Indus valley Fashion

                                                Indus valley Fashion

Ancient India have also their own wearing fashion because different kind of people wears different kinds of clothes .

Many different civilization was in the world one of the civilization was Indus valley.

The People of Indus valley civilization wears different kinds of dresses like women and men also

 As the Vedic people were in the initial stages of stitching clothes, the easiest piece of clothing for women was 'the Sari'. Even though the initial styles of draping the Sari were very basic, they were later altered on a regional basis.  However, the most common manner of draping the sari was, wrapping one end of the cloth around the waist, and throwing the other end over the shoulder covering the bust area.  A blouse or a 'Choli' was later incorporated as a part of the sari, as an upper body garment with sleeves and a neck.  A sari is known to be the most elegant woman's clothing in the Indian culture. Another similar type of Vedic clothing is 'the Dupatta', which is the smaller version of the sari.  It is only a few meters long and was usually used in the later Vedic period as a part of sophisticated garments such as, 'Ghagra Choli', where the Ghagra is a long skirt worn with blouse and the Dupatta. 

 The fan shaped headdress originally had wide, cup-shaped extensions on either side of the head framed by braided tresses.  Four flowers are arranged on the front of her headdress. This style of headdress has been found only on figures from Harappa and it appears to have been most common during the final phases of the mature Harappan period, between 2200- 1900 BC.  Numerous strands of chokers and pendant bead necklaces drape over the breasts and extend to the waist.  Traces of bangles are visible at the broken ends of the arms which would have been covered with them.  The women is wearing a short skirt belted with three strands of beads. 

 The less common male figurines and rare male statues wear their hair in a bun, divided horizontally like a headband reminiscent of a royal hairstyle in contemporary Sumer.  A few gold fillets have been found with holes at the end for fastening them with a cord. Most men were bearded.  This male head shows the typical arrangement of the hair in a double bun, held in place by a thin fillet tied at the back.  The pattern of hair at the top of the head suggests that it is braided.  The "Priest King" wears an elaborately decorated robe, draped to expose his chest and right shoulder. This was possibly a garment worn only by rulers or senior priests. Indus Valley gold, chiefly in jewellery, is very rare. The beads are hollow, and in the pendant, thin gold lies over an organic core. The pendant is in the form of a Indus River reed boat. All told, the necklace is about 43 cm in length and weighs only about 18 g Indus Valley craftsmen were renowned for their ability to produce fine beads, especially from stones such as carnelian (an orange to red quartz). Often the beads were etched using lime and heat. 8 The Vedic period (1500–500 BCE) was the period in Indian history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed.  During the early part of the Vedic period, the Indo-Aryans settled into northern India, bringing with them their specific religious traditions.  The associated culture was initially a tribal, pastoral society centred in the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent; it spread after 1200 BCE to the Ganges Plain, as it was shaped by increasing settled agriculture, a hierarchy of four social classes, and the emergence of monarchical, state-level polities.  The end of the Vedic period witnessed the rise of large, urbanized states as well as of shramana movements (including Jainism and Buddhism) which challenged the Vedic orthodoxy.  Around the beginning of the Common Era, the Vedic tradition formed one of the main constituents of the so-called "Hindu synthesis". 

 The garments worn in Vedic times onwards did not fundamentally differ from those worn by Hindus in later times.  A single length cloth draped around the body, over the shoulders and fastened with a pin or a belt. This was a comfortable dress to be worn in a hot and humid climate which prevailed in India in comparison to the weather from where these people migrated.  Lower garment was called paridhana or vasana. It was usually such a cloth fastened around the waist with a belt or a string which is called mekhala or rasana.  Upper garment was called Uttaiya and worn like a shawl over the shoulders. This upper garment was usually discarded at home or in hot weather especially by the people belonging to lower strata.  Third garment called pravara was worn in cold season like cloak or a mantle.   This was general garb of both sexes and varied only in size and in the manner of wearing.  Of poor people, sometimes the lower garment was a mere loincloth, but of rich was up to feet. In many sculptures, the lower cloth is pleated in front and held with a long girdle. Sometimes the girdle appears to the end of cloth itself.  This might have been the precursor of the modernsari. Sometimes the end of the cloth was drawn between the legs and fastened at the back in the manner of dhoti. Stitching was not unknown as is evident from the depiction of women in jackets and bodices. 

