Mussoorie: Traditional dresses and ornaments of Garhwal and Kumaon that either adorned the walls of Anthropological Department museums or were kept away in closets are back in the reckoning. Kumaoni and Garhwali people can be seen wearing these dresses and ornaments in marriage ceremonies and other special occasions nowadays.
For people of hill districts, now settled in Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haldwani and Mussoorie, showcasing traditional costumes during marriage functions is a way to assert their identity and also keep the culture and tradition of the region alive.
The Garhwali and Kumaoni youth, who are more inclined towards modern wears such as jeans, trousers and south Indian sarees, are also finding the traditional dresses to their liking, as these are more stylish in appearance and promise a good photo during marriage ceremonies.
Garhwali and Kumaoni brides and grooms are not the only one who are preferring traditional dresses and ornaments, even guests can also be seen wearing traditional Ghagra, Choli, and Odhni that indicate a revival in interest in the local culture.
The traditional dresses and their designs were influenced by multiple factors, especially the availability of material, prevailing climatic conditions and working habits of people of different regions of the state.
Variety matters
Bhotias living in higher reaches of Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts in Garhwal wore warm woollen clothes while in lower valleys people wore dresses made of cotton. The book titled “Census Village Monographs” available in the library of the Anthropological Survey of India in Dehradun provides a pictorial illustration of traditional dresses and jewellery worn by Uttarakhand women. It also mentions the difference in the dresses of Bhotia, Garhwali Rajput and that of shilpkar women.
Bhotia women wore a distinct dress Angni (a short shirt with full sleeves), Lehnga (a sort of voluminous skirt extending up to ankles), Kamla (a cloth covering the waist and shoulders), Khonpi (headgear), along with a white scarf finely embroidered on the one side and tied around the head with a tail piece hanging behind and Pagra (a broad patti of cloth about 12 yards in length wound round the waist).
Kamla is fastened over the bosom with a large pin. Women wear socks and shoes similar to that worn by men. They also use banian (under vest) and black woollen Angra, which is like a waist coast with sleeves. The dress of Shilpkar women is similar to that of Bhotia women, except Khonpi, Angra and Kamla which are not worn by them. The traditional Ghagra, a form of long skirt, is still worn in the Jaunpur, Bawar, and Jaunsar areas of Tehri and Uttarkashi districts. Elderly women wear black Ghagras while the young wear bright colours.
Six vs nine-piece Ghagra
A shirt like costume called Jhoga in the Jaunsar, and Jaunpur areas and Khilka in the Bawar region is worn by women as top, complementing the Ghagra. The border at the bottom of the Ghagra is called Lavaan. The Nau Paley (nine pieces) ghagra with a height of 4 to 5 feet consisted of around 50 to 60 creases, a style unique to this region.
Later six-piece Ghagra became more popular as it was less expensive and heavy compared to the nine-piece Ghagra. The Ghagra worn by Rajashtani women is different from the one worn in Garhwal.
The Rajasthani Ghagra is more ornamental but without any crease around it. Persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes called Aujis and Bajgis were known to tailor Ghagras but with the passage of time this craft was almost lost. However, it has resurfaced lately.
In other parts of Garhwal, Rajput women wore woollen Angora, Pagra (cotton girdle) and cotton Lehnga with jewellery such as Hansuli made of silver worn around the neck. The Boksa tribal women also wear Ghagra and a sample of it is kept at the museum of the Anthropological Survey of India in Dehradun.
Delightful jewellery
The ornaments worn by women of Garhwal were unique in style and a determinative of their financial and social status. The women belonging to the Scheduled Castes wore jewellery made of silver while the upper caste women had the luxury of wearing golden ones.
The Nath, Phulli and Beera (all nose rings) are made of gold. Of these, Nath or Tehri Nath with its intricate and attractive designs gained popularity and women wearing it makes an appealing sight. However, the Nath from Jaunsar, Bawar and Jaunpur regions is much bigger in size than the one from Tehri, says Lakshmi Chand Joshi, president of the Jaunsar Bawar Janjati Vikas Manch and expert on Juansari and Jaunpuri culture.
Taps, Karan phool (earrings) were made of gold while Munra, Soota, and Mala, all worn around the neck, are made of silver. Jhappi, Globand, Chandrahaar and Tominia (all worn around neck) were made of gold but Chandrahaar was worn only by rich people. Phulli was worn by both married and unmarried women but not by a widow who also never wore Globand, Nath and Bichwa, which all are symbols of living husband. Atardan, Sooti, and Shiv Sangal, all made of silver, were worn on shoulders, while Paunchi was worn on wrist.
Dr Harshwardhan, head of the Anthropological Survey of India, and Anand Saran, in charge of the cultural section at Anthropological survey of India, Dehradun, say that they are glad at the renewed interest of the people in traditional dresses and ornaments. The Anthropological Survey of India has always worked to preserve such materials and documents and will continue to do so in future as well.
