Culture

Fashion Clothing

In ancient Punjab, people primarily wore cotton clothing. The tops stitched for both sexes would reach up to the knees. A scarf was mandatorily worn over the tops and would be well-draped over the left shoulder and below the right. A large piece of cloth would be additionally draped over one shoulder, which would eventually hang loose near the knees. Both sexes would wear a dhoti around the waist. Contemporary Punjabi clothing has largely retained this outfit; however, over the course of history, it has added modified forms of this dress.

Punjab had a robust cotton industry during the 19th and early-20th century, when several types of coarse cotton clothing such as lungi, datahi, khes, chadders, tehmats, susi, durris, patkas, coasting, curtains, shirting, etc. were immaculately manufactured in several regions, including Hoshiarpur, Lahore, Amritsar, Peshawar, Gurdaspur, and Ludhiana, to name a few. This cotton industry contributed to the elite nature of Punjabi clothing, which successfully exhibits the region’s rich, vibrant culture when it comes to its dresses. Numerous, varied types of dresses are worn on the basis of diverse Punjabi festivals and ceremonies.

Besides the different traditional dresses, special range of ornaments are also common.

The traditional Sikh attire dates back many centuries. The 6th Sikh Guru, Guru Har Gobind, initiated the warrior tradition in clothing where two swords are depicted, in the Sikh crest and the khanda. His grandson, Guru Har Rai, the 7th Sikh guru, wore a chola during arms training and riding horseback. The 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, established the formal dress code tradition of wearing a kakar and 5 necessary articles of faith for initiated Sikhs. The code of conduct in Sikhism specifies wearing a kachhera and turban for all male members; however, female members of the community were given the option of wearing a headscarf to cover their hair. This traditional spiritual attire is termed “bana.”