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According Hindu tradition and ‘Natyashastra’- a book which talks about different dance forms and costumes in India, the navel of God is the starting point of creation or existence and so the middle portion of the human torso should be left uncovered. A Sari is a garment that is normally a 6 foot single stretch of cloth that is worn around the lower part of the body shaped like a skirt, then upon the shoulder from back to front portion covering the upper torso. These are usually worn with a matching blouse. Saris are worn in different style according to different regions. People hailing from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have a tradition of wearing Saris.
Handmade Cotton Saris
Among the huge varieties of saris available, cotton saris are the most comfortable. This is because they are light in weight and airy in nature and are best suited for the tropical Indian climate. Cotton saris are not only elegant, but comfortable as well, especially during the hot Indian summer months. They can be worn for any occasion like Diwali, Dussehra, Holi, etc as they look ethnic and traditional. Many women who are working as teachers, lecturers, doctors and many other such professions prefer wearing a cotton sari to work as it makes them look graceful.
India is prime cotton producing country, and the dying and weaving of cotton has been an age old tradition in the country. Every Indian state has its own practice of weaving, printing and coloring. The traditional cotton saris are called as Khadhi, as they are purely hand oven. Even though middle aged and older women used to wear cotton saris, now-a-days the young girls have also started wearing cotton saris as they find it pretty trendy.
Saris can be divided according to different states like:
- Samblapuri, Bomkai, Vichitrapuri from Orissa.
- Jamdani from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
- Maheshwari Saris and Chanderi Saris from Madhya Pradesh.
- Venkatagiri Saris from Hyderabad, Pochampalli, Narayanpet and Nander in Andhra Pradesh.
- Karalkudi saris from Kerela.
- Kanchivaram, Pudukotttai and Chettinad Cotton saris looks similar to silk saris with heavy border and pallu.
- Ikat saris from Karnataka.
- Tie and Dye saris from Gujarat and Rajasthan.
- Gadwal saris that are with heavy metal work are from West India and they come only in two traditional colors like off-white and earthy browns.
- Kota Doria saris are from Kota in Rajasthan.
