Wikipedia

Dhoti

For the far western area of theNepaleseregion, seeDoti.

Thedhoti,also known asmardani,jaiñboh,orpanche,is a piece of cloth arranged around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape oftrousers.[1][2][3]The dhoti is a lowergarmentforming part ofethnic wearfor men in theIndian subcontinent.[4][5]Thedhotiis fashioned out of a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 5 ft to 4.5 metres (15 ft) long.

ADogridancer wears a dhoti, at atheatreinJammu.
Anillustrationofsepoys(soldiers) recruited into theBritish Indianmilitary

Thedhotiis considered to be the male counterpart of thesaariworn by females to religious and secularceremonies(functions).[6]Apitambaris a yellow silk dhoti worn on auspicious occasions.[7][8]Dhotis must not be confused with "readymade panchakachams"[9]or "dhoti pants", which are a newready to weartrend, popular among women and typical of children.[10][11][12]Although the termsmunduorveshtiare used interchangeably with "dhoti",[13]they are different from thedhoti,which is "looped" or wrapped around the legs, in the form of trousers or pants.[14]The dhoti is better known aspanchakachaminSouth India,which may even be worn while doing dances such asmoonwalks,but the skirt-like form of theveshtihas its limitations, according tofashionistas.[15]While thesaariis still draped by women asdaily wear,most Indian men no longer know how to wrap the dhoti,[16]as it has been displaced by "English clothes"ofthe British,in urban areas or cities such asBombay (Mumbai).[17]

Etymology

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Khasi folk dancers wearing "Jaiñboh" dhotis and other traditional garb

It is also referred to as "dhautra" (IPA:/dʱɑwtɽɐ/) in Sanskrit, which means rope or cord. The dhoti evolved from the ancientantriyawhich 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 as formal dhoti.[18]: 130 While a casual and short dhoti wraps around both legs firmly, in this style the back side of the dhoti is pulled to the front and tucked at the waist, before tucking the two loose ends at back, creating firmly fitted trouser-like dhoti that wraps around both legs. This style is more commonly worn by farmers and martial artists.[19][20]

Names and styles

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Relief depicting men in anatariya anduttariya,1st century CE
AManipuridancer dressed asKrishnain yellow dhoti

The garment is known by various names based on language, such as:

Native script Transliteration Language or region
চুৰিয়া, ধুতি Suriya,Dhuti Assamese
ধুতি Dhuti Bengali
ધૉતિયુ Dhotiyu Gujarati
धोती Dhotī Hindi,Maithili,NepaliandPali
मर्दानी Mardānī Hindi
ಧೋತ್ರ
ಕಚ್ಚೆ ಪಂಚೆ 		Dhotra
Kachche Panche 		Kannada
धोंतर,
आंगोस्तर,
आड नेसचे,
पुडवे
 Dhontara,
Āṅgostara,
Āḍa nesace
Puḍave 		Konkani
മുണ്ട് Muṇṭ Malayalam
धोतर Dhotaraa Marathi
ଧୋତି Dhotī Odia
ਚਾਦਰਾ Chaadra Punjabi
வேட்டி Vaetti Tamil
పంచె, ధోవతి Pañce Telugu
دھوتی Dhoti Urdu
aIn Marathi, adhotaris not the same as apancha(pluralpanche).
While the former is worn around the waist, the latter is normally
atowelused afterbathing(comparebelow).

Custom and usage

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A Chakravati wears apanchain an ancient style. First century BCE/CE.Amaravathi village, Guntur district(Musee Guimet).
TheDidarganj Yakshidepicting thedhoti wrap

Thepanchais worn by many conservativeJainmen when they visitDerasarsorBasadis forpuja;unstitched clothing is believed by some Jains to be "less permeable to pollution" and therefore more appropriate for religious rituals than other garments.[21]They also wear a loose and unstitched cloth, shorter than thepanchaon top.

ABenaresiman in dhoti with a Central Asiankurta,inUttar Pradesh.

Hare Krishna,known for its distinctive dress code, prompts Western adherents to wearpancha,usually ofsaffronor white cloth folded in ethnicBengalistyle.Maharishi Mahesh Yogiwas known for wearing a white silk dhoti.[22]

Thedhotihas been ethnically worn byfarmers,pehlwano(wrestlers) andshepherds(grazers) of theSikhsin thePunjab region;it was discouraged during thePunjab Subah Movement,owing it to the inter-communal tensions prevalent at the time.[23][24]Thedhothiwas also worn bySouth Canarese Christianmen to theirpre-nupceremonies,Church weddingsandreceptionsuntil the 1960s, when they fell out of favour; since thengroomshave been styling the blacksuit and tieinstead.[25]

