Dhoti
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The dhoti is an ankle-length breechcloth,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> wrapped around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape of trousers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The dhoti is a garment of ethnic wear for men in the Indian subcontinent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, of usually around Template:Convert in length.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The dhoti is the male counterpart of the sari, worn by females to religious and secular ceremonies (functions).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A Template:Transliteration is a yellow silk dhoti worn on auspicious occasions.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Dhotis must not be confused with "readymade panchakachams"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or "dhoti pants", which are a new ready to wear trend, popular among women and typical of children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although the terms mundu or veshti are used interchangeably with "dhoti",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> they are different from the dhoti, which is "looped" or wrapped around the legs, in the form of trousers or pants.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The dhoti is better known as panchakacham in South India, which may even be worn while doing dances such as moonwalks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Etymology
The unstitched dhoti is also referred to as "dhautra" (IPA: /dʱɑwtrɐ/) in Sanskrit, which means rope or cord. It evolved from the ancient antriya, which was passed in between 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.<ref name="Ghurye">Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1951) Indian Costume</ref>Template:Rp 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.<ref>Indian Costume by Govind Sadashiv Ghurye 1966</ref><ref>Ancient Indian Costume By Roshen Alkazi 1996</ref> Stitched garments became popular in the Indian subcontinent, with the coming of Persians, Greeks, and "barbarians"; nonetheless, the dhoti prevailed in sakaccha as well as vikaccha forms.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
History
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The dhoti evolved from the ancient antariya, which was passed in between 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.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> A l 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. According to G. S. Ghurye, this style is more commonly worn by farmers and martial artists.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The earliest epigraphical depictions of the Dhoti were during the Mauryan Empire. In the Sunga period, there were two broad modes of wearing the dhoti, the sakaccha and the vikaccha.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Stitched garments became popular in the Indian subcontinent, with the coming of Persians, Greeks, and "barbarians"; nonetheless, the dhoti prevailed in sakaccha as well as vikaccha forms.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the sakaccha way, the cloth passed between the legs and was tucked at the back; vikaccha meant wearing the dhoti similar to a lungi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During British rule in colonial India, the dhoti remained a national symbol of resistance and cultural identity when worn without a shirt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the height of the Indian Independence Movement, weaving khadi was a symbol of the swadeshi movement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1921, Gandhi championed the dhoti, often topless (without a kurta or shirt), to promote and identify with the handicrafts produced by the rural and the poor of his homeland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Names
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, Nepali and Pali |
| मर्दानी | Mardānī | Hindi |
| ಧೋತ್ರ ಕಚ್ಚೆ ಪಂಚೆ |
Dhotra Kachche Panche |
Kannada |
| धोंतर, आंगोस्तर, आड नेसचे, पुडवे |
Dhontar, Āṅgostara, Āḍa nesace Puḍave |
Konkani |
| മുണ്ട് | Muṇṭ | Malayalam |
| धोतर | Dhotar Template:Sup | Marathi |
| ଧୋତି | Dhotī | Odia |
| ਚਾਦਰਾ | Chaadar | Punjabi |
| வேட்டி | Vaetti | Tamil |
| పంచె, ధోవతి | Template:Transliteration | Telugu |
| Template:Lang | Dhoti | Urdu |
| Template:Small | ||
Custom and usage
The pancha is worn by many conservative Jain men when they visit derasars or basadis for puja, as unstitched clothing is believed by some Jains to be "less permeable to pollution" and therefore more appropriate for religious rituals than other garments.<ref name=Cort>Template:Cite book</ref> They also wear a loose and unstitched cloth, shorter than the pancha on top.
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The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known for its distinctive dress code, prompts Western adherents to wear pancha, usually of saffron or white cloth folded in ethnic Bengali style. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was known for wearing a white silk dhoti.<ref name="Koppel">Template:Cite news</ref> Traditionally, men wear the dhoti topless (without upper garments) while entering certain mandirs (Hindu temples) in South India, as stitched garments supposedly counter the energy of the idol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The dhoti is often worn with a shirt in other places.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The dhoti was also worn by Sikhs in the Punjab region, etc. Wearing Dhotis was discouraged during the Punjab Subah Movement due to the inter-communal tensions prevalent at the time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The dhothi was also worn by South Canarese Christian men to their pre-nuptial ceremonies, church weddings & receptions until the 1960s;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> after which they fell out of favour, since then, grooms have been styling the black suit and tie instead.
There is a distinction between the dhoti and the lungi, a similar garment often worn by people at their homes. The lungi is more casual and comfortable, while the dhoti is considered formal and is sometimes worn by politicians.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Decline
The use of dhoti an as article of clothing has declined in comparison to it's historical prominence in the Indian Subcontinent. However they are still used in both secular & religious practices<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While the sari is still draped by many women as daily wear, few men know how to wrap the dhoti and use it every day.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> The dhoti has been displaced by Western fashion of the British and the United States, in urban areas such as Bombay (Mumbai).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Historically, there were variations in the styles of wrapping the dhoti based on castes, as in the case of Bombay's Sonars and the Peshva Brahmins. Therefore, English attire has been described as "caste neutral".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Dhotis are more prevalent rural India, which reports having more traditional association of the garment.<ref name=":1" /> Yet, men in dhotis are commonly perceived and discriminated as rural and poor in places such as shopping malls.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, with the introduction of kurta-pyjama sets from Central Asia, during the Mughal Empire, pyjamas are often worn instead of dhotis as ethnic menswear.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Gallery
See also
- Dhaut Pariksha
- Dhoti Lota Aur Chowpatty
- Harem pants
- History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent
- Khadi
- Kaupinam
- Longyi
- Pathin
- Sarong
- Sompot Chong Kben
- Sinh (clothing)
- Wrapper (clothing)