Mekhela Sador

Last updated

A girl wearing mekhela sador dress DWIJEN (43).jpg
A girl wearing mekhela sador dress
On display, a hand-woven mekhela chador in pat silk depicting an exquisite pattern of wildlife in Kaziranga Mekhela Chador with Kaziranga Paari.jpg
On display, a hand-woven mekhela chador in pat silk depicting an exquisite pattern of wildlife in Kaziranga

Mekhela Sador is a traditional attire worn by women from Assam. [1] [2] Mekhela Sador is two-piece attire, the Mekhela (a cylindrical skirt) and the Sador (a drape), and is often made from silk (Assam silk) such as Muga silk, Eri or Pat silk. [3] It is adorned with intricate designs, patterns, and motifs, often inspired by nature, Assamese culture, or mythological themes, the designs are predominantly handwoven by women. Common motifs include floral patterns, geometric shapes, and representations of local wildlife, which celebrate the region's natural beauty. [4]

Contents

Draping

The bottom portion, draped from the waist downwards, is called the mekhela. It is a wide cylindrical piece cloth that is folded into one or two pleats to fit around the waist and tucked in. The pleats are folded to the right and are typically fewer in number as opposed to the pleats of Saree, which are generally folded to the left and have multiple pleats. Strings are never used to tie the mekhela around the waist, though an underskirt with a string is often used.

The top portion of the two-piece dress, called the chador (pronounced: Sador), is a long piece of cloth that has one end tucked into the upper portion of the mekhela above the belly button and the rest is draped around the chest and back. The other end of the chador is tucked in the belly after making a few pleats. A fitted blouse is often worn with Mekhela chador. Traditionally, in the past, another garment called riha was worn as a chador or as an inner piece below the chador. A riha is still worn as part of the Assamese bridal trousseau and sometimes seen people wearing in indigenous traditional events like Bihu and other Assamese festivals. Ornamental designs on the mekhela-chadors are traditionally woven, never printed. Sometimes a woven pattern called the paari, is stitched along the sides of a chador, or along the bottom of a mekhela. The patterns include motifs of animals, birds, human forms, flowers, diamond, and celestial phenomenon. These indigenous patterns are woven by tribal and nontribal Weavers. The motifs are known as phul. The bright-hued diamond motifs representing fine workmanship is a typical and traditional feature of the textiles of Assam. In Pat and Muga silk, delicate designs of flowers and creepers while bold motifs of geometric shapes are typically found in Eri and Cotton. [5]

Material

Traditional mekhela chadors are made from the following materials:

Some modern low-budget sets are also made with varying blends of cotton and muga or pat silk with synthetic materials.

Availability

The mekhela chador is available in many stores across Guwahati and other cities of Assam. They are also available through various websites. [6] [7] [8] [9] The demand for pure pat is very high among customers. Mekhela Chador of Pat and polyester are dominating the market. But the demand of Muga, ‘golden silk of Assam' is low due to its high price and availability of substitutes like tassar which look very similar to the original Muga silk. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimono</span> Traditional Japanese clothing

The kimono is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono is traditionally worn with a broad sash, called an obi, and is commonly worn with accessories such as zōri sandals and tabi socks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sari</span> Womans draped garment of the Indian subcontinent

A sari is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-stitched stretch of woven fabric arranged over the body as a robe, with one end attached to the waist, while the other end rests over one shoulder as a stole, sometimes baring a part of the midriff. It may vary from 4.1 to 8.2 metres in length, and 60 to 120 centimetres in breadth, and is a form of ethnic wear in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. There are various names and styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style. The sari is worn with a fitted bodice also called a choli and a petticoat called ghagra, parkar, or ul-pavadai. It remains fashionable in the Indian subcontinent today.

Clothing in India varies with the different ethnicities, geography, climate, and cultural traditions of the people of each region of India. Historically, clothing has evolved from simple garments like kaupina, langota, achkan, lungi, sari, to rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all social levels. India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colors, and the material of clothing. Sometimes, color codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. The clothing in India also encompasses a wide variety of Indian embroidery, prints, handwork, embellishments, and styles of wearing clothes. A wide mix of Indian traditional clothing and western styles can be seen in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sualkuchi</span> Town in Assam, India

Sualkuchi is a census town in Kamrup district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra, about 35 km from Guwahati, Sualkuchi is a block of Kamrup District. It has large number of cottage industry engaged in handloom, for which it is also known as the "Manchester of Assam".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silk in the Indian subcontinent</span>

Silk In India, about 97% of the raw mulberry silk is produced in the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Mysore and North Bangalore, the upcoming site of a US$20 million "Silk City", contribute to a majority of silk production. Another emerging silk producer is Tamil Nadu in the place in where mulberry cultivation is concentrated in Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri districts. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu were the first locations to have automated silk reeling units.

<i>Sampot</i> Cambodian traditional dress

A sampot, a long, rectangular cloth worn around the lower body, is a traditional dress in Cambodia. It can be draped and folded in several different ways. The traditional dress is similar to the dhoti of Southern Asia. It is also worn in the neighboring countries of Laos and Thailand where it is known as pha nung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Assam</span> Overview of the culture of Assam, India

The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history.