 Men too draped pieces of long clothing around them during the Vedic period.  The most initial attire of Vedic men were 'Dhotis', which are similar to a Dupatta but slightly longer. However, men draped the Dhoti around their waste and partitioned it with pleats.  There were no upper garments required by men in this era, therefore, the Dhoti was the only piece of clothing they wore.  Another similar garment worn by men was the 'Lungi', which was simply draped around the man's waist and pleated in the center, but is not partitioned.  However, when Vedic people learned to stitch, they made 'the Kurta' which is a loose shirt like upper body garment.  Then, came the 'Pajama' which resembled a loose trouser With these costumes from the early and later years, hope you have learned many new facts about the Indian culture and fashion. 

 Women used to wrap it around their waist, pleated in front over the belly and drape it over their shoulder covering their bust area and fastened it with a pin at the shoulder. ‘Choli’ or blouse, as an upper garment was introduced in the later Vedic period with sleeves and a neck.  A new version of sari, little smaller than sari, called dupatta, was also incorporated later and it was used to wear along with ghaghara (frilled skirt up to feet Most initial attires of men in those times were dhoti and lungi. Dhoti is basically a single cloth wrapped around the waist and by partitioning at the center, is fastened at the back.  A dhoti is from four to six feet long white or colour strip of cotton.  Generally, in those times, no upper garment was worn and Dhoti was the only single clothing that men used to drape it over their bodies.  Later on, many costumes evolved like kurtas, pajamas, trousers, turbans, etc.  Wool, linen, diaphanous silks and muslin were the main fibres used for making cloth and patterns with grey strips and checks were made over clothes POST-VEDIC ERA 

 The Shunga Empire was an ancient Indian Brahmin dynasty from Magadha that controlled vast areas of the Indian subcontinent from around 187 to 78 BCE. • The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra Shunga, after the fall of the Maurya Empire. Its capital was Pataliputra, but later emperors such as Bhagabhadra also held court at Besnagar (modern Vidisha) in eastern Malwa.  Pushyamitra Shunga ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra.  They fought the Kalinga, the Satavahana dynasty, the Indo-Greek Kingdom and possibly the Panchalas and Mathuras.  Art, education, philosophy, and other forms of learning flowered during this period including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures, and architectural monuments such as the stupa at Bharhut, and the renowned Great Stupa at Sanchi. Women tied their antariya in different ways. Originally opaque, it later became more and more transparent.  A simple small antariya or strip of cloth, langoti was attached to the kayabandh at the center front, and then passed between the legs and tucked in at the back.  A longer version of the antariya was the knee-length one, being first wrapped around and secured at the waist, the longer end then pleated and tucked in at the front, and the shorter end finally drawn between the legs, Kachcha style, and tucked in at the waist at the back.  Another version, the lehnga style, was a length of cloth wrapped around the hips tightly to form a tabular type of skirt. This was not drawn between the legs in the kachcha style. class women were generally of thin material decorated with elaborated borders and quite often worn as a head covering. Their kayabandhs were very similar to those of the men. In addition, they sometimes wore a patka, a decorative piece of cloth attached to the kayabandh in front by tucking in one end at the waist. 

 The main garment was the antariya of white cotton, linen or flowered muslin, sometimes embroidered in gold and precious stones.  For men, it was an unstitched length of cloth draped around the hips and between the legs in the kachcha style, extending from the waist to the calf or ankles or worn even shorter by peasants and commoners.  The antariya was secured at the waist by a sash or kayabandh, often tied in a looped knot at the center front of the waist. The kayabandh could be simple sash, vethaka; one with drum-headed knot at the ends, muraja; a very elaborate band of embroidery, flat and ribbon-shaped, pattika; or a many-stringed one, kalabuka. The third item of clothing called uttariya was another length of material, usually fine cotton, very rarely silk, which was utilized as a long scarf to drape the top half of the body. 

The uttariya was worn in several ways to suit the comforts of the wearer: very elegantly by those at court, who drape it on both shoulders or one shoulder, or diagonally across the chest and casually knotted at the waist, or it could even be worn loosely across the back and supported by the elbows or wrist, and in many other ways according to the whims of the weather.  But for the labourer and the craftsman, it was more a practical garment to be tied around the head as protection from sun, or tightly around the waist leaving the hands free for work, or again as a towel to mop the face when sweating.  Its uses were endless for the poor sections of the society and for them it would be made of coarse cotton.

