Ghagra choli (also known as lehenga choli and chaniya choli) is a type of ethnic clothing for women from India, notably in the Indian states of Rajasthan,[ Gujarat, Volume 1 – Rash Bihari Lal, Anthropological Survey of India] Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and southern Nepal in Terai plains. In Punjab region, the lehenga is traditionally worn with a Kurti top.[Punjabi Sabhiachaar barey by Jit Singh Joshi Waris Shah Foundation] It is a combination of the ghagra or lehenga (long skirt) and the choli (blouse). In contemporary and modern usage lehenga choli is the widely used term by fashion designers, trend setters, and boutiques in India, since ghagra is synonymous with the half-slip (petticoat) worn as an undergarment below the sari.
Terms and history
Historically, the gagra choli evolved from the three-piece attire worn by women in ancient India. The attire consisted of the
antriya lower garment, the
uttariya veil worn over the shoulder or head and
stanapatta a chest band, which is mentioned in
Sanskrit literature and Buddhist
Pali literature during the 6th century B.C.
[Agam Kala Prakashan, 1991 "Costume, coiffure, and ornaments in the temple sculpture of northern Andhra", p.118]
Choli
A
choli, (
ravike in South India
Telugu language: రవికె,
Kannada language: ರವಿಕೆ) is a
midriff-baring
blouse commonly worn with a
sari attire (worn in
India,
Pakistan,
Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh,
Nepal and other surrounding countries). It evolved from the ancient
Stanapatta (also known as
Kanchuki) and is cut to fit tightly around the body with its short sleeves and low neck. The choli is usually cropped, allowing exposure of the
navel; the cropped design is particularly well suited to wear in the hot summers of the Indian subcontinent.
Ghagra, lehenga or chaniya
Lehenga,
gagra/
ghagra (
Hindi:
ghāghrā) also
chaniya[ Fashions from India – Tom Tierney] (known as
pavadai in
Tamil language: பாவாடை) is a form of skirt that is long, embroidered and pleated. It is secured at the waist or hips and leaves the lower back and
midriff bare.
[ Social Science a Textbook in History for Class IX as per New Syllabus – FK Publications] The ancient version of skirt or
ghagri evolved from
bhairnivasani, which in turn evolved from the
antriya when stitching on one side became tubular and was worn gathered together at the waist, and held by a girdle. This was one of the earliest forms of a clumsily stitched skirt. It was worn using a
nada or drawstring. The
ghagri was a narrow skirt long—the same length as the original
antriya—and can still be seen worn by
in India.
Until the early 20th century, women irrespective of class largely wore gagras that reached down to ankles, especially in the Hindi belt. This was largely due to jeweled toes indicating the marital status of women, as both married and unmarried women observed the ghoonghat veil. Gagras were made out of two to three layers of coarse khadi fabric which created the large flared look and remained largely plain but were decorated with gota and badla embroidery on special occasions. Most commonly used dyes were indigo, lac and turmeric. This style can still be seen in rural areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & Madhya Pradesh particularly during folk festivals.
Dupatta
The
dupatta (also known as
chunni,
chunri, or
odni) is a scarf that is like a shawl and is worn with the gagra and choli. It is also used as part of the women's
shalwar kameez costume. It is an evolved form of the
Uttariya. Until the early 21st century, the dupatta was the most decorative part of gagra choli, while the rest of the garment was plainer, especially if the gagra was an everyday one. Dupatta is worn in many regional styles across India. The most common style since early medieval times was to pleat the dupatta on one end, so it could be anchored by tucking it into the front waist of the gagra. The loose end is then wrapped across the waist and/or draped diagonally across the upper body to fall over the shoulder, or up and over to cover the head. This is similar to the way a sari is generally worn. Women farming or doing manual work tuck both ends of the dupatta into their choli.
The dupatta is traditionally seen as a symbol of modesty, as its main purpose is to serve as a veil. There is no single way of wearing it, so as time passed and fashion changed, the styling of the dupatta also evolved.
