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HINDUS
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HINDUS .—See also:Caste does not See also:influence See also:dress amongst Hindug as much as might be expected. The garment distinctive of the Hindus of all castes, men and See also:women, all over See also:India, is the dhoti or See also:loin See also:cloth. It is a. very See also:ancient dress, and their gods are represented as clothed in it in old sculptures. The See also:general See also:term used for clothing is kapra, latd or luga. Under See also:Mahommedan influence See also:Hindu clothing See also:developed into " suits," consisting of five pieces for men, hence called See also:poncho tuk kapra—(r) See also:head-dress, (2) dhoti, (3) coat, (4) chaddar or See also:sheet, (5) bathing cloth; and three for women, hence called See also:tin tuk—(r) dhoti,(2) jacket, (3) See also:shawl. Men.—The Hindu (except the See also:Rajput) shaves his head, leaving only a See also:top-See also:knot on the point of the See also:skull. He shaves the See also:face (except the See also:eye-brows) and his See also:body. The Rajput wears a full See also:beard and whiskers, usually parted in the See also:middle. He sometimes draws the beard and whiskers to the See also:side of the head, and to keep it tidy wraps See also:round it a cloth called See also:alibi or galmochd. Head-dress.— Hindus See also:wear sometimes turbans and sometimes caps. When the See also:turban is worn it is always of the pagri See also:form, never the amamah. Hindus See also:wind the pagri in various ways as described for Mussulmans, but the angles are formed over the ears and not from front to back. See also:Mahrattas wear See also:flat red pagris, with a small conical See also:peak variously shaped and placed. The pagri is known in different parts of India as pdg, phenta, phag, phagdi and many other names. In See also:Bengal a sort of turban is worn which can be taken off like a See also:hat. When Hindus wear caps or topis they resemble those worn by Mahommedans, but they never wear the See also:fez, See also:tarbush or irani to pi. In Gaya a See also:peculiar cap made of tal leaves is worn in See also:rainy See also:weather, called ghunga. Bengalis, whether Brahmans or of other castes, frequently go bareheaded.
Body Clothing.--The dhoti is a See also:simple piece of cloth (See also:cotton), generally See also: The dhoti is known under many names, dhutia, pitambar, lungi, &c. In some parts of India See also:half the dhoti only is wound round the loins, the other half being thrown over the See also:left See also:shoulder. Some upper classes of Hindus wear for coat the kurta; most wear the angharka (Plate II. fig. I), a See also:short anga reaching to the waist. It is also known as kamri, baktari, badan or bandi. Hindus wear the angharkha or anga as Mahommedans do, but whereas theMahommedan has the opening on the left the Hindu wears it on the right. When the kurta is worn it is worn under the anga. The chaddar (chadar or dopatta) is of various kinds. It is a piece of cotton cloth 3 yds. See also:long by r yd. wide. It is worn across the shoulders, or wrapped round the body, but when bathing, round the loins. Hindus, both men and women, wear See also:ear-rings. The Brahminical See also:thread (janeo) (Plate II. fig. 2) is a See also:cord made of See also:twisted cotton prepared with many ceremonies. It is worn over the left shoulder and hangs down to the right See also:hip. It is of three strands till the wearer is married, when it becomes six or nine. It is 96 handbreadths in length, and is knotted. Rajputs also wear this thread, similar in make and length, but the knots are different. Caste and See also:sect marks also distinguish Hindus from each other. Women.—The See also:hair is sometimes worn plaited (choti), usually an See also:odd number of thin plaits made into one large one, falling down the back and fastened at the end with See also:ribbons. Another See also:style is wearing it in a knot after the ancient Grecian See also:fashion; it is always worn smooth in front and parted in the middle. Over the head is worn the orhna or See also:veil. The end is thrown over the left shoulder in such a manner as to conceal the See also:breast. On the upper See also:part of the body the kurta is sometimes worn. A bodice called angiya is worn. This covers the breast and shoulder; it has half sleeves, is very short, and is fastened at the back with strings. The skirt is called lhenga or ghagra. It is worn mostly in See also:Rajputana See also:hanging in full flounces to the knee or a little below. In Bengal, See also:Madras and Bombay Presidencies women do not wear a skirt, only a choli and See also:sari. This last is a long piece of cotton or See also:silk cloth. Half is draped round the waist and hangs to the feet in folds; the See also:remainder is passed over the head and thrown over the left shoulder (Plate II. fig. 4). SIKx.—The See also:Sikh does not shave or cut his hair. The beard is parted in the middle and carried up each side of the face to the top of the head. A piece of cloth called dhata or galmocha is wound round the See also:chin and head so as to keep the hair clean and tidy. The hair of the head is tied into a knot (kes) at the top of the head or at the back, a distinguishing See also:mark of the Sikh. His See also:religion requires the Sikh to carry five articles—kes, the knot of hair on the head; the kanga, a See also:comb; the kard, a See also:knife; the kack, a pair of short See also:trousers peculiar to the Sikh; and the khara, an See also:iron bangle on the See also:wrist. It is de rigueur that he should carry some piece of iron on his See also:person. His head-dress he calls a peg; it is a turban of amamah shape but enormously large. The Sikh See also:nobility and gentry wear two turbans, either both of pagri form or one of pagri and one of amamah form. Each is of a different See also:colour. The Sikh calls his kurta jhagga; it is very large and loose, See also:bound with a See also:scarf round the waist. The leach is a sort of knickerbockers reaching to just below the knee, which they encircle tightly. Over all the Sikh wears the choga. In outlying villages he wears instead of the /atria a chadar or cloth, which he calls khes, on the upper part of his body. Some See also:village Sikhs wear a tahband or waistcloth instead of the leach. Sikhs are fond of See also:jewelry and wear ear-rings. The dress of Sikh women does not differ greatly from that of Hindu women; but in the See also:Sirsa See also:district and some other parts she wears the Mahommedan sutan or trousers, under the lhenga or skirt. There is a small sect of Sikh known as Akali or Nihang. Their dress is entirely of dark See also:blue colour, the turban being also blue, high and pointed; on it are fastened three See also:steel See also:quoits. The quoit was the ancient weapon of the Sikh, who calls it chakar. Certain steel See also:blades are See also:stuck through the body of the turban. The Akalis also wear large flat iron rings round the See also:neck and arms (Plate II. fig. 6). PARsis.