 Women generally covered their heads with the uttariya, worn straight or crosswise, often resplendent with beautiful borders. The hair, centrally parted, was made into one or two plaits or in a large knot at the back.  The uttariya could be worn simply hanging down at the back or secured to the head with a headband, or with one end arranged in a fan at the top of the head. Skullcaps were sometimes worn under or over the uttariya to keep it in place, or at times it could be decorated with a fringe or pendants.  Helmets too are seen as headgear for phrygian women who probably wore long-sleeved tunic with tight fitting trousers and a phrygian cap which was conical and had ear flaps.  In India, the Amazons wore in addition, the crossed-at-chest belt vaikaksha, with metal buckles, shield, and sword. 

As regards male headgear, in the early Mauryan period there is no trace of the turban mauli, but in the Sunga period we find great emphasis on this form of male head dress.  These were remarkable headdresses in which the hair itself was often twisted into a braid along with the turban cloth. This twisted braid was then arranged to form a protuberance at the front or the side of the head but never at the center top, as only priests could use this style.  Over the turban a band was sometimes used to hold it in place. In addition, decorative elements like a jewelled brooch or a jhalar could be attached to the turban, or one end folded in pleats and tucked in like a fan. 

garments which had been used by the Persian soldiers were sometimes utilized for military dress by the Mauryans.  This consisted of a sleeved tunic with cross straps across the chest to carry the quiver, and a leather belt with sword. The lower garment was more often the Indian antariya rather than the Persian trousers. The headgear was usually the turban or headband, whereas the Persians had worn the pointed cap. The mixture of foreign and indigenous garments is interesting as it shows one of the early phases of evolution in the costumes of Indians.  This came about in the colder north, where the Persian garments were more suitable, climatically and functionally, in case of soldiers.  Although, coats of mail are mentioned in the Arthshastra there is no visual evidence of it in this period. 

7 stringed necklace Mekhala - 6 stringed necklace Paklari - 5 stringed necklace Chaulari - 4 stringed necklace Tillari - 3 stringed necklace Kantha- Short necklace Karnika - Earring in form of triratna or triple gem or Buddhist triad, pecular to Buddhists  Patna - Armlets of serpent shape Karnika - Trumpet shape earrings  Baju Band - Simple leaf-patterned bangle .

 3 bangles on each wrist  Atkan - Beads or pearl string worn over the  left Shoulder and under the right arm Lambanam - Very long chain necklace Kara - Anklets of twisted wire Sitara - Star-shape forehead ornament The material used most frequently were gold and precious stones like corals, rubies, sapphires, agates, and crystals. Pearls too were used and beads of all kinds were plentiful including those made of glass.  Certain ornaments were common to both sexes, like earrings, necklaces, armlets, bracelets and embroidered belts.  Earring or karnika were of three types-a simple ring or circle called Kundala, a circular disc earring known as dehri and earrings with a flower-like shape known as Karnaphul. 

 Weaving of fine and coarse varieties of cloth was well established.  Cotton, silk, wool, linen and jute fabrics were readily available.  Furs and the better varieties of wool and silk like tussar, called kausheya like Eri or Muga silk of Assam, yellowish in its natural color but when bleached called patrona, were used.  Kaseyyaka (High quality cotton or silk) and the bright red woolen blankets of Gandhara were worth a small fortune each.  A rain proof woolen cloth was available in Nepal. Resist dyeing and hand printing in a pattern on cloth has been mentioned by Greek visitors to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, as is the Indian glazed cotton cloth which was in common use by 400 BC. Material similar to the khinkhwab (which is the interweaving of silk and gold or silver wires beautiful floral pattern) was in great demand and even exported to Babylon long before the Mauryas.  Cotton, wool and a fabric called karpasa were available in the north in both coarse and fine varieties. 

