Terms and history<\/span>[<\/span>edit<\/a>]<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n![](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/0\/08\/Krishnacart.jpg\/170px-Krishnacart.jpg\")
<\/a>Gupta-period depiction of women in ancient form of gagra and long choli, 320 CE\u2013550 CE, Uttar Pradesh, India.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHistorically, the gagra choli evolved from the three-piece attire worn by women in\u00a0Indus Valley<\/a>\u00a0ancient India. The attire consisted of the\u00a0antriya<\/a><\/i>\u00a0lower garment, the\u00a0uttariya<\/a><\/i>\u00a0veil worn over shoulder or head and\u00a0stanapatta<\/i>\u00a0a chest-band, which finds mentioned in\u00a0Sanskrit<\/a>\u00a0literature and Buddhist\u00a0Pali<\/a>\u00a0literature during the 6th century B.C.[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\nCholi<\/span>[<\/span>edit<\/a>]<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nMain article:\u00a0Choli<\/a><\/div>\n\n![\"gagra](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Gagra_Choli.jpg\/170px-Gagra_Choli.jpg\")
<\/a>best gagra choli<\/figcaption><\/figure>Woman in traditional style of gagra choli worn in the\u00a0Hindi belt<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA\u00a0choli<\/i>\u00a0(Hindi<\/a>: \u091a\u094b\u0932\u0940,\u00a0Nepali<\/a>:\u00a0\u091a\u094b\u0932\u094b<\/span>), (ravike<\/i>\u00a0in South India\u00a0Telugu<\/a>: \u0c30\u0c35\u0c3f\u0c15\u0c46,\u00a0Kannada<\/a>: \u0cb0\u0cb5\u0cbf\u0c95\u0cc6) is a\u00a0midriff<\/a>-baring\u00a0blouse<\/a>\u00a0commonly worn with a\u00a0sari<\/a>\u00a0attire (worn in\u00a0India<\/a>,\u00a0Pakistan<\/a>,\u00a0Sri Lanka<\/a>,\u00a0Bangladesh<\/a>,\u00a0Nepal<\/a>\u00a0and other surrounding countries). It evolved from the ancient\u00a0Stanapatta<\/i>\u00a0(also known as\u00a0Kanchuki<\/i>) and is cut to fit tightly around the body with its short sleeves and low neck. The choli is usually cropped, allowing exposure of the\u00a0navel<\/a>; the cropped design is particularly well-suited to wear in the hot summers of the\u00a0Indian subcontinent<\/a>.<\/p>\nIllustration of different regional variations of ghagra choli worn by women in India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLehenga<\/i>,\u00a0gagra<\/i>\/ghagra<\/i>\u00a0(Hindi<\/a>: \u0918\u093e\u0918\u0930\u093e\u00a0gh\u0101ghr\u0101<\/i>) also\u00a0chaniya<\/i>[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0(known as\u00a0pavadai<\/i>\u00a0in\u00a0Tamil<\/a>: \u0baa\u0bbe\u0bb5\u0bbe\u0b9f\u0bc8) is a form of skirt which is long, embroidered and pleated. It is secured at the waist or hips and leaves the lower back and\u00a0midriff<\/a>\u00a0bare.[8]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The ancient version of skirt or\u00a0ghagri<\/i>\u00a0evolved from\u00a0bhairnivasani<\/i>, which in turn evolved from the\u00a0antriya<\/a>\u00a0when stitching on one side became tubular and was worn gathered together at the waist, and held by a girdle. This was one of the earliest forms of a clumsily stitched skirt. It was worn using a\u00a0nada<\/i>\u00a0or drawstring. The\u00a0ghagri<\/i>\u00a0was a narrow skirt 6 feet (1.8\u00a0m) long\u2014the same length as the original\u00a0antriya<\/i>\u2014and can still be seen worn by\u00a0Jain nuns<\/a>\u00a0in India.<\/p>\nUntil the early 20th century, women irrespective of class largely wore gagras which reached down to ankles, especially in the\u00a0Hindi belt<\/a>. This was largely due to jeweled toes indicating the marital status of women, as both married and unmarried women observed the\u00a0ghoonghat<\/a>\u00a0veil. Gagras were made out of two to three layers of coarse khadi fabric which created large flared look and remained largely plain but were decorated with\u00a0gota<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0badla<\/i>\u00a0embroidery on special occasions. Most commonly used dyes were indigo, lac and turmeric. This style can still be seen in rural areas of\u00a0Haryana<\/a>,\u00a0Uttar Pradesh<\/a>,\u00a0Bihar<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Madhya Pradesh<\/a>\u00a0particularly during folk festivals.