Dhoti

For the far western region of Nepal, see Doti.
Indian folk dancers dressed in dhotis

The dhoti, also known as vesti, dhuti, mardani, dhoteé, chaadra, dhotra, and pancha, is a traditional men's garment, worn in the Indian subcontinent mainly by Indian, Nepalese and Bangladeshi people. It is worn predominantly in the countries of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is the national dress of the Madhesh region of southern Nepal, worn mainly by Nepalis of Madhesi, Tharu, Maithali and Bahun ethnicity.[1] It is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist.

Etymology

The word dhoti is derived from dhauti (Sanskrit: धौती), meaning to cleanse or wash.[2] In the context of clothing, it simply refers to the cleansed garment which was worn during shrauta sacrifices or religious sessions in general.[3]:129 The dhoti evolved from the ancient anatariya which was passed through the legs, tucked at the back and covered the legs loosely, then flowed into long pleats at front of the legs, the same way it is worn today.[3]:130

Regional names

Relief depicting men in anatariya and uttariya, 1st century AD
Female dancer dressed as Krishna in yellow dhoti

The garment is known by various names, such as:

Language
or region
धौती Dhotī Sanskrit, Pali
धौती Dhotī Hindi
मर्दानी Mardaani Hindi
ਚਾਦਰਾ Chaadra Punjabi
ଧୋତି Dhotī Odia
धोति Dhoteé Nepali
ધૉતિયુ Dhotiyu Gujarati
धोतर Dhotar a
Pancha 		Marathi
চুৰিয়া Suriya Assamese
ধুতি Dhuti Bengali
ಧೋತ್ರ
ಕಚ್ಚ ಪಂಚೆ 		Dhotra
Kachcha Panche 		Kannada
धोतर,
आंगोस्तर,
आड नेसचे,
पुडवे
Dhotar
Angostar
Aad-neschey
Pudve 		Konkani
పంచెPanchey Telugu
ధోవతిDhovathi Telugu
வேட்டி Veti Tamil
മുണ്ട് Mundu Malayalam
a In Marathi, a dhotar is not the same as a pancha (plural panche).
 While the former is worn around the waist, the latter is normally
 used as a towel after a bath or shower (compare below).

Custom and usage

A Chakravati wears a pancha in an ancient style. First century BCE/CE. Amaravathi village, Guntur district. Musee Guimet

The pancha is worn by many orthodox Jain men when they visit the temple for puja; unstitched clothing is believed by some Jains to be "less permeable to pollution" and therefore more appropriate for religious rituals than other garments.[4] They also wear a loose, unstitched cloth, shorter than the pancha, on top.

Hare Krishna, known for its distinctive dress code, prompts Western adherents to wear pancha, usually of saffron or white cloth folded in a traditional style. Mahatma Gandhi invariably wore a pancha on public occasions but, as he was aware that it was considered "indecent" to do so in other countries, was shocked when a friend wore one in London.[5] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was known for wearing a white silk dhoti.[6]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dhoti.

References

  1. ↑ "Nepalese national dresses".
  2. ↑ http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?script=HK&beginning=0+&tinput=dhoti&trans=Translate&direction=AU
  3. 1 2 Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1951) Indian Costume
  4. ↑ Cort, John E. (2001). Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India. Oxford University Press. p. 221. ISBN 9780195132342.
  5. ↑ Mahatma Gandhi was shocked when a friend wore a pancha in London
  6. ↑ Koppel, Lily (February 6, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Guide On the Beatles' Spiritual Path, Dies". New York Times. p. C.10.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.