HISTORY OF CLOTHING IN ANCIENT INDIA (2024)

Clothing has been an integral part of people’s daily life, offering insight into society. The transition in costumes, designs, and patterns reflect the political, cultural, and social changes that may have occurred during the period. Given the vast geographical and climatic area of the Indian subcontinent and the diversity of ethnic groups, a range of cloth and materials have been used by people. Along with these factors, cross-cultural interaction and economic-political changes during different periods have led to greater complexity and variety in clothing styles. This essay traces the history of clothing in India from 2500 BCE to the 6th century CE.

The earliest evidence of clothing in the Indian subcontinent is found in the Indus Valley Civilization (2600-1900 BCE). Contrary to popular perception, sewing was widely popularin Ancient India. Evidence of needles and spindle whorlsfound at Harappan sites suggestspinning and weaving activities.

The Priest-King figure found at Mohenjo-daro wears a robe over his left shoulder with motifs that have holes suggesting that stone or coloured faience may have been embedded there.

The first written evidence of clothing is found in the Vedic period (1500-600 BCE). The Rigveda mentions two garments, vasa (lower garment) and adhivasa(upper garment). Later texts further mention the use of nivi (an undergarment). Gradually other clothes like atkal (a woven and well-fitted garment), drapi (mantle or cloak), and pesas(an embroidered garment) which was commonly worn by female dancers, also find their mention in the vedic texts.

Yet another important source from early ancient India is in the form of the literature from the Sangam Age (3rd century BCE-3rd century CE). Sangamliterature refers to the earliest available Tamil literature. The Sangam age flourished under the patronage of a famous south Indian kingdom known as the Pandyas. These works are believed to have been composed in three symposiums held at Then Madurai (an ancient city), Kapadapuram(capital of the ancient Pandyan kingdom) and Madurairespectively. During the Sangam age, cotton and possibly silk had both acquired a high level of expertise in spinning and weaving. Women worked as part-time spinners. The Sangam literature frequently makes reference to the weaving of intricate designs on silk and cotton. In the Sangam poems, cotton fabric is described as being so delicately woven that the eye cannot trace the thread's path. Metaphors like ‘a cloud of steam’ or ‘a snake's slough’ have also been used to describe the cotton fabric in these poems. It mentions that scissors and needles were used to cut hair and make clothes. Another text known as the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century-3rd century CE) states that Uraiyur (capital of the early Cholas) was a significant hub for cotton trade.

For the Mauryan period, (320-185 BCE) we find mention of costumes in literary and sculptural sources. The Arthashastra of Kautilya mentions that threads (sutras), coats (varma), cloth (vastra), and ropes (rajju) were manufactured by the weaving department. The contemporary accounts of travellers Arrian (2nd century BCE-2nd century CE) and Megasthenes (350-290 BCE), also shed light on costumes and materials used during this period. These accounts observed that the people wore cotton clothes and muslin garments. The upper garment was partly thrown over the shoulders and partly twisted around the waist, while the lower garment hung down to the knees. The robes were worked in gold and ornamented with precious stones.

For the Mauryan-Shunga period (320-73 BCE), sculptures from Bharhut and Sanchi are also important sources to study different costumes worn by people. The lower garment of men was tucked in the waist at the and taken to the back like a dhoti,which had varying lengths.It was sometimes fastened with a kamarband.

For women, the lower garment comprised of a piece of cloth where the outer edge was gathered into stiff folds of equal length. Both men and women rarely wore an upper garment. However, in some cases, women are shown with a thin bodice-like garment.

The rock cut monuments of Udayagiri and Khandagiri show examples of costume and domestic life as reflected in the clothes and ornaments of ancient Odisha. These caves date back to the Mahameghavahana dynasty (1st century BCE), of which Kharvela was the most prominent ruler. The chief costume continued to be a dhoti, often diaphanous, tied with a waistband, with the folds of its ends dangling in front. In certain instances, scarves were also used by both men and women. The kings are shown with dhotis, reaching the ankles, while the attendants have been depicted with a short piece of loin cloth, folded just above the knees.

The dvarpala (doorkeeper) in cave 6 at Udayagiri, is seen wearing a simple dhoti, with the pleated ends hanging in front and held to the waist with a kamarband. A part of the kamarband is arranged in a fan shape on either side of the waist.

Another figure found at Rani-Gumpha cave, is wearing a kilted garment, with a tunic fastened at the waist reaching the knees. The figure is also wearing a chadar or scarf thrown diagonally over the body.

The costume of women shown in the figures of queens, dancers, and bracket figures among others show the use of a short loin cloth, covering the lower body. In some images, this is sometimes tied with kamarbands, while the upper body remains bare. Another lower garment is a band of cloth tied around the waist, with folded ends distinctively visible. This was then fastened witha girdle. Some figures are seen with scarves, which were drapedover the shoulders, falling on the sides gracefully.

Gandhara, situated in the North-western part of the ancient Indian subcontinent, became a prominent centre of art during the Kushana period. The sculptures from this region show Greco-Roman influences in clothing. The men at Gandhara are seen wearing loin cloth or dhoti with a mass of folds, along with a cloak or chadar, which was a piece of cloth draped in a variety of ways.

It was sometimes thrown across one or both shoulders, allowed to fall over an arm, or with one end hanging at the back or front. The women wore tunic-like garments on the upper body and wrapped a cloth around their lower body, which was sometimes thrown over the shoulders.

The costume of kings shown in these caves included a striped loin cloth or dhoti, sometimes complemented with a scarf. The costumes of soldiers included dhoti (loin cloth) or tunics with trousers or shorts.

In some images, women are seen wearing sewn garments, like bodices of thin material, patterned tunics, and robes. The dancer in Mahajanaka Jataka painted in Cave 1 in Ajanta, is seen wearing a skirt marked with purple, green, and yellow stripes and a long-sleeved tunic or upper garment, which covers the front while the back appears to be bare. In the same painting, the woman behind the drum is wearing a striped breast band tied at the back, with a short skirt.

Both Banabhatta (7th century Sanskrit prose writer) and Kalidasa (5th century Sanskrit poet and dramatist) mention the different costumes worn bywomen, including gatika (shawl) tied on breasts, kancuka (tunic), candataka (petticoat), anddukula (sari covering only the lower body) in their accounts. Mention of lower garments with striped patterns, ghaghri (chequered skirt) and a dhoti worn in a manner where its end is pulled between the legs and tucked at the waistband is also found in their accounts. In his writing, Banabhatta has also referred to tunics which sometimes imitated tiger skins. Hieun Tsang (629–645 CE), a Chinese traveller wrote in his account that men and women wore striped cloth which was manufactured in Mathura. These descriptions can be easily observed in the clothing depicted in the paintings at the Ajanta and Bagh caves.

The examples taken in this essay, right from theemergence of the first urban centres to the various textual sources, includingthe intricate cave paintings helpin understanding a great deal about the ancient Indian society. The history of ancient India is thus rich with representations that showcase the developmentand progress in clothing traditions.