Elegance And Grace! India is a land known for its rich culture and heritage. Many beautiful things make it stand apart from other countries. Among them what really stands out is the beauty and grace of a saree. From Banarasi to cotton silk sarees, there is so much variety.
If a person is keen on collecting saris, they will have their breath taken away due to the vast collection of sarees from the North of India to the South that varies in textile, color, and tradition. There is so much to see and learn about the elegant nine yards.
History and Tradition:
To better understand, a saree is a lady’s garment that is an unstitched drape that is usually nine yards in length, which is wrapped around the waist and one drape goes over the shoulder.
It is traditionally worn in South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, but most famous in the Indian subcontinent. The word saree is derived from the ancient Sanskrit scripture, which now has various terms coined in different languages.
Types of Sarees and Drapes:
Right from cotton silk sarees to muga, there are multiple types of sarees available for purchase. A few of them that are extremely popular in today’s day and age are as follows:
- Taant belongs to West Bengal.
- Kasavu from Kerala.
- Kanjeevaram belongs to Tamil Nadu.
- Bomkai and Sambalpuri from the state of Odisha.
- Paithani from the state of Maharashtra.
- Bandhani print saree from Gujarat.
- Muga belongs to Assam.
- Banarasi saree from Varanasi.
- Pochampally saree from Telangana.
- Chanderi silk from Madhya Pradesh.
- Kornad saree belongs to Tamil Nadu.
- Leheriya prints from the state of Rajasthan.
- Phulkari from Punjab.
- Chikankari work from Lucknow.
There is diversity in the types of saree and a certain traditional drape belonging to each state in India. The drape is easiest to do on cotton silk sarees while a little more complicated on a Banarasi sari simply because of the fabric’s stiffness or softness.
Following are the drape types:
- Namboothiri: The Namboothiri drape is traditional to Kerala. This drape is worn to cover only the lower half of the body, which is done with two pieces of saree material, one called the mundun, the upper garment while the lower garment is called the neriyathum. This is traditionally draped for dance performances during the festival of Onam.
- Phanek and Innaphi: This form of traditional drape originates from the state of Manipur. It is a sarong worn that can be classified into two types – tribal and the Meitei phanek. The phanek are usually made of horizontal stripes.
- Madisaru: The madisaru is a very traditional drape that originates from the state of Tamil Nadu. This drape is a crucial part of an Iyengar and Iyer culture, where women are mostly seen wearing cotton silk sarees in this drape. Brides of Tamil Nadu belonging to the cast get draped in a Madisaru, where the lower half is draped like a dhoti.
- Coorgi style: This style of drape is local to the town of Coorg in the state of Karnataka. This form of drape helped the women of Coorg live a highly active lifestyle. They could quickly move around the tea plantations and work with ease as it would be worn daily. Cotton silk sarees and Banarasi sarees are usually worn in this drape by Coorgi brides on their wedding day.
- Seedha pallu: This drape is traditional to Gujarat, which is worn almost every day by the women there, as it permits free movement. It also works well for heavy sarees, as most women must carry the weight of heavy pallus on their shoulders which will be avoided with this drape.
- Gol Sari: This is a Parsi drape that is nothing short of simplicity and elegance. This drape is popularly worn during festivals or even sometimes regularly. Most women prefer to wear this drape using chiffon sarees with floral prints, where the pallu is taken from behind and is draped over the blouse.
- Santhal: This drape originates from the state of Jharkhand, where the chequer patterns traditionally characterize the Santhal sarees. This drape is near the Bengali drape where there is a box pleat in the front, and the pallu is pulled over the left shoulder like a triangle.
- Nauvari drape: This drape is very traditional to the state of Maharashtra, as it depicts the strong, independent women of the state. The drape involves the saree being worn like a dhoti at the bottom, while the top half has a pallu like a regular drape.
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