There were also fine muslins often embroidered in purple and gold and transparent like later-day material which came to be called shabnam (morning dew).  The coarse varieties were used by the populace.  Woolen cloth, avika, from the sheep’s wool was either pure white (bleached) or dyed pure red, rose, or black.  Blankets or kambala were either made by completing the edges with borders or braids, or woven wool strips were joined together. The process of felting (pressing the fibers together, instead of weaving) was also making known. All varieties of wool were available, coarse for making head-dresses, trappings and blankets for richer class.  Washer men were also dyers, rajaka, and they perfumed garments after washing them.  Four primary color were recognized in the dyeing of textiles: red (dyed with safflower and madder), white (through bleaching), yellow (natural color of yarn and saffron), and blue (indigo leaves).  Fabrics were also woven in patterns and printed for use as carpets, bedcovers, blankets, and clothes. 

 The Kushans established their empire in the first century AD and were contemporaneous with the Satavahana (Andhra) and western Satraps (Sakas) kingdoms during part of the second century AD.  Contact was established with many parts of western Asia and the Mediterranean by means of envoys. This naturally helped foreign trade, and the influx of foreigners, Kushans, Sakas, and Indo-Greeks, gave even more impetus to trade relations with these areas. 

The Buddhists represented there were dressed in the classical Greek and Roman garments, the chiton, rimation, stola, tunica, chlamys, etc. The ordinary dress consisted as usual of an antariya, uttariya and kayabandh, with a turban for men. Kushan costumes may be divided into five types: the costume worn by (i) indigenous people-theantariya, uttariya, and kayabandh, (ii) guardians and attendants of the harem-usually the indigenous and sewn kancuka, red-brown in color, (iii) foreign Kushan rulers and their entourage, and (iv) other foreigners such as grooms, traders, etc. There are fifth category- a mixture of foreign and indigenous garments.  The Kushan (Indo-scythian) dress had evolved from a nomad culture based on the use of the horse.  Scythian and Iranian races and resembled particularly that of the Parthians. It consisted of a ruched long-sleeves tunic with a slit for the neck opening, simple or elaborately decorated. The close-fitting knee-length tunic was sometimes made of leather, and with it could be worn a short cloak or a calf-length woolen coat or caftan, worn loose or crossed over from right to left and secured by a belt of leather or metal. 

Besides these two upper garments, occasionally a third garment the chugha was used.  The chugha was coat-like and decorated with a border down the chest and hemline, and had slits to facilitate movement. The trousers could be of linen, silk or muslin in summer but were woolen or quilted in winter. These loose or close-fitting trousers, chalana, were tucked into soft padded boots with leather trappings, khapusa.  Along with this was worn the scythian pointed cap of felt, bashylk, or peaked helmet or head band with two long ends tied at the back. Although, the clothes were simple, they were often adorned with stamped gold or metal plates, square, rectangular, circular, or triangular sewn in lines or at the central seams of the tunic.  Their purpose was not only decorative but functional as well, as they helped lift the tunic in the middle for riding, by gathering the cloth along the seams.  The latter is not passed between the legs as the kachcha style, but is worn crossed-over in the lehnga style. Simple stitched skirts, ghagri, with a side seam and nada or string to hold them up at the waist are also seen. They are gathered in folds from lengths about 6-8 feet, and have a decorative border at the hem and at the centre front seam. 

 The tunic, stanamsuka, is form-fitting with long sleeves, a simple round neckline, and flaring at the hemline. Besides the above mentioned, the lehnga style antariya and uttariya is sometimes worn. But very little in the way of elaborate jewellery is used. There are also some figures of women wearing close fitting ruched trousers with a long- sleeved jacket and an uttariya. The pravara or chaddar, a large shawl, continued to be worn by both sexes as protection against the cold and it was known to have been perfumed with bakul, jasmine and other scents.  The purely indigenous antariya, uttariys and kayabandh continued to be the main costumes of Indians with slight modifications. The kayabandh became a more loosely worn informal piece of attire, and was a wide twisted sash used mainly by women in many delightful ways to enhance the suppleness of the waist. 

 In central India textiles were of lightweight cotton, tulapansi. Both indigenous and foreign skills were plentiful but still very expensive.  Antariya were very rarely decorated and when they were, they appear to have been either embroidered, woven, or printed in diagonal check designs enclosing small circles. Turban cloth for rich women were often diagonally striped with every third line made of pearls.  This bejewelled material was also used to cover beds and seats.  Many other geometric patterns of checks, stripes and triangles were also printed and woven.  It is only from literary sources that we know of the textiles and dyes available in the earlier period. 31 Kush Hand-Knotted Carpets o In a list compiled of fabrics recovered from the ancient silk route, fabrics in the following color were found: bright blue, light blue, dark blue- copper, dull gold buff, bronze-brown, dark bronze- green, crimson, pink, crimson brown, rich red, yellow, yellow-brown, yellow-green, rich dark yellow-brown.

