A Brief History of Saree

As the yearly event, the mother of all OWC parties – India Night - is coming close, its bringing excitement along with anxiety! As it is out now, according to some study somewhere, Women start preparing their Saturday night outfits at 1.35pm on a WEDNESDAY afternoon! Well, this is no ordinary Saturday night for sure. Not only do we have to dress up and look good, but we have to dress up in Indian attire! That sure needs more effort and planning than usual. One can take up a task only when one finds value in it, value worth all that effort and time it is going to take for the challenge. Looking at the “Saree-ed” up ladies in their super sexy avatars is inspiring enough, knowing the cultural depth and history of this amazingly simple yet complex attire will certainly help. So we invited the noted designer Anjali Sharma,  to tell us more about Saree, and what shall we do when we get one. Anjali has been trained at the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology and has established her own Bangalore based Fashion Studio called The French Curve.

Through a series of beautiful drawings illustrating the costume and fashion details noted in ancient sculptures, murals, paintings, from periods as early as Indus Valley Civilization, she showed us how the present day Saree has evolved. I find it amazing that it has actually changed so little over thousands of years. The word “Saree” is derived from Sanskrit word “Shati” which means “Strip of Cloth”. The length of this unstitched cloth can range from four to nine yards and is simply draped around the body. Here lies the devil. This draping creates a wrap, gathering, drape, cover - all by the same length of cloth. And there are more than a dozen prominent styles of draping, different subcultures from various states having their own different style. I personally take solace in this, I translate this fact to that there is no fixed rule, there’s a lot of flexibility and one can have one’s own style.  :)

Historical and archaeological evidence suggest that women all over the Indian subcontinent wore Saree in some form from the very early times. Saree drapes can be seen in the figurines excavated from Indus Valley Civilization, dating roughly 3000-2000 BC. There have been mentions of Saree in the ancient Sanskrit and Tamil literary writings. Sculptures from Gandhara and Mathura schools, dating 1st-4th Century AD show women draping Saree but only below the navel. During that time there is no sign of any garment on upper half of the body although there was an elaborate system of jewelry worn on the upper body, arms and hair. Observations made from the sculptures from Gupta period, around 6th Century AD, and frescos from Ajantha-Ellora, dating 5th to 7th Century AD, show amazingly detailed fashion and sartorial details. The Saree looks very similar to how to is wore even today, mainly a drape around lower body. By this time early versions of Blouse started making appearance at places. The great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa(6th Century), in his works, mentions 'Kurpasika' a form of tight fitting breast band that simply covered the breasts. This was also sometimes referred to as “Stanapatta” which can be closely translated to “Boob Tube”. The earlