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INDIAN See also:COSTUME See also:Personal attire in See also:India so far resembles a See also:uniform that a See also:resident can tell from a garb alone the native See also:place, See also:religion and social See also:standing of the wearer. This is still true, though the See also:present facility of intercommunication has had its effect in tending to assimilate the See also:appearance of natives. Together with costume it is necessary to study the methods of wearing the See also:hair, for each See also:race adopts a different method. The See also:population of India, of which the See also:main divisions are religious, falls naturally into four See also:groups, (i) Mahommedans, (2) See also:Hindus, (3) Sikhs, (4) See also:Parsees. To these may be added II aboriginal races, such as See also:Bhils, Sonthals, Gonds, &e., whose costume is chiefly noticeable; from its See also:absence. See also:Mahommedan Men.— Apart from the two sects, Sunnis and Shias, whose garb differs in some respects, there are four families of Moslems, viz. Pathans, Moguls, Syeds and Sheiks. The first came to India with See also:Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi in A.D. 1002; the second are of Tatar origin and came to India with See also:Baber; the Syeds claim descent from See also:Mahomet, while Sheiks comprise all other Mussulmans, including converted Hindus. It is now no longer possible to distinguish these families by their turbans as was formerly the See also:case. Hair.—In the hadis, or traditional sayings of Mahomet other than those to be found in the See also:Koran, it is laid down that the See also:head is to be shaved and the See also:beard to be allowed to grow naturally to " a legal " length, i.e. 7 or 8 in. See also:long. This is known as fitrah or the See also:custom of prophets. The beard is frequently dyed with See also:henna and See also:indigo for much the same reasons as in See also:Europe by elderly men; this is entirely optional. The wearing of whiskers while shaving the See also:chin was a See also:Mogul See also:fashion of the 17th and 18th centuries and is now seldom seen except among Deccani Mahommedans. The mustachios must not grow below the See also:line of the upper See also:lip, which must be clearly seen; a See also:division or parting is made below the See also:nose. The See also:lower lip is also carefully kept clear. Hair under the arms or elsewhere on the See also:body except the See also:breast is always removed. Mahommedan clothing for indoor See also:wear consists of three pieces: (a) Head-See also:dress, (b) body-covering, (c) covering for the legs. Head-dress.—This is of two kinds: the See also:turban and the cap. The former is chiefly worn in See also:northern India, the latter in Oudh and the See also:United Provinces. What is known in Europe as a turban (from the See also:Persian sarband, a binding for the head) is in India divided into two classes. The first, made of a single piece of See also:cloth 20 to 30 in. wide and from 6 to 9 yds. long, is See also:bound See also:round the head from `right to See also:left or from left to right indifferently and quite simply, so as to See also:form narrow angles over the forehead and at the back. This form is called amamdh (Arabic), dastar (Persian), shimla or shamld, safa, lungi, seld, rumal, ordopatta. The terms amdmdh and dastdr are used chiefly with reference to the turbans of priests and See also:ulema, that is learned and religious persons. They are usually See also: 4). Many other fashions which it would be difficult to describe can best be learned by studying pictures with the help of. a competent teacher. The chira is a pagri of checked cloth. The mandil is of See also:gold or highly ornamented cloth; it is worn by nobles and persons of distinction. The cap or topi is not bound round the head, but is placed ' This has been Englished by Anglo-See also:Indians into " puggaree " or " pugree " and applied to a See also:scarf of white See also:cotton or See also:silk See also:wound round a See also:hat or See also:helmet as a See also:protection against the See also:sun.upon it. It is made of cut and sewn cloth. Some varieties are dopallari, a See also:skull-cap; kishtinumd, or See also:boat-shaped cap; galtopi, a round cap of the kind known in See also:England as " pork-See also:pie "; bezwi, or See also:egg-shaped cap; sigoshid, or three-cornered cap; chaugoshia, or four-cornered cap; tajdar, or See also:crown-shaped cap; &c. Many other caps are named after the locality of manufacture or some peculiarity of make, e.g. Kashmire-kitopi; jhalarddr, fringed cap, &c. A form of cap much worn in See also:Bengal and western India is known as Irani kulldh, or Persian cap. It is made of goatskin and is shaped like a See also:tarbush but has no tassel. The cap worn in See also:cold See also:weather is called top, to pa, or kantop (See also:ear-See also:cover) (Plate I. fig. 2); these are sometimes padded with cotton. Caps are much worn by Mussulmans of See also:Delhi, See also:Agra, See also:Lucknow and other cities of the United provinces. The tarbush or See also:turki-topi was introduced into India by See also:Sir Sayyid Ahmad (Plate I. fig. 3). It must not be confused with the Moorish " See also:fez," which is skull-shaped. The tarbush is of See also:Greek origin and was adopted by Sultan Mahmud of See also:Turkey in the See also:early See also:part of the 19th See also:century. To remove the head-dress of whatever kind is, in the See also:East, an See also:act of discourtesy; to strike it off is a deep insult. Clothing. :The following rules from the hadith or traditional sayings of the See also:prophet are noteworthy:—" Wear white garments, for verily they are full of cleanliness, and pleasant to the See also:eye." " It is lawful for the woman of my See also:people to clothe herself in silken garments, and to wear ornaments of gold; but it is forbidden to See also:man: any man who shall wear silken garments in this See also:world, shall not wear them in the next." " See also:God will not be merciful to him who through vanity wears long See also:trousers " (i.e. reaching below the See also:ankle). The foregoing rules are now only observed by the ultra-orthodox, such'as the Wahabi sect and by ulemas, or learned elderly men. The Mogul See also:court of Delhi, especially during. the reign of Mahoinmed Shah, nick-named Rangila or the " See also:dandy," greatly influenced See also:change in these matters. Coloured