Dress Code of Ancient Tamils
WHat were Tamils wearing in sangam period times?
What were the kind of cloth? Is it similar to what is shown in TV serials/movies of kings and queens?
Is there any description of clothes in Sangam literature. I have heard that Andal describes her dress for marriage. Is this true?If so,can some one post the relevant things here and give english translations too.Thanks
Re: Dress Code of Ancient Tamils
Quote:
Originally Posted by viggop
WHat were Tamils wearing in sangam period times? What were the kind of cloth? Is it similar to what is shown in TV serials/movies of kings and queens?
If I remember correctly, the purananuru speaks of men wearing a cotton cloth around the loins and another around their head, but I am not sure if this was just at wartime or at all times. Similarly, women are described as wearing a cotton cloth that flows from their waist to their loins. The Patthupattu suggest that the women of the mountains wore strings of leaves around their waist and nothing more, and that the paanars and their spouses often went naked.
The Cilappadikaram describes some festivals as "vellani vizha", which seems to indicate that on formal occasions, the clothes used were white. This may have something to do with our fondness for a white vetti even today.
It'll take me a lot of time to look for the relevent verses - can someone here find them more easily?
Quote:
Originally Posted by viggop
Is there any description of clothes in Sangam literature. I have heard that Andal describes her dress for marriage. Is this true?If so,can some one post the relevant things here and give english translations too.Thanks
I can only think of this verse from nacciyAr tirumozhi:
þó¾¢Ãý ¯ûǢ𼠧¾Å÷ ÌÆ¡õ ±øÄ¡õ
ÅóÐ þÕóÐ ±ý¨É Á¸û §Àº¢ Áó¾¢Ã¢òÐ
Áó¾¢Ãì §¸¡Ê ¯Îò¾¢ Á½ Á¡¨Ä
«ó¾Ã¢ Ýð¼ì ¸É¡ì ¸ñ§¼ý §¾¡Æ¢ ¿¡ý
But she doesn't really describe her dress here, apart from mentioning the wedding sari (Áó¾¢Ãì §¸¡Ê) and the wedding necklace (Á½ Á¡¨Ä).
Re: Dress Code of Ancient Tamils
Quote:
Originally Posted by viggop
WHat were Tamils wearing in sangam period times?
What were the kind of cloth? Is it similar to what is shown in TV serials/movies of kings and queens?
During Rajaraja's time, officers in the army were wearing a waist coat. This is evident from the Chola paintings in the Kala mandapam above the Periyakovil Lingam. They also had different kinds of headgear.
In the scene that depicted Rajaraja during the Kumbhabishekam, his wives looked naked. But one closer examination, one would see small while flowers on a pinkish skin in sequences. Therefore, they must have worn muslin cloth that is so fine and see through. No upper body garments though. However, from Vijayanagara inscriptions, we see that women used to wear a sort of bodice during winter months when it can get cold in Northern Karnataka.
Men usually wore Panchakachams. However during times of war, they wore like shorts-- dont know if this the kaccha kattu but looks tailored to me. Rajaraja himself was wearing that during the Kumbhabhishekam of Rajarajeshwaram (Periya Kovil). They also wore a thin upper body garment like an anga vastaram.
Silk was big deal then and expensive. Muslin and silk was exported from India to China, Sri Vijaya to the East and Rome, Somalia, Eygpt, Persia, and Bryzentaine to the West and later to the Arabs.
Rgds, Aravind Sitaraman