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Historically, the gagra choli evolved from the three-piece attire worn by women in\u00a0Indus Valley<\/a>\u00a0ancient India. The attire consisted of the\u00a0antriya<\/a><\/i>\u00a0lower garment, the\u00a0uttariya<\/a><\/i>\u00a0veil worn over shoulder or head and\u00a0stanapatta<\/i>\u00a0a chest-band, which finds mentioned in\u00a0Sanskrit<\/a>\u00a0literature and Buddhist\u00a0Pali<\/a>\u00a0literature during the 6th century B.C.[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n A\u00a0choli<\/i>\u00a0(Hindi<\/a>: \u091a\u094b\u0932\u0940,\u00a0Nepali<\/a>:\u00a0\u091a\u094b\u0932\u094b<\/span>), (ravike<\/i>\u00a0in South India\u00a0Telugu<\/a>: \u0c30\u0c35\u0c3f\u0c15\u0c46,\u00a0Kannada<\/a>: \u0cb0\u0cb5\u0cbf\u0c95\u0cc6) is a\u00a0midriff<\/a>-baring\u00a0blouse<\/a>\u00a0commonly worn with a\u00a0sari<\/a>\u00a0attire (worn in\u00a0India<\/a>,\u00a0Pakistan<\/a>,\u00a0Sri Lanka<\/a>,\u00a0Bangladesh<\/a>,\u00a0Nepal<\/a>\u00a0and other surrounding countries). It evolved from the ancient\u00a0Stanapatta<\/i>\u00a0(also known as\u00a0Kanchuki<\/i>) and is cut to fit tightly around the body with its short sleeves and low neck. The choli is usually cropped, allowing exposure of the\u00a0navel<\/a>; the cropped design is particularly well-suited to wear in the hot summers of the\u00a0Indian subcontinent<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lehenga<\/i>,\u00a0gagra<\/i>\/ghagra<\/i>\u00a0(Hindi<\/a>: \u0918\u093e\u0918\u0930\u093e\u00a0gh\u0101ghr\u0101<\/i>) also\u00a0chaniya<\/i>[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0(known as\u00a0pavadai<\/i>\u00a0in\u00a0Tamil<\/a>: \u0baa\u0bbe\u0bb5\u0bbe\u0b9f\u0bc8) is a form of skirt which is long, embroidered and pleated. It is secured at the waist or hips and leaves the lower back and\u00a0midriff<\/a>\u00a0bare.[8]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The ancient version of skirt or\u00a0ghagri<\/i>\u00a0evolved from\u00a0bhairnivasani<\/i>, which in turn evolved from the\u00a0antriya<\/a>\u00a0when stitching on one side became tubular and was worn gathered together at the waist, and held by a girdle. This was one of the earliest forms of a clumsily stitched skirt. It was worn using a\u00a0nada<\/i>\u00a0or drawstring. The\u00a0ghagri<\/i>\u00a0was a narrow skirt 6 feet (1.8\u00a0m) long\u2014the same length as the original\u00a0antriya<\/i>\u2014and can still be seen worn by\u00a0Jain nuns<\/a>\u00a0in India.<\/p>\n Until the early 20th century, women irrespective of class largely wore gagras which reached down to ankles, especially in the\u00a0Hindi belt<\/a>. This was largely due to jeweled toes indicating the marital status of women, as both married and unmarried women observed the\u00a0ghoonghat<\/a>\u00a0veil. Gagras were made out of two to three layers of coarse khadi fabric which created large flared look and remained largely plain but were decorated with\u00a0gota<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0badla<\/i>\u00a0embroidery on special occasions. Most commonly used dyes were indigo, lac and turmeric. This style can still be seen in rural areas of\u00a0Haryana<\/a>,\u00a0Uttar Pradesh<\/a>,\u00a0Bihar<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Madhya Pradesh<\/a>\u00a0particularly during folk festivals.<\/p>\nCholi<\/span>[<\/span>edit<\/a>]<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>