Fabrics
The Ghagri-Choli are made of a number of fabrics such as
silk,
cotton,
khadi,
georgette,
crape, net,
satin,
brocade and chiffon.
[ Types of Indian Lehengas – nrigujarati.co.in] Although designers have successfully used various fabrics for lehenga, silk is still the preferred fabric.
Decorative stitching
Apart from the fabric, decorative stitching patterns also play a role. Lehengas come with a wide variety of decoration and embroidery work like
Gota Work,
Phulkari, Shisha,
Chikankari,
Zari,
Zardozi,
Nakshi Kantha,
Kundan, etc.
[ The latest fashion trends in saree collection – newsbycompany.com] For festivals like
Navratri, the ethnic Shisha embroidery is popular with a bit of patchwork. For formal wear and weddings, the embroidery is heavier in pearls, silk, sequins and zari.
Kutch embroidery is an evolving expression of the craft and textile traditions of the , a nomadic tribe in Gujarat. Kutch embroidery is unique in the sense that a net is woven on a cloth using thread. The net is then filled in using the same thread by intricate interlocking stitches. The patterns are usually built around geometric shapes. This embroidery follows its own traditional design logic and juxtaposition of colours and motifs.
Festive attire
The lehenga choli is the favourite female apparel worn during festivals, weddings or special events in India. This is due to traditions as well as of the fact that it is available in a number of fabrics with many different decorative choices.
Traditionally the sari and the lehenga choli are the most popular garments for the bride in India.
[ Fashionable wedding attire – The Hindu] This is a common bridal attire mostly in
North India and is also the traditional wear of Garba festival in
Gujarat.
[ India – R.I.C. Publications] Traditional Rogan hand painted (by Ashish Kansara) and embroidered Chaniya choli wear of festival and wedding in Gujarat.
Ritu Kala – significance in rite of passage
In southern India, coming of age ceremony or rites of passage are celebrated when a girl reaches puberty. She wears
langa voni during the first part of the ceremony and then she is given her first sari, which she wears during the second half of the ceremony. This marks her transition into womanhood.
The tradition of presenting langa voni begins with the girl's first naming ceremony called Naming ceremony and her first rice feeding ceremony called Annaprashana. She receives her last one at her coming of age ceremony. Langa voni is traditional clothing for unmarried girls in southern India.
Luanchari
Luanchari is a full-dress garment. The luanchari is made up of two parts. The upper part is called choli, and is made of the same fabric as of the lehanga, but it is not uncommon to find the two pieces of the garment in different colours. The choli is stitched to the lehanga, to make a one-piece luanchari. This is commonly worn by the women in Pahari miniatures, and is quite similar to lehanga.
It may take over 21 yards of cloth to make a complete luanchari.
It is a traditional garment worn by Gaddis of
Himachal Pradesh.
Gallery
File:Gagra choli.jpg|Little girl dressed in gagra choli during garba in Vadodara
File:Ghagra Choli1.jpg|Woman in gagra choli
File:Ghagra Choli3.jpg|Woman in gagra choli
File:Gaddi Couple 1940.jpg|Himachal woman in luanchari
File:Gota Embroidery.jpg|Bridal gagra with gota embroidery
File:Delhi Wedding.jpg|Women dancing in gagra choli during wedding in Delhi
File:Krishnacart.jpg|Plaque depicting ancient form of long choli and gagra worn during Gupta Empire
File:Pink dress with embroidery, Crafts Museum, New Delhi.jpg|Gagra with badla embroidery from 1800s
File:Bride entering the hall - Indian Hindu Wedding.jpg|Bride in ghagra choli or lehenga
File:Punjabi Traditional Fashion - Cultural Night - Wiki Conference India - CGC - Mohali 2016-08-05 7349.JPG|Punjabi ghagra
File:Priyanka on the ramp for Mijwan fashion show.jpg|Priyanka Chopra in a navel-baring choli and ghagra
File:Nepali woman 1900.jpg|Khas people Nepali women in gagra choli also called Gunyu choli or Faria.
See also
External links
