece, mirror work, Navratri.

Kanchipuram silk saree: Tamil Nadu

The Kanchipuram silk saree, also called Kanjeevaram, takes its name from Kanchipuram town in Tamil Nadu. It is a heavy silk saree with wide gold zari borders and temple motifs.

• Worn for: weddings and festivals across South India.
• Remember: Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, silk, gold zari border. The town gives the saree its name.

Mundu and Kasavu saree: Kerala

The Mundu is the white or cream cotton garment of Kerala, worn around the waist. Its border, the kara, is a coloured strip, and the festive version carries a broad gold zari border called kasavu.

• Women: wear the mundum neriyathum, a two piece dress: the mundu as the lower garment and the neriyathum as the upper cloth.
• Men: wear the mundu as a dhoti, often with a kasavu border for ceremonies.
• Worn for: Onam and temple festivals.
• Remember: Mundu, Kerala, white cotton, gold kara border, Kasavu.

Phulkari and Patiala salwar: Punjab

Phulkari means flower work. It is the dense floral embroidery of Punjab, worked in silk thread on a cotton base, and worn as a dupatta or shawl over a salwar kameez.

• Patiala salwar: is the loose, heavily pleated salwar that takes its name from Patiala.
• Men: wear a kurta pyjama with a turban.
• Remember: Phulkari, Punjab, floral embroidery, flower work.

How to remember them

• East and North East: Mekhla chador (Assam), Phanek (Manipur).
• North: Phiran (Jammu and Kashmir), Phulkari and Patiala salwar (Punjab).
• West: Nauvari and Paithani (Maharashtra), Patola and Chaniya choli (Gujarat).
• South: Kanchipuram silk (Tamil Nadu), Mundu and Kasavu (Kerala).
• The two nine yard and double ikat traps: Nauvari is a nine yard drape from Maharashtra; Patola is a double ikat weave from Patan in Gujarat.