South Indian dresses are known for its simple and graceful look. The four South Indian states, namely Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu are famous for many reasons. Temples and the
sarees of south India
top this list. Although there are minor variations in the costumes and ways
of wearing, the traditional dresses of South India do not
vary too much. In fact,
Indian sarees can be
called the common traditional dress of all women in South India with
variations in the style of weaving and draping.
Traditional Dress of Kerala
The traditional dress of Kreala is the
'Mundum neriyathum' or
'mundu and neriathu'. It is worn by
both, men and women of Kerala. The mundum neryathum consists of two pieces
of cloth- mundu which is the cloth draped on the lower part of the body and
neriyathu which is worn over a
blouse.
Mundu is a hand woven cotton cloth which is very comfortable in the summers.
It is of white or cream color with a colored strip known as 'kara' meaning
border. Traditionally, the Neriyathum is tucked inside the blouse.
Sometimes, it is worn over the left shoulder just like the
sarees of north India
are worn.
Mundum
neriyathum is worn by women from all communities of Kerala. However, the
style of its wearing is different among the Christian women. They fold the
mundu in multiple folds that resembles the shape of a fan. This portion is
hung at the back. The mundum neryathum for festive occasion has golden
colored borders or a broad zari border known as Kasavu, lending the costume
another name- the
"Kasavu Saree". Nowadays, these
festival sarees of
South India also come with borders of copper coated or artificial color
(instead of golden color) with peacock or temple designs. The blouse worn by
the women of Kerala differs according to the age and marital status. Young
unmarried girls traditionally wear green blouse while married women wear red
blouses. With time, the mundum neriyathum has been replaced by the
'Set-sari', which is a single strip of cloth and is famously known as the
'Kerala saree'.
Traditional Dress of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is a
representation of true soul of India as it is the home of diverse cultures
of India. This South Indian state is most famous for its rich
handloom sarees but women
here can be seen in other dresses too. While the Hindu women wear different
types of sarees, Muslim women can be spotted in burkha or the hijab. The
prevalence of IT sector in Hyderabad have made the western womens wear like
jeans,
skirts and shirts, and
ladies kurtis
also popular in the state. However, the traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh
still is the ethnic handloom sarees that are made at different places and
are mostly famous by the names of these places.
The
silk sarees made in
Dharmavaram of Andhra Pradesh are the coveted sarees for ceremonies and
festivals. The
Dharmavaram sarees have plain borders without much
contrast. However, the brocaded gold patterns or butta designs on the
borders and the exclusively designed pallus are the features that make the
Dharmavaram silk sarees so special for Andhra women. Yet another handloom
saree- the
Gadwal sarees
are manufactured in Gadwal region of Andhra Pradesh. These sarees are famous
world over for their cotton body with pure silk borders and pallu. The
Ikkat
saris were first woven in the Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh.
However, now they are famous by the name of
Pochampally
sarees due to their vast scale production in the Pochampally
region of Andhra Pradesh. These sarees are also made in Puttapaka, and
Chautuppal villages of Andhra Pradesh. The unique feature of Ikkat saris lie
in the weaving -pattern wherein the yarn is arbitrarily dyed in zigzag or
geometric structures. The
Mangalgir saris, which are fine
cotton sarees, are made in
the Mangalgiri region of Andhra Pradesh. The
Venkatagiri saris are
hand woven with locally made jalas. They are fine examples of the jacquard
weave. The body of the Venkatagiri sari is in sheer cotton, embellished with
gold motifs like dots, coins, leaves, parrots, or simple geometric designs.
Apart from sarees, there are some tribal costumes too in Andhra Pradesh.
The women of the tribe Lambadi wear attractive, colorful and heavy wide
skirt like garments famous as
Lambadi dress. Their bright shaded
red, orange and blue attire have lots of mirrors and beads studded on them.
These women carry a scarf which they throw over the shoulders and on the
head. An embroidered choli with long sleeves is worn by them to cover their
upper body. This choli is tied at the back with the help of bands.
Traditional Dress of Karnataka
Karnataka,
particularly Bangalore and Mysore, is the silk hub of India and as such
Karnataka silk sarees are its traditional costume. However, the different
drapes of sarees make these sarees unique. The Coorgi style of draping a
saree in Karnataka involves tying the pleats in the rear instead of the
front and a small portion of the pallu is placed over the shoulder.
Mysore
silk sarees are made with lustrous zari and rich silk. The
extraordinary sheen of the fabric and the purity of the zari make these
saree an elegant women dress. The
Kornadu saris are a mix of cotton
and silk. The
Konrad sarees
are woven with a blue cotton yarn and silk yarn in several colors other than
blue. The motifs at border are varied and the body of the sari has checked
or striped patterns. They are mostly used as daily
casual wear
sarees. The handloom
Irkal saris have the beautiful Kasuti
embroidery on them. Kasuti embroidery is a special craft practiced mainly in
Uttara Kanara district or North Kanara district of Karnataka. The motifs on
Irkal saris include architectural designs, cradle, elephant, squirrel among
others. The
Mysore crepe silk sarees are used as office wear sarees
due to their light-weight, and easy to care nature.
Traditional Dress of Tamil Nadu
The
basic and the most traditional women dress of Tamil nadu is the
'Pavada
Davani' famous by the name of half saree. It is a three piece clothing
which includes a long lower garment resembling a
petticoat or a
long skirt;
a choli blouse; and a long '
dupatta'
like strip of cloth which is about as long as a half saree. It is usually
worn by the village girls in Tamil Nadu. However, the Kanchipuram or the
Kanjivaram sarees
are the most famous traditional costume of Tamil Nadu. The designs on the
body of the sari are woven with gold thread and the saree have varied motifs
on it, ranging from figures to temples, along the border. The rich silk
fabric, elaborate weaving designs and contrasting borders have made
kanjivaram sarees popular not only in Tamil Nadu and India but all over the
world.
Many traditional Indian sarees of Tamil Nadu, apart from the famous
kanjivaram sarees, constitute the traditional costume of Tamil Nadu. The
Kodalikareppur or
Karpur saris made in the village of Kolli
Karpur is a mixture of hand painting, block printing and brocade weaving.
The
Kora cotton saris, woven widely in Coimbatore district, have a
self-designed jacquard pattern all over.
Kurainadu and Kodambakkam saris
are made by blending cotton and silk with beautiful geometric and floral
designs. The
Poornakumbham cotton saris are the fine cotton textured
saris woven with rudraksha motifs and highlighted with pearls and cross
lines. The
Chungadi sarees of Madurai are basically made with the
technique of tie and dye. Bright colors like red, purple, blue and black are
used in these srees which have unique kolam (geometric) or rangoli patterns
with borders in contrast colors. The
Tribhuvanam silk saris are made
by highly skilled weavers and have floral and animal designs on them.