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The Indian Sari - Fashioning the Female Form
by Nitin Kumar
Editor
http://www.exoticindia.com
Legend
has it that when the beauteous Draupadi - wife of the Pandavas, was
lost to the Kauravas in a gambling duel, the lecherous victors, intent
on humiliating and harassing Draupadi, caught one end of the diaphanous
material that draped her demurely, yet seductively. They continued to
pull and unravel, but could not reach the end, and thus undrape her.
Virtue triumphed yet again in this 5,000 year old Indian epic, the
Mahabharata. Legend, fantasy, history or fact, it is the first recorded
reference to the enduringly attractive Sari - the longest running 'in
fashion' item of feminine apparel in the world.
In
a metaphysical sense the Kauravas symbolize the forces of chaos and
destruction, trying to unwind what is in effect, infinity. They are
finally forced to stop, frustrated and defeated.
A charming folktale explains the origin of the Sari as follows:
"The
Sari, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt
of Woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The
colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove
together. He couldn't stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was
done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled".
Indian myths often use weaving as a metaphor for the creation of the
universe. The sutra or spun thread was the foundation, while the
sutradhara (weaver) or holder of the thread was viewed as the architect
or creator of the universe.
The etymology of
the word sari is from the Sanskrit word 'sati', which means strip of
cloth. This evolved into the Prakrit 'sadi' and was later anglicised
into sari.
There is ample evidence of the sari in the earliest examples of Indian
art. Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st- 6th
century AD), suggest that the sari in its earlier form was a briefer
garment, with a veil, and usually no discernable bodice.
There
are also several references to the fact that in South India the sari
had been for a long time one piece of material that served as both
skirt and veil, leaving the bosom bare. Even today in some rural areas
it is quite common for a woman not to wear a choli.
In
extant North Indian miniature paintings, (particularly Jain, Rajasthani
and Pahari schools from the 13th to the 19th centuries) it seems to
consist of the diaphanous skirt and an equally diaphanous veil draped
over a tiny bodice. This style still survives as the more voluminous
lehanga of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Gradually
this skirt and veil were amalgamated into one garment, but when and how
this happened is not precisely clear. One theory, not fully
substantiated, is that the style was created by Noor Jahan (d. 1645)
wife of the Mughal emperor Jehangir (reigned. 1605-27). Perhaps it
would be more accurate to speculate that the confrontation between the
two cultures, Islamic and Hindu, led the comparatively relaxed Hindus
to develop a style that robed the person more discreetly and less
precariously.
Some costume historians believe
that the men's dhoti, which is the oldest Indian draped garment, is the
forerunner of the sari. Till the 14th century the dhoti was worn by
both men and women. Thereafter it is conjectured that the women's dhoti
started to become longer, and the accessory cloth worn over the
shoulders was woven together with the dhoti into a single cloth to make
the sari.
Indian
civilization has always placed a tremendous importance on unstitched
fabrics like the sari and dhoti, which are given sacred overtones. The
belief was that such a fabric was pure; perhaps because in the distant
past needles of bone were used for stitching. Hence even to the present
day, while attending pujas or other sacred ceremonies, the men dress up
in dhotis while women wear the sari. Thus even though the different
waves of Islamic expansion (13th - 19th century AD) resulted in new
versions of stitched garments, the primacy of the sari and its gently
changing form couldn't be changed. Even today, when the Islam
influenced Salwar-kameez (loose trousers with a tunic) is an
increasingly popular garment, the Sari continues to hold its sway. The
flow it confers to the natural contours of the female form enhances the
gracefulness of the fairer sex, as no other apparel can.
The
Sari, like so many other textiles, gives the lie to the hierarchical
distinction made between fine arts and crafts. The approximate size of
a sari is 47 by 216 inches. Although it is an untailored length of
cloth, the fabric is highly structured and its design vocabulary very
sophisticated. The main field of the sari is framed on three sides by a
decorative frieze of flowering plants, figurative images or abstract
symbols.
Two
of the borders define the edges of the length of the sari and the third
comprises the end piece, which is a visible, broader, more complex
version of the other two borders. This end piece is the part of the
sari that is draped over the shoulder and left to hang over the back or
front, known popularly as the Pallav.
The
pallav usually elaborates the theme found in the two borders and the
actual field of the sari, a sort of repetition and amplification in the
manner of the Indian musical mode, the raga. The raga has a set number
of notes and these are intoned in a form of verbal mnemonics, before
the song is actually sung. No new notes other than those in the
introduction are used, but improvisation is allowed and results in
endless permutations and combinations. This beautiful metaphor thus
compares the two narrow borders to the introductory recital of the pure
notes and the pallav to the song.
The
design, whether woven, embroidered, painted or block-printed, needs to
maintain the proportion and balance between the actual field of the
sari, the borders and the pallav. The pattern creates its own rhythm.
For instance, the scattering of spot weft gold dots increase in the
pallav for a denser, richer pattern and gradually and softly decrease
on the actual ground of the sari.
Pattern and
content are often dictated by the traditions of the region where the
sari is produced. The great sari capitals are Varanasi (Banaras), by
the sacred river Ganga, Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh and Kanjivaram in
South India.
Banaras
is renowned for its silk and gold brocades. The weavers who are usually
Muslims, are famed for producing brocades so stiff with gold that they
cannot be used as garments and are reserved wholly for ritual use. The
Banaras sari itself is ubiquitous in India. No bridal trousseau would
be complete without a 'Banarasi' brocade which is available within a
broad price range. Along with their very intricate patterns, the most
interesting aspect of Banaras brocades is the tremendous variety of
silk yarns with which they are woven. Ranging from heavy silks such as
'Jamawars' and 'Tanchois' to gossamer fine organzas and tissues, the
choice is mind-boggling.
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