Costumes and dresses of the people in Himachal Pradesh

Posted Date: 22-Aug-2011	Category: About Himachal Pradesh	Rating:
Author: Balraj Sharma	Member Level: Bronze	Points: 30 (Rs 15)

The article is about the dresses and attire of the people of Himachal Pradesh. The article lists the fashion among the various ethnic groups, Rajputs and the Brahmins living in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The article also mentions one of the important products of Himachal Pradesh, the Pashmina shawl which is famous worldwide.

Himachal Pradesh is a land of diversity and one of the northernmost states of India. Being in the northern part of the country, Himachal Pradesh is also one of the states which is embraced by the Himalayan Range of mountains. Due to the reason, the state of Himachal Pradesh is very cold during winters while it is very soothing during the summer. The cold winter demands the people of Himachal Pradesh to wear warm clothes and thus the costumes of the people of Himachal Pradesh show huge variety.

General Attire of the people of Himachal Pradesh

Having a rich cultural and ethnic diversity, the people of Himachal Pradesh have diversity in their costumes and dresses as well. But the general attire of the people of Himachal Pradesh is long Churidars for females and Kurta and turban for the males.

Apart from the general dressing, the two main ethnic clans of Himachal Pradesh are the Rajputs and the native Brahmins. Their attires are mentioned below.

Attire of Rajputs of Himachal Pradesh

The attire of the Rajput men of Himachal Pradesh usually include wearing tight Churidar Payjamas, a fairly long coat made of silk, a big turban which has been deeply starched and dyed with colors and traditional shows which are made of yak leather and have pointed edges and nose. The overcoats are usually designed with delicate silk and in ancient days it used to be gold threads. Even though nowadays the tradition of having a thick wide moustache is discontinued by many, but once upon a time it used to be considered as a dignity among the clan. The attire of the Rajput women of Himachal Pradesh on the other hand used to wear a gown from head to toe following the Purdah system which has been discontinued for long. They wear the salwar kameez nowadays with a lot of bangles and a lot of jewellery on forehead, ear, nose, neck and ankles. They also sometimes wear the traditional Ghaghra choli with deeply intricate embroidery.

Attire of Brahmins of Himachal Pradesh

The attire of the Brahmin men of Himachal Pradesh includes mostly a set of dhoti-kurta, a coat, a waistcoat, and a turban. They usually carry upon their shoulders a towel made up of cotton and carry a copy of Panchnag which records all the predictions of astrological events of the year, more like an almanac. The attire of the Brahmin women of HImachal Pradesh is similar to the Rajput women including salwar kameez, sometimes Ghaghra choli, variety of ornaments in various parts of the body.

Western influence on attire of people in Himachal Pradesh

The western influence in the clothes of Himachal Pradesh is clearly visible as they changed from generation to generation. Most of the traditional clothes have changed to more large-scale manufactured products and also with the coming of arts from various parts; the clothes are painted and embroidered. The headscarves and shoes made of grass have come into fashion in recent times.
One of the important cloth products is the Pashmina shawl of Himachal Pradesh which is made up from the hair of Pashmina goat and is very well known around the world. The light-weight shawl is very warm and the shawls are embroidered with silk of delicate designs and embroidery.

Image Courtesey:
4to40.com
www.tribuneindia.com

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