—When the Parsis were first admitted into India, certain conditions were imposed upon them by the Hindus; among others they were not to eat See also:beef, and they were to follow the Hindu See also:custom of wearing a top-knot of hair. Old-fashioned Parsis in See also:country districts still follow these customs. To uncover the head is looked upon as a See also:sin; hence Parsis of both sexes always wear some head covering whether indoors or out. In the See also:house the See also:man wears a skull cap; out of doors the older Parsis wear the khoka, a tall hat, higher in front than at the back, made of a stiff shiny material, with a See also:diaper See also:pattern (Plate I. fig. 7). The younger See also:generation adopted a round See also:pith hat with a rolled edge of See also:felt, but, under the influence of the sadeshi See also:movement, they have generally reverted to the older form (Plate I. fig. re)). Next to the skin the Parsi wears a sadra or sacred See also:shirt, with a See also:girdle called kasii. Over the sadra a white cotton coat is worn, reaching to a little below the waist. The Parsi wears loose cotton trousers like a Mussulman. In country districts he wears a jama, and over the :lama a pechodi or shoulder cloth. The See also:young Parsi in Bombay has adopted See also:European dress to a See also:great extent, except as to head-See also:gear. The Parsi woman dresses her hair in the old See also:Greek fashion with a knot behind. She also wears a sadra or sacred shirt. Country Parsis in villages wear a tight-fitting sleeveless bodice, and trousers of coloured cloth. Over all she winds a silken sari or sheet round the body; it is then passed between the legs and the end thrown over the right shoulder. Out of doors she covers her head and right See also:temple (Plate I. fig. 8). In towns the sari is not passed between the legs, but hangs in loose folds so as to hide the trousers. The upper classes wear a sleeved See also:polka jacket instead of the bodice. Parsi See also:children up to the See also:age of seven wear cotton frocks called jabhlan. They wear long white trousers of See also:early Victorian cut, with frills at the bottom. They wear a round cap like a smoking-cap. The little girls wear their hair flowing loose (Plate I. fig. 9).
SxoEs.—There is no distinction between the shoes worti by Hindus, Moslems, Sikhs or Parsis, but Hindus will not wear them when made of cow's See also:leather. Shoes are called juta, juti or jute by Mahommedans, and fore or tore by Hindus. Shoes are usually distinguished by the name of the material, as nari led jute, leather shoes, banati jute, felt shoes, and so on.
There are innumerable styles of cut of See also:shoe, three being the commonest: (r) Salimshahi, these are shaped like See also:English slippers, but are pointed at the toe, terminating in a thin wisp turned back and fastened to the instep. They are mostly made of thin red leather, See also:plain in the See also:case of poorer See also:people and richly
seas; they sailed from See also:Havre in that See also:year and were never afterwards heard of. In 1604 a See also:company was granted letters patent by See also: La See also:Corn pagnie See also:des Indes was formed under the auspices of See also:Richelieu (1642) and reconstructed under See also:Colbert (1664), sending an expedition to See also:Madagascar. In 1667 the See also:French India Company sent out another expedition, which reached See also:Surat in 1668, where the first French factory in India was established. In 1672 See also:Saint See also:Thorne was taken, but the French • were driven out by the Dutch and retired to See also:Pondicherry (1674). In 1741 See also:Dupleix became See also:governor of Pondicherry and in 1744 See also:war See also:broke out between See also:France and See also:England; for the remaining See also:history of the French in India see INDIA.
See Haurigot, French India (See also:Paris, 1887) ; Henrique, See also:Les Colonies francaises (Paris, 1889); See also: Women's shoes differ only in See also:size and in being made of finer material, and in being embroidered. Hindu women seldom wear shoes. On the See also:northern frontier the pattern known as the kafslzi is worn; this is a slipper having neither sides nor back; the See also:sole towards the heel is narrow and raised by a small iron-shod heel. In the hills shoes resembling sandals, called chaplis, made of See also:wood, See also:straw or grass are worn. The soles are very thick, and are secured with straps; there is generally a See also:loop for the big toe. They are known as phulkarru in See also:Kashmir, and pule in See also:Kulu and See also:Chamba. Shoes are invariably removed on entering mosques or other See also:holy places. It is also customary to remove them when entering a house. Orientals sit on the See also:floor in preference to chairs; hence it is thought very necessary by them that the See also:carpet should be kept clean, which could not be done were persons to keep their shoes on. While it would be considered a See also:breach of See also:good See also:manners to enter a See also:room with the shoes on, an exception has been made in favour of those natives who have adopted European boots or shoes. The babus of Bengal have taken to English-made shoes of patent leather worn over white socks or stockings. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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