Sarees

The sari is known not only by different names in various parts of the country, but it is also conceived differently in form and structure, in usage and custom. It is a stretch of fabric that becomes long or short, wide or narrow according to who wears it and the way in which it is worn. There is infact no one type of sari.

The pleasure of wearing a sari...

The personal pleasure of draping this unstitched fluid garment over and around the body, adjusting it with little tucks and pulls to suit one's own particular form, is sensuous. It creates a picture of flowing grace that conceals as much as it reveals. Though the sari is simply a rectangular piece of fabric, it nevertheless divided into parts conceived as a form when it is finally shaped around the body. Each of the divisions has a defined purpose, distinct but completely integral to the whole.

Some facts about what the sari is...

The sari is a length of cloth measuring from about 4 to 8 meters by about 120 centimeters (13 to 26 feet by about 4 feet), which is draped around the entire body. Most of this fabric is pleated at the waist and then wound round to make a skirt or pair of trousers, with the remaining few yards swept across the upper half of the body, covering at least one shoulder and sometimes veiling the head.

An open Sari...PUNCHRA (TAIL):

The fringe edges referred to as PUNCHRA are never stitched down, They remain either free, as thread ends or they are knotted in bunches though sometimes they are braided, knotted or beaded which are called GUNTHA PUNCHRA then.

CHIR (Parting)

The chir is the inch or so which is left without any weft threads, for it is part of the finish given to the two ends of the sari. It is a technical device for stretching and adjusting, the warp and acts as a measure of the 'complete' sari.

KANIHAI PATTI (Waist-band)

The inner end-piece or kanihai patti is the most essential part of the sari with which the winding starts. It is the first anchor on the body, tild either with a knot around the waist as was the original manner or tucked into the underskirt as is common now.

AANCHRA / ANCHAR / JHELA / AANCHI / PALLO / PALLAV / PATTA / MUNH:

There is the outer end-piece known as the Pallav or Aanchra on which the drape ends in sequential winding, which is used to great advantage by the lengthening or shortening of it. The Pallav is a woman's veil of modesty or flirtation as need be.

KINAR:

The kinar or borders delineate the outer edges and are thereby crucial to the design, drape and function of the Sari. The borders mark the contours a Sari's river-like flow, over and around the body, through the pleats and along the curves, till it climbs the shoulder and falls beyond.

PETA / DEH / ZAMIN: (Midriff / Body / Ground)

The Deh or body of the sari is the mass that sculpts itself into a definite form without breaking the link between one voluminous space and the next, according to the local wearing style.

DHADI (Fold):

The Dhadi is the measure of the fold by which the sari is most efficiently packed and stored. As the first fold comes most, often at the end of the outer end-piece, the sari's length can easily be measured by the counting of the folds without unfolding it.

A Sari's Dimensions...

The actual length and width of the sari varies by region and by quality. Traditional sari dimensions are also influenced by regional and community draping styles.