clothing, gold ornaments and silken raiment began to be wqrn commonly by Mussulman men in his reign. For the upper part of the body the See also:principal See also:article of clothing is the See also:aria. The Persian name for this is pairahen and the Arabic kamis, whence " chemise." This kurtd is the See also:equivalent for the See also:shirt of Europe. It is usually of white cotton, and has the opening or gala in front, at the back, or on either See also:side in-differently. It was formerly fastened with strings, but now with the ghundi (the old form of See also:button) and tukmah or See also:loop. In See also:southern India, See also:Gujarat and in the United Provinces the kurta is much the same as to length and See also:fit as the See also:English shirt; as the traveller goes northward from Delhi to the Afghan border he See also:sees the kurta becoming longer and looser till he finds the See also:Pathan wearing it almost to his ankles, with very full wide sleeves. The sleeves are everywhere long and are sometimes fastened with one or two buttons at the See also:wrist. Mussulmans always wear some form of trousers. They are known as izdr (Arabic) or pa'ejdma2 (Persian). This article of clothing is sometimes loose, sometimes tight all the way, sometimes loose as far as the See also:knee and tight below like See also:Jodhpur See also:riding breeches. They are fastened round the See also:waist with !a scarf or See also:string called kamarband (waistband) or izdrband, and are usually of white cotton. The varieties of cut are sharai or canonical, orthodox, which reach to the ankles and fit as See also:close to the See also:leg as See also:European trousers; rums or ghararedar, which reach to the ankles but are much wider than European trousers (this See also:pattern is much worn by the Shias); and tang or See also:chase, reaching to the ankles, from which to the knee they fit quite close. When this last kind is " rucked " at the ankle it is called churiddr (Plate I. fig. 4). They are sometimes buttoned at the ankle, especially in the See also:Meerut See also:district. The shalwdr pattern, 2 Anglicized as " pyjamas " (in See also:America "pajamas "), the See also:term is used of a form of See also:night-wear for men which has now generally superseded the night-shirt. This consists of a loose coat and trousers of silk, See also:wool or other material; the trousers are fastened by a See also:cord round the waist. very large round the waist and See also:hanging in folds, is worn by unmarried ones. In See also:Kashmir a small round cap, goltopi, is worn. Pathans, Baluchis, Sindis, Multanis, &c. The new fashion in See also:vogue amongst the younger See also:generation of Mussulman is called the ikbarah or patalunnuma, which is like the European trousers. They are usually made of See also:calico; they have no buttons but are fastened with string (kamarband). Bathing drawers are called ghutannah and reach to the knee. The tight drawers worn by wrestlers are called janghiah. Garments for outdoor wear are the anga, or angarkha, the chapkan, the achkan or sherwani; the anga, a coat with full sleeves, is made of any material, white or coloured. It is slit at the sides, has perpendicularly cut side-pockets, and is fastened with strings just below the breast. It is opened on the right or left side according to See also:local custom. The anga is now considered old-fashioned, and is chiefly worn by elderly men or religious persons. It is still not uncommon in Delhi, Agra, Lucknow and at native courts, but is being superseded by the achkan (Plate I. fig. 4), which is buttoned straight down the front. Both anga and achkan reach to a little below the knee, as also does the chapkan, a relic of Mogul court dress, best known as the shield-like and highly adorned coat worn by See also:government chaprasis (Plate II. fig. 3). Over the anga is sometimes worn an overcoat called a choga; this is made of any material, thick or thin, See also:plain or ornamented; it has one or two fastenings only, loops below the breast whence it hangs loosely to below the knees. The choga is sometimes known by its Arabic names See also:aba or kaba, terms applied to it when worn by priests or ulemas. In cold weather Pathans and other border residents wear posteens, sleeved coats made of sheepskin with the woolly side in. In India farther See also:south in cold weather an overcoat called dagla is worn; this is-an anga padded with cotton wool. A padded choga is called labada; when very heavily padded farghul. Whereas the European wears his waistcoat under his coat, the Indian wears his over his anga or chapkan (not over the achkan). A sleeveless waistcoat generally made of silk is called a sodari; when it has See also:half sleeves it is called nimastin; the full-sleeved waistcoat worn in See also:winter padded with cotton is called mirzdi. For ceremonial purposes a coat called jdma is worn. This fits closely as to the upper part of the body, but flows loosely below the waist. It is generally white, and is fastened in front by strings. In Gujarat and other parts of western India are to be found classes of Moslems who differ somewhat from those met with elsewhere, such as Memans, See also:Boras and Khojas. The first are Sunnis: the two last Shias. Memans wear (r) a gold embroidered skull-cap, (2) a long kamis fastened at the See also:neck with 3 or 4 buttons on a gold See also:chain, (3) sadariya, i.e. a tight waistcoat without sleeves, fastened in front with small silk buttons and loops, (4) an over-waistcoat called shaya-sadriya instead of the anga, with sleeves, and slits at the sides (probably of Arab origin). When he does not wear a skull-cap his amamah is made after the arched Arab form, or is a Kashmir scarf wound round a skull-cap made of See also:Java See also:straw. The See also:Bora adopts one of four forms of pagri; the See also:Ujjain, a small neatly bound one; the Ahmadabad, a loose high one; the See also:Surat, See also:fuller and higher than the Ujjain pattern (Plate I. fig. 5); or the Kathiawddd, a conical turban with a gold stripe in the See also:middle of the See also:cone. The Bora wears the anga, otherwise he resembles the Meman. The Khoja wears a pagri smaller than the Meman's, called a Moghaldi phenta; this leaves a portion of the head See also:bare at the back. The material is always of kashida, a kind of embroidered cloth. Amongst Mahommedans only Pathans wear ear-rings. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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