sarees

sarees

For almost anyone anyone in the western world five and a half meters of cloth makes no sense without cutting and stitching. But, in India, it makes the core of the culture. This is the world famous attire of India, the Indian saree.

A saree is a meter and a quarter wide; and five and a half meters in length piece of cloth; in various designs and of varied fabric.

A lady, wears this cloth, covering her her entire body, in a specific manner. The added piece of dressing to a saree is a blouse, which in most of cases, is in accordance to the saree.

The word 'saree' is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word 'sati', which means strip of cloth. This evolved into the Prakrit 'sadi' and the sound later decayed into 'saree'.

Some versions of the history of Indian clothing trace the sari back to the Indus valley civilization, which flourished in 2800-1800 BCE. One ancient statue shows a man in a draped robe which some sari researchers believe to be a precursor of the sari. Some costume historians believe that the men's dhoti, which is the oldest Indian draped garment, is the forerunner of the sari. They say that until the 14th century, the dhoti was worn by both men and women.

The pricing of sarees is something one shouldn’t ever estimate because it ranges from Rs. 80-100 to Rs. 80 Lakh. Sarees like Kanjivaram, Banarasi, Silk etc., are world famous. Works like zardozi, mukesh are some of the most popular patterns of sarees.

Apart from such exclusive sarees, there are simple plain cotton or polyester or chiffon sarees available in the market for daily wear. They are light, comfortable and washable. There is endless variety as far as colour or prints are concerned.