Do you love to wear traditional clothes? Like wearing sarees, salwar kameez or sari? Then this blog is just for you! We have put together the best articles that teach you how to wear Rajasthani traditional dress. Rajasthani people wear different outfits for special occasions like marriages, festivals and other ceremonies. We have included articles about jewellery, hairstyle but also about what are the latest fashion trends in India.
The clothing of Rajasthan is greatly diverse in different regions based on their own culture and tradition which has been passed on from generation to generation since centuries ago era. In Rajasthani society, high respect is attached to the clothing of the men. Rajasthanis do not like to wear western attire, they prefer to wear traditional clothes which are well threaded and also bright in colour.
In Rajasthan, people from all communities celebrated traditional clothing. In the rural society, Rajasthani men wore a dhoti and a kurta. The women in rural areas wore a sari. In urban society, men would wear shirts and trousers while women would wear skirts or pantsuits with a blouse on top of it depending on the occasion.
Women’s Traditional Dressing
Rajasthani women generally wear a dupatta (outer garment) or collectively known as shalwar or choli (An imported term for dupatta) over their upper body including the neck and normally there is a beaded dupatta on top of it. There are wide variations in dress among all regions of Rajasthan which include the type of dupatta, its colour, length, texture and embroidery patterns. Some women wear a dupatta over their shoulder. Some women wear shalwar-kameez while others wear the sari.
The dress worn by the rural Rajasthani women is also very diverse. Some of them are simple, while others are colourful in design, embroidery or lace on the upper body and sleeves with some parts of the embroidery covering the chest area. Most of these dresses consist of a long upper garment made up of cotton cloth called Jori Dupatta with some parts of the upper garment adorning with heavy thread work of silver or gold. Which is popularly known as Gaura Padi or Gardenias which symbolize the wealth of agricultural or financial background.
The Rajasthani women wear a Jori Dupatta from the chest covering the shoulders and back to the waist, below which they wear a petticoat called Ghaghra which is white or colourfully embroidered. In some regions, the Rajasthani women use a piece of silk as a thread to keep their dupattas together with their shoulders. Some women also wear a black sash over their heads.
Other Women Dresses
The Rajasthani women are very fond of wearing ornaments, particularly arm ornaments which they wear on their upper arms. These ornaments are of silver and gold, some of them are quite expensive. The upper garment worn by the Rajasthani women consists of two parts, one is the inner part called choli which is embroidered with rich work and mirror work known as ghehda stithy, normally it has very heavy thread embroidery on it. The second part is the outer part called salwar kameez which has two pieces known as choli and salwar.
Have a Look at: Manipur Traditional Dresses
Men’s Rajasthani Traditional Dress
The men in rural areas generally wear a Kachha-Pajama. The inner garments are wore next to the skin and can either be of cotton or silk material. The upper garments consist of a Dhoti which all classes of society in Rajasthan widely use.
In the past, men used to wear a shawl as a headdress known as Kachha-Toga. The men also wore a Turban as headgear. In the later era, it is now not commonly wore by Rajasthani males.
In the present time, the Rajasthani men wear long straight Pants called trousers and Shirts called a kurta. There are many types of kurtas available in Rajasthan which vary from region to region. The kurtas are straight in design, have narrow sleeves and are heavy embroidery with threadwork. The traditionally festive kurtas have heavy embroidery with silver threads. It is worn without a collar with the traditional Rajasthani Dhoti.
The Rajasthani traditional dress is very colourful. The men’s kurtas are either yellow, pink, blue or white with the inner dress being either black or dark purple called Kala Sona.
You can see this traditional clothing in most of the festivals celebrated in Rajasthan. The women wear their traditional dresses which are very ornate and they look pretty on them. The men wear their traditional kurta-pyjama with Dhoti which is very beautiful to see on them.
Traditionally, the Achkan was also worn by men in Rajasthani society which is similar to that of the modern-day suits worn by corporate executives in metropolitan cities. The Achkan however could be greatly varied in design, colour and embroidery patterns based on the region it was made.
Jewellery
Women
Jewellery in Rajasthan is an almost vital part of the culture, that has been in use for centuries ago. It goes without saying that jewellery is not just a part of the attire, but also serve as a token of social status. Typically adorned with intricate designs, Rajasthani jewellery is sure to catch your eyes and hearts in one go!
Rajasthani women adore their jewellery pieces and do not take kindly to anyone who thinks it’s okay to touch them. The most popular pieces among these women are jhumkas and meenakari – which means ‘goldwork.’ Meenakari involves engraving gold-filled motifs on silver or brass metal pieces.
Men
Jewellery designed for Rajasthani men is usually made of silver and has a very traditional look. Necklaces and earrings with intricate designs and motifs are the most common type of Rajasthani jewellery for men. Also, they attach beautifully designed kalangi to their turban which looks royal.
Also Visit: Traditional Dresses Of India