Chola Era Clothing

Basic Overview

Chola empire ran from CE 848 to CE 1279 in south east India.
Jewellery was the only required item of clothing.
- It was used to indicate wealth.
Little to no non-jewellery clothing was worn.
- The most common item of non-jewellery clothing was a loincloth.
  - Veshtis are long rectangles of fabric that are wrapped to create shorts or pants.
  - Kaupinam are shorter rectangles of fabric that are wrapped like a traditional loincloth.
- Most went topless and barefoot.
  - Some women wore breast bands called stanapattas.
  - Some artwork depict rudimentary sandals.
- Some religious figures are depicted in the nude with jewellery.
The main difference between the genders was the length of the veshti.
- Men wore shorter veshtis (quarter length) to the mid-thigh.
- Women wore longer veshti (full length) to the ankle.

Paravati circa CE 1100

Shiva circa CE 1000

Shiva (front) circa CE 950

Shiva (back) circa CE 950

Saint circa CE 1100

Vishnu circa CE 990

Brahma circa CE 1000

Veshti (Dhoti) - 45" X 4-6 yards rectangle of fabric usually worn in a long (female) or short (male) fishtail style.
- Mundi - Undecorated left leg half
- Pallav - Decorated right leg half
- Fishtail setup:

For the shorter (male) style, fold the fabric in half along the length of the fabric. Use the fold along the waist.
Put the midpoint of the fabric located between the end of the mundi and the end of the pallav pattern on your spine.
Tie in front with mundi on the left and pallav on the right.
Wrap mundi around left leg and secure in waist.
Wrap pallav around right leg and secure in waist.
Pleat remaining pallav and create a fishtail that drapes in the front.

Dupatta - 45" X 80" rectangle of fabric that can be used as a shawl or belt. Can be used for item storage.
Lungi - Dupatta (45" X 80" rectangle of fabric) that is wrapped to make a sarong style skirt.
Sandals - "Flip-flop" style sandals.

Chest coverings (cholis and stanapattas) can be found in the Ajanta Caves section.
Avoid sunburn: Cover all exposed skin with Zinc Oxide sunblock. Cover up with dupattas when in direct sunlight.
Wear a lungi for bathroom or shower runs. It is easier to tie and remove.

The British invasion suppressed much of the ancient history of India. As a result, many historical records were "sanitized" for Victorian era English consumption.
- Much of the painted art available today was censored to fit the Victorian view of morality.
The recorded history of India is a fragmented mess due to changing factions and loss of primary sources.
Research is complicated because there are dozens of words that describe the same or nearly the same item.
- Indian writing systems also differ in character set from English.
Most of the art consists of idealized religious figures.

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