Antariya : worn extremely short in kaccha style; the end that is passed between the legs has been tucked in at the back; the other piece is looped to mid-thigh in front and the end tucked in a small looped frill at the centre Kayabandh : there are two : one is a wide sash tied in a loop on both sides to the knees with steamers at each side of the hips hanging to floor length; the other iskakshyabandha, a thick jewelled roll worn aslant which has a large clasp at the left hip Mekhala : five-stringed pearl or jewelled hip belt, it holds the antariya and cloth kayabandh in place Hara : necklace of pearls, probably strung on thread or wire and worn between the breasts Kantha : Short necklace of beads with central pendant and looped chains Keyura : simple armlets, of looped design in gold or silver Valaya : bracelets of two kinds : the central one consists of a series of rings like a wrist band; on both sides are larger rigid bracelets Kundala : square earrings decorated with a flower motif and with pearls suspended Nupura : anklets-wide rings with an elaborate design Anguliya : finger rings of solid gold Mukuta : bejewelled crown on the head and a head band Hairstyle : small symmetrical curls at the forehead, hair tied in a looped knot projecting vertically at the back COURT LADY [Begram] 

  simple narrow calf-length skirt stitched at the centre-front border, it has either a drawstring through it to is rolled over a string; this is an example of the earliest form of a stitched lower garment for women kantha : short flat necklace with decorative design Keyura : armlets of same decorative design as forkantha Valaya : simple ring-type bangles Kundala :simple ring-type earrings She rests her pitcher on a head-rest probably of cane, like an inverted basket. MILK MAID[Mathura] Tunic : Kushan type with long ruched sleeves Antariya : could bechalana-Kushan loose trousers Kayabandh  twisted sash Hara : long necklet worn between the breasts Valaya : three bangles are visible on the right hand Nupura  heavy ring-type anklets Hairstyle  hair at the front is divided into three portions, the central one is made into roll, the two at the side are combed downwards with tassels suspended She carries a long spear and round embossed shield. A mixture of foreign and indigenous costume. FEMALE GUARD[Gandhara] 

  worn in lehnga style, simply wrapped around and tucked in at the left Uttariya : thrown casually over the shoulders Tunic : with front opening, held at the neck by button; long ruched sleeves have ruching held by jewelled bands or buttons; tunic is form-fitting Mekhala : four-stringed girdle with clasp and decorative leaf at the centre Hara : one long pearl necklace worn between the breasts and one short one with a pendant Kundala : large ring-type earrings Head-dress : chaplet of leaves or turban with a central flower worn around the top knot of hair Sitara : round ornament on the forehead YAKSHI: FEMALE DOOR-KEEPER[Gandhara] Anatriya : sari-like, worn in the kachcha style, the other end being taken across the body and over the left shoulder Kayabandh : simple sash, twisted in parts Uttariya : worn across the back and over both shoulders, the left end is loosely tucked in at the waist Hara : pearl necklace worn between the breasts Kundala : simple disc-like earrings Nupura : heavy double rings on the ankles Hairstyle : chaplet of leaves FEMALE[Gandhara] 

calf-length and heavy quilted, with braid at the bottom edge Chugha : a coat which is longer than the tunic, worn open at centre front; it has a decorative braid at the centre front and hem with probably long gathered-up sleeves Belt : of metallic decorative plaques Boots : padded, with straps around ankle and under the boot held together by a decorative clasp; either the boots are calf length or baggy trousers (chalana) have been inserted into short boots This is the dress of Kushan for foreigner of Saka-Parthian origin. He holds two swords in decorative scabbards. KING KANISHKA[Mathura] Chugha : calf-length with a wide richly embroidered border down the centre-front opening, hem and edge of long sleeves (probably ruched); the material of the coat has small rosettes and a V-neck and there is a round motif on the right sleeve Tunic : Kurta-like undergarment visible at the neck Chalana : baggy trousers tucked into calf-length padded boots; there is a wide band of vine pattern at the centre from toe to top (not visible in drawing); straps around the ankle and instep Kantha : short necklace with pendant KUSHAN KING[Mathura] 