Assam silk denotes the three major types of indigenous wild silks produced in Assam—golden muga, white pat and warm eri silk. The Assam silk industry, now centered in Sualkuchi, is a labor-intensive industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamosa of Assam</span> Woven rectangular textile of Assam, India

The Gamosa of Assam is an article of significance for the indigenous people of Assam, India. It is generally a white rectangular piece of cloth with primarily a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on the fourth. Although cotton yarn is the most common material for making/weaving gamosas, there are special occasion ones made from Pat silk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khmer traditional clothing</span> Traditional clothing of the Khmer people

Khmer traditional clothing refers to the traditional styles of dress worn by the Khmer people throughout history. Tracing their origins back to the early Common Era, the customary styles of dress worn by Khmer people predate the indianization of Southeast Asia. The evolution of these clothing customs can be traced through archaeological artifacts from the 6th century to the post-Angkorian period, evolving from the simple pre-Angkorian Sampot to vibrant and intricately embroidered silk garments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghagra choli</span> Traditional clothing of women from Indian Subcontinent

Ghagra choli is a type of ethnic clothing for women from the Indian Subcontinent, notably in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh. In Punjab, the lehenga is traditionally worn with a kurti. It is a combination of the gagra or lehenga and the choli (blouse), however in contemporary and modern usage lehenga choli is the more popular and widely accepted term by fashion designers, trend setters, and boutiques in South Asia, since ghagra is synonymous with the half-slip (petticoat) worn as an undergarment below the sari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riha (garment)</span> Assamese garment

Riha is part of a three piece traditional garment worn with the Mekhela chador. It forms a part of the bridal trousseau for most Assamese brides these days. Riha, mekhela sador and traditional silk wearing are of Boro origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala sari</span> Sari type originating from Kerala, India

Kerala sari (Set-sari) is a clothing of women in the Indian state of Kerala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehenga-style sari</span> Combination of sari and lehenga choli

A lehenga-style sari is a modern garment introduced in India that blends elements of the traditional sari and lehenga choli. A lehenga-style sari is normally 4.5 metres to 5.5 metres long. To wear one, unlike a sari, one does not have to form pleats but may simply tuck and drape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National costume of Indonesia</span> Indonesian clothing

The national costume of Indonesia is the national attire that represents the Republic of Indonesia. It is derived from Indonesian culture and Indonesian traditional textile traditions. Today the most widely recognized Indonesian national attires include batik and kebaya, although originally those attires mainly belong within the island of Java and Bali, most prominently within Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese culture. Since Java has been the political and population center of Indonesia, folk attire from the island has become elevated into national status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baluchari sari</span> Silk sari from Bengal

Baluchari Sari is a type of sari, a garment worn by women in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam and the country of Bangladesh. This particular type of sari originated in West Bengal and is known for depictions of mythological scenes on the anchal of the sari. It used to be produced in Murshidabad but presently Bishnupur and its surrounding areas of West Bengal are the only place where authentic Baluchari saris are produced. It takes approximately one week to produce one such sari. In 2011, the Baluchari Sari was granted the status of Geographical Indication for West Bengal in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional Thai clothing</span> National clothing of Thailand

Traditional Thai clothing refers to the traditional styles of dress worn by the Thai people. It can be worn by men, women, and children. Traditional clothing for Thai women usually consists of a pha nung or a chong kraben, a blouse, and a sabai. Northern and northeastern women may wear a sin instead of a pha nung and a chong kraben with either a blouse or a suea pat. Chut thai for men includes a chong kraben or pants, a Raj pattern shirt, with optional knee-length white socks and a sabai. Chut thai for northern Thai men is composed of a sado, a white Manchu-styled jacket, and sometimes a khian hua. In formal occasions, people may choose to wear a so-called formal Thai national costume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chutia people</span> Ethnic group from Assam, northeast India

The Chutia people are an ethnic group that are native to Assam and historically associated with the Chutia kingdom. However, after the kingdom was absorbed into the Ahom kingdom in 1523–24, the Chutia population was widely displaced and dispersed in other parts of Upper Assam as well as Central Assam. They constitute one of the core groups that form the Assamese people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muga silk</span> Variety of Indian wild silk

Muga silk is a variety of wild silk geographically tagged to the state of Assam in India. The silk is known for its extreme durability and has a natural yellowish-golden tint with a shimmering, glossy texture. It was previously reserved for the use of royalty. Muga is one of the three major types of indigenous wild silks produced in Assam, and is a key variety of Assam silk renowned for its natural golden color and durability.

<i>Tanmono</i> Traditional bolt of narrow-loom Japanese cloth

A tanmono is a bolt of traditional Japanese narrow-loomed cloth. It is used to make traditional Japanese clothes, textile room dividers, sails, and other traditional cloth items.

References

  1. Sharma, M. B. (2005). Silk Mekhela Chador–A traditional dress of Assamese women. Indian Silk, 44(5), 26-29.
  2. Brahmachary, S. (2016). IMPERIALISTIC ASSAM: AN ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL IMPERIALISM IN ASSAM. Regional Cooperation Newsletter-South Asia July-September, 2016, 10.
  3. https://www.mohifashion.com/blogs/news/what-is-mekhela-chador-and-why-is-it-more-popular-in-assam
  4. https://www.ndtv.com/shopping/mekhela-chador-the-elegant-tapestry-of-assams-heritage-6070404?utm_source=perplexity
  5. Chakravorty, R., Dutta, P., & Ghose, J. (2010). Sericulture and traditional craft of silk weaving in Assam.and Traditional Craft of Silk Weaving in Assam
  6. "Mekhela Chador". Archived from the original on 26 September 2013.
  7. "Mekhela Chador". Assam Silk Shopping. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  8. "Mekhela Chador". Rajmati Sarees. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  9. "Mekhela Chador". Sri Sai Tex Art. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  10. Aggarwal, A., Sharma, A., Tripathi, A., Wadhawan, A., Chongtham, E., Gupta, H., ... & Bhardwaj, R. Static or Dynamic-The Analysis of Handloom Industry of Assam.