A man in dhoti paired with a shortkurtainRajasthan

There's a distinction between thelungi,a similar garment often worn by people at their homes, as it is more casual and comfortable, dhoti is sometimes even worn bysecularpoliticians.[26]

M K Gandhi in 1935

At the height of theIndian Independence Movement,weaving was a symbol of theSwadeshi Movement.In 1921, the famedM K Gandhihimself championed only thedhotioftentoplessand without a kurta, to promote and identify with the weaves andhandicrafts,produced by the rural and the poor of hishomeland.[27][28][29]

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toDhoti.
  1. ^Company, Fideler (1960).Life in Other Lands.Fideler. p. 78.Retrieved3 January2021.It is arranged to look like a pair of baggy trousers. This garment is called a dhoti and is usually made of cotton.{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  2. ^Bhandari, Vandana (2005).Costume, Textiles and Jewellery [i.e. Jewelry] of India: Traditions in Rajasthan.Mercury Books. p. 105.ISBN9781904668893.Retrieved3 January2021.One of the reasons for the dhoti's enduring popularity is its loose trouser - like form, which is convenient and extremely well - suited to the tropical Indian climate.
  3. ^K Parker, Lewis (1994).India.Rourke Book Company. p. 14.ISBN9781559160056.Retrieved3 January2021.Boys and men often wear adhoti.This is a piece of white cloth wound around the waist.Dhotislook like comfortable, baggy pants.
  4. ^"Indian Dhoti".Indian Mirror.Archivedfrom the original on 29 July 2020.Retrieved3 January2021.
  5. ^NAYAR, K.P. (2 May 1999)."NEPAL WAKES UP TO DHOTI POWER".The Telegraph (India).Retrieved16 August2024.
  6. ^Avasthi, Vivek (14 January 2020)."Sarees for women, dhoti for men: Officer's dress code for Kashi temple irks minister".The Federal.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2020.Retrieved3 January2021.
  7. ^Henry, Baden Powell (1872).Hand-book of the Economic Products of the Punjab (etc.): Forming... to the hand-book of the economic products of the Punjab.Engineering College Press. pp. 65, 67.
  8. ^Birdwood, George Christopher Molesworth (1884).The Industrial Arts of India.Chapman and Hall. p. 363.
  9. ^"Madisars made to fit just right".16 May 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 25 August 2024.
  10. ^"Doting Upon the Return of Dhoti Pants".12 November 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2022.
  11. ^"Latest Fashion, Trends and Style for Dhoti Kurta for Girls – FayonKids".16 May 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 6 June 2022.
  12. ^"What are dhoti pants".Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2010.
  13. ^"What is Veshti".Rhythm Dhotis.2020.
  14. ^Dasgupta, Reshmi R. (15 May 2011)."Cocktail Conversations: Veshti Vs Dhoti".The Economic Times.Archived fromthe originalon 12 November 2021.
  15. ^"Dhoti dynamics".The Hindu.25 June 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2015.
  16. ^"Why is Sabyasachi shaming women who can't drape sarees but not men who can't tie dhotis?".ThePrint.13 February 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2022.
  17. ^"I'm a 24-year-old Gandhian and I'm not ashamed to wear a dhoti everyday".4 January 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 28 August 2024.
  18. ^Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1951)Indian Costume
  19. ^Indian Costume byGovind Sadashiv Ghurye1966
  20. ^Ancient Indian Costume By Roshen Alkazi 1996
  21. ^Cort, John E (2001).Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India.Oxford University Press. p. 221.doi:10.1093/0195132343.001.0001.ISBN9780195132342.
  22. ^Koppel, Lily (6 February 2008)."Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Guide On the Beatles' Spiritual Path, Dies".New York Times.p. C.10.
  23. ^Brard, Gurnam Singh Sidhu (2007).East of Indus: My Memories of Old Punjab.Hemkunt Press.ISBN9788170103608.
  24. ^Lamba, Krishan Gopal (1999).Dynamics of Punjabi Suba Movement.Deep & Deep Publications.ISBN9788176291293.
  25. ^Silva, Severine; Fuchs, Stephen (1965)."The Marriage Customs of the Christians in South Canara, India".Asian Folklore Studies.24(2): 1–52.doi:10.2307/1177555.JSTOR1177555.
  26. ^McLain, Sean (23 July 2014)."No Dhotis Please, We're Indian".Wall Street Journal.Retrieved3 November2017.
  27. ^Sankaralingam, Sathrukkan (2 September 2020)."Gandhi - Weaving a nation together".Minister White Blog.Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2020.Retrieved2 September2020.
  28. ^"What made Gandhiji wear only Loincloth or Dhoti".pib.gov.in.Retrieved7 October2021.
  29. ^"Importance of Veshties in Tamil Culture".Ramraj Cotton.Retrieved13 July2022.
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