For people of hill districts, now settled in Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haldwani and Mussoorie, showcasing traditional costumes during marriage functions is a way to assert their identity and also keep the culture and tradition of the region alive.
The Garhwali and Kumaoni youth, who are more inclined towards modern wears such as jeans, trousers and south Indian sarees, are also finding the traditional dresses to their liking, as these are more stylish in appearance and promise a good photo during marriage ceremonies.
Garhwali and Kumaoni brides and grooms are not the only one who are preferring traditional dresses and ornaments, even guests can also be seen wearing traditional Ghagra, Choli, and Odhni that indicate a revival in interest in the local culture.
The traditional dresses and their designs were influenced by multiple factors, especially the availability of material, prevailing climatic conditions and working habits of people of different regions of the state.
Variety matters
Bhotias living in higher reaches of Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts in Garhwal wore warm woollen clothes while in lower valleys people wore dresses made of cotton. The book titled “Census Village Monographs” available in the library of the Anthropological Survey of India in Dehradun provides a pictorial illustration of traditional dresses and jewellery worn by Uttarakhand women. It also mentions the difference in the dresses of Bhotia, Garhwali Rajput and that of shilpkar women.
Bhotia women wore a distinct dress Angni (a short shirt with full sleeves), Lehnga (a sort of voluminous skirt extending up to ankles), Kamla (a cloth covering the waist and shoulders), Khonpi (headgear), along with a white scarf finely embroidered on the one side and tied around the head with a tail piece hanging behind and Pagra (a broad patti of cloth about 12 yards in length wound round the waist).
Kamla is fastened over the bosom with a large pin. Women wear socks and shoes similar to that worn by men. They also use banian (under vest) and black woollen Angra, which is like a waist coast with sleeves. The dress of Shilpkar women is similar to that of Bhotia women, except Khonpi, Angra and Kamla which are not worn by them. The traditional Ghagra, a form of long skirt, is still worn in the Jaunpur, Bawar, and Jaunsar areas of Tehri and Uttarkashi districts. Elderly women wear black Ghagras while the young wear bright colours.
Six vs nine-piece Ghagra
A shirt like costume called Jhoga in the Jaunsar, and Jaunpur areas and Khilka in the Bawar region is worn by women as top, complementing the Ghagra. The border at the bottom of the Ghagra is called Lavaan. The Nau Paley (nine pieces) ghagra with a height of 4 to 5 feet consisted of around 50 to 60 creases, a style unique to this region.
Later six-piece Ghagra became more popular as it was less expensive and heavy compared to the nine-piece Ghagra. The Ghagra worn by Rajashtani women is different from the one worn in Garhwal.
The Rajasthani Ghagra is more ornamental but without any crease around it. Persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes called Aujis and Bajgis were known to tailor Ghagras but with the passage of time this craft was almost lost. However, it has resurfaced lately.
In other parts of Garhwal, Rajput women wore woollen Angora, Pagra (cotton girdle) and cotton Lehnga with jewellery such as Hansuli made of silver worn around the neck. The Boksa tribal women also wear Ghagra and a sample of it is kept at the museum of the Anthropological Survey of India in Dehradun.
Delightful jewellery
The ornaments worn by women of Garhwal were unique in style and a determinative of their financial and social status. The women belonging to the Scheduled Castes wore jewellery made of silver while the upper caste women had the luxury of wearing golden ones.
The Nath, Phulli and Beera (all nose rings) are made of gold. Of these, Nath or Tehri Nath with its intricate and attractive designs gained popularity and women wearing it makes an appealing sight. However, the Nath from Jaunsar, Bawar and Jaunpur regions is much bigger in size than the one from Tehri, says Lakshmi Chand Joshi, president of the Jaunsar Bawar Janjati Vikas Manch and expert on Juansari and Jaunpuri culture.
Taps, Karan phool (earrings) were made of gold while Munra, Soota, and Mala, all worn around the neck, are made of silver. Jhappi, Globand, Chandrahaar and Tominia (all worn around neck) were made of gold but Chandrahaar was worn only by rich people. Phulli was worn by both married and unmarried women but not by a widow who also never wore Globand, Nath and Bichwa, which all are symbols of living husband. Atardan, Sooti, and Shiv Sangal, all made of silver, were worn on shoulders, while Paunchi was worn on wrist.
Dr Harshwardhan, head of the Anthropological Survey of India, and Anand Saran, in charge of the cultural section at Anthropological survey of India, Dehradun, say that they are glad at the renewed interest of the people in traditional dresses and ornaments. The Anthropological Survey of India has always worked to preserve such materials and documents and will continue to do so in future as well.
(The Tribune)
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