Dress of Rajasthan: Pagdi, Angarkhi, Ghaghra, Odhni Types, Bhil Dress Notes

At a glance

Saying: 'Pagdi ki laaj rakhna' means guarding the honour of the turban; honouring someone with a pagdi at weddings and other ceremonies is still a custom.
Main kinds of dyeing: Pomcha, Leheriya and Chunari.
Modern wear: pant and shirt are now common for men; the closed-neck (band gala) or Jodhpuri coat keeps its own place.

Facts

Red colour	Kasumal means red; the couplet runs 'Maru thare desh mein upje teen ratan, ik Dhola, duji Maravan, teejo kasumal rang'
Earliest evidence	Cotton cloth from the time of the Kalibanga and Ahar cultures; spinning wheels (chakra) and spindles (takli) for cotton were found in the digs
Winter	The angarkhi was filled with cotton; in autumn khes, shawl and pamdi were put over the shoulders

Men's pagdi

Pagdi	Detail
Styles	Atpati, Amarshahi, Udeshahi, Khanjarshahi, Shivshahi, Vijayshahi and Shahjahani; contact with the Mughals brought the variety
Mothda	Worn at weddings
Leheriya	Worn in Shravan
Madil	Worn at Dussehra
Flower-and-leaf print	Worn at Holi
By occupation	Goldsmiths (sunar) wore the pagdi with twists (aante); Banjaras wore a thick striped one
Upper classes	Tied the chira and the phenta
Decorations	Turra, sarpech, balabandi, dhugdhugi, gospech, latkan and fatehpech
Chhabdar	The man who ties the pagdi, in Mewar

Men's garments

Garment	What it is
Angarkhi	Upper garment of the common man, made in many shapes and called tansukh, dutai, gaba, gadar, mirzai, dodhi, kano or dagla
Chuga (choga)	Robe worn over the angarkhi; the jama, chuga and angarkhi were embroidered
Jama	Garment reaching the knees, worn at weddings and other special occasions
Patka (kamarband)	Sash tied over the jama; a sword or dagger hung from it
Atamsukh	Winter garment worn over the angarkhi
Dhoti	Reached the knees, with the angarkhi reaching the thighs
Pachheveda	Wrap worn over the dhoti in villages

Women's dress

Item	What it is
Ghaghra	The lower cloth wrapped at the waist in early medieval times became the flared ghaghra of many panels (kalis); its small form is the lehenga
Kurti and kanchli	The kurti is the upper garment, still worn in Marwar; the kanchli, a sleeved bodice (angiya), was worn under it
Old sari names	Chol, nichol, pat, dukul, ansuk, vasan, cheer-patori, chorso, odhni, chundadi and dhorawali; chundadi and leheriya were the main saris
Old fabrics	Jamadani, kimkhab, tasar, chhint, malmal, makhmal, parcha and masru, among others

Odhni types

Odhni	Meaning and use
Pomcha	Given to the new mother by her mother's side: yellow for a son and pink for a daughter
Leheriya	Worn by women in Shravan, especially at Teej (men wear the leheriya pagdi); the five-colour leheriya is worn on auspicious occasions
Chunari	Bandhej odhni; no auspicious work is complete without it

Tribal dress

Item	Who wears it and what it is
Khoyatu	Loincloth tied at the waist by Bhil men
Dhepada (Thepada)	Tight dhoti of Bhil men
Potiya	Cloth tied on the head in place of a pagdi
Kachabu	Knee-length ghaghra of Bhil women
Sinduri	Red sari of Bhil women
Katki	Odhni of unmarried girls, also called the pavli bhant odhni
Nandna	The oldest garment of tribal women, made of blue printed cloth

Decorating cloth

Gota, a ribbon woven with badla (metal thread) on a cotton warp (wide lappa, narrow lappi), is sewn on to make cloth glitter, with Khandela in Sikar district as its known centre; chatapati is a shape cut from one cloth and stitched on another, used on animal covers, curtains and tents; pechwork, cloth of different colours cut into designs and stitched on, is done in Shekhawati.

Remember: often mixed up

Khoyatu or KachabuKhoyatu is the Bhil man's loincloth · Kachabu is the Bhil woman's ghaghra.
Pomcha or leheriyapomcha for a birth · leheriya for Shravan and Teej.
Kurti or kanchlithe kurti is the upper garment · the sleeved kanchli is worn under it.