Drapes of India

A woman draped in a black georgette saree with hand-woven Paithani Pallu. Photo By: Sampurna Dutta

‘Saree’. A symbol of the pride of an Indian woman. Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Sattika’, meaning ‘strip of cloth’, the ‘Saree’ is the most versatile piece of clothing known to man. A six-to-nine-yard cloth that winds around the body in any way the wearer pleases and offers comfort, elegance, and confidence, the desi way.

The origins of the Saree can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization, i.e. 3300 BC, when women cultivated cotton and weaved it into one long piece of fabric to save cost, material, and effort, and yet be able to fashion them as convenient while working. They were even present in the Hindu hymns of ‘Rig Veda’.

An ancient statue dating back to approximately 600 BC depicts the attire of a woman at the time. Photo By: Sampurna Dutta

A little-known fact about the nine-yard drape is that it did not start out as one singular piece of cloth to cover the entire body. The attire was divided into three segments which were the Antriya – the flowy skirt that covered the lower half, the Uttariya – a veil or scarf-type cloth to cover the head or fall over the shoulder, and the Sthanapatta – a piece of cloth to cover the chest.

It is theorized that in early 200 BC when Alexander the Great invaded India that the drapes began changing. Greek women that were a part of the Greek convoy wore chitons, a long piece of fabric that hung loosely and was pleated in the lower front while the rest draped around and over the shoulder. Quickly, Indian women caught on to the style of wearing the fabric and accommodated it into their sarees, finding it to be of utmost comfort and grace.

The flexibility of the saree continued to develop as the wearers began adapting to the new drape. Contrary to the loose-fitting Greek way of styling the fabric, Indian women began to drape it tighter around the body, emphasizing the natural curves and the sensual charisma of a woman. Customization of the fabric, dyeing it into various colors, and weaving designs to beautify it further, began soon after.

During the British Raj in India, many elite women demanded that their sarees be of higher standards than that of the lower class who used cotton. How?

A woman wearing a traditional red-and-white cotton saree in the traditional Bengali-style drape, which is often accented by tying house keys at the end of the Pallu Photo By: Sampurna Dutta

“By using gold and silver threads in the weaving of the sarees, adding frills and laces of expensive quality silk to the hems, and decorating with precious stones.” A weaver from S.S. Handlooms in Shantipur stated. “These sarees are still customized by select weavers, like my family who have been running this handloom business since the early post-oppression years, and can cost up to a few million rupees.”

The virtuosity of the saree kept growing, with different states in India innovating new types of draping.

“The saree also has a hidden element of genderfluidity and this comes through with the attire being worn by men as a lungi or a dhoti.” Tania Chatterjee, owner of Sindook Boutique, said. “Each part of India claimed and trademarked a style of Saree, weaving patterns and colors unique to their region, and commercialization is such that now I have customers across the world asking for a specific type of saree from a specific state or village.”

Currently, there are more than 40 styles of Sarees, approximately 20 types of drapes, and over 57,000 weavers that have kept the tradition of handwoven Sarees.