Dupatta (Hindi: ???????, Punjabi: ??????/??????, Urdu: ???????), also Chunari, Chunri (Hindi: ?????, Urdu: ??????), Chunni (Punjabi: ?????/????), Odhni, Orni, Ch?dar-odhni, Pacheri, Orna (Bengali: ?????) or Unna (Sylheti: ?????) is a shawl-like scarf and is essential to many women's clothing (usually matched with the garment) from the Indian subcontinent. The dupatta is most commonly used as part of the women's shalwar kameez costume and worn over the kurta and the gharara, but is originally part of the gagra choli outfit. The dupatta has long been a symbol of modesty in dress from the Indian subcontinent as its main purpose is as a veil. In recent times the trend of dupattas for men, worn over the kurta or sherwani, has become commonplace.
Video Dupatta
History and origin
The word dupatta is a combination of 'du-' meaning two, and 'patta' meaning strip of cloth, originally from Sanskrit. Early evidence of the dupatta can be traced to the Indus valley civilization, where the sculpture of the Priest King whose left shoulder is covered with some kind of a chaddar, suggests that the use of the dupatta dates back to this early Indic culture. Early Sanskrit literature has a wide vocabulary of terms for the veils and scarfs used by women during ancient period, such as Avagunthana meaning cloak-veil, Uttariya meaning shoulder-veil, Mukha-pata meaning face-veil, Sirovas-tra meaning head-veil. The dupatta is believed to have evolved from the ancient Uttariya.
Maps Dupatta
Use
Dupatta is worn in many regional styles across the Indian subcontinent. Originally, it was worn as a symbol of modesty. While that symbolism still continues, many today wear it as just a decorative accessory. There is no single way of wearing the dupatta, and as time evolves and fashion modernizes, the style of the dupatta has also evolved.
A dupatta is traditionally worn across both shoulders and around the head. However, the dupatta can be worn like a cape around the entire torso. The material for the dupatta varies according to the suit. There are various modes of wearing dupatta. When not draped over the head in the traditional style, it is usually worn with the middle portion of the dupatta resting on the chest like a garland with the ends thrown over each shoulder. When the dupatta is worn with the shalwar-kameez it is casually allowed to flow down the front and back. In current fashions, the dupatta is frequently draped over one shoulder and even over just the arms. Another recent trend is the short dupatta, which is more a scarf or a stole, often worn with a kurti and Indo-Western clothing. Essentially, the dupatta is often treated as an accessory in current urban fashion.
When entering a mosque, dargah, church, gurdwara or mandir, women cover their head with a dupatta.
Style
References
External links
- "Indian Dupatta From Behind the Veil," an article about the dupatta
Source of article : Wikipedia
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