 Antariya : worn in kachcha style Armour : chain armour made of scale or rhombus-patterned plaques, fastened together with strings (like a Japanese or Tibetan armour); the end of the sleeves, waist and hem are strengthened with cording; the skirt portion is made of parallel rows of rectangular plaques Mauli : turban made of twisted roll of cloth Equipment : round shield and spear This is a mixture of foreign and indigenous costume. The armour is Graeco-Roman. SOLDIER[Gandhara] Antariya : worn in kachchastyle up to the ankles Tunic : knee-length, a fully quilted garment with thick cording at the waist, neck and hem. Quilted upper garments are still worn in north India in winter. Mixture of foreign and indigenous costume. GUARD[Gandhara] Antariya : transparent calf-length and worn in thelehnga style Armour : scale armour with V-neck and short sleeves; the skirt portion is of square-linked design and of mid-thigh length Tunic : Visible at the hem and sleeves Equipment : sword belt with flat, short sword; strap across the chest, probably for quiver; round shield with patterned design Mauli : turban wound several times and tied at the right side SOLDIER[Gandhara] The Sātavāhana Empire was an Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar (Pune) and Prathisthan (Paithan) in Maharashtra.  The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward. Although there is some controversy about when the dynasty came to an end, the most liberal estimates suggest that it lasted about 450 years, until around 220 CE.  The Satavahanas are credited for establishing peace in the country, resisting the onslaught of foreigners after the decline of the Mauryan Empire.  The Satavahanas declared independence some time after the death of Ashoka (232 BCE), as the Maurya Empire began to weaken.  They were not only worshipers of Vishnu and Shiva but also other incarnations of Gauri, Indra, the sun and moon.

 Early Satavahana Costume [200-100 B.C.]  In the first Century BC we find tunics, Kancuka in the stripes or beehive design worn by attendants or hunters. The kancuka are of mid-thigh length with short or long sleeves; in some the opening is on the left side, and in others it is at the front. The tunic worn by a king in hunting dress has no discernible opening at the neck, so it is probably at the back.  Necklines too differed in that some were V-shaped and others were round in shape.  An elaborate turban ushnisa, intertwined with the long black hair of the aborigine wearers was also worn. The Dravidians aboriginal village women too changed their costume using short antariyas, large uttariyas with elaborate board borders covering the head and back, tikkas on the forehead and a series of conch or ivory bangles on the arms.  Except for the skirt, they looked very much like the Lambadis who are a gypsy tribe of Deccan today.  In the royal court dress of the Mauryan-Sunga people the female attendant wore transparent long antariyas with loose kayabandhs tied in a knot at the centre having beautiful ornamental tips. Their many –stringed girdles or mekhala were made of beads. Shoulder-length hair held by fillets or top knots tied at the centre of the head seems to denote that these attendants were foreigners, although nothing in the garments worn seems foreign.  The king and most of his courtiers wore indigenous antariya, short and informal at home, with the longer style worn in a variety of ways on ceremonial occasions. With this the decorative kayabandhwas tied in different styles and knots. The kayabandh could be tied like a thick cord or be worn looped in a semi-circle at the front with conspicuous side tassels, or be made of thick twisted silk. The ushnisa was always worn and a crown or tiara was used when necessary. Textiles and Dyes :- Coarse and fine varieties of cotton were in great demand. Silk formed an important part of rich person’s wardrobe.  A very cheap material made of hemp was worn by the weavers and by labourers of all kinds. Wool was not need much in the part of India ruled by Satavahanas, which had a warm climate, but it was used in the form of chaddarsor blankets in winter. There was a variety of Dyes available from Vedic times, indigo, yellow, crimson, magenta, black and turmeric. Varieties and mixtures of colors known to those countries with which the Satavahanas did a great deal of trade, like China, Persia and Rome, must also have been incorporated to extend their range of colored textiles. Printed and woven designs on textile were plentiful and embroidery in gold was also common among the richer classes. The uttariya, in particular, was very often of silk and embroidered with flowers all over, or had a pattern of birds along with flowers. Precious stones were often used in the borders of these uttariyas or they were dyed blue or red, but a spotless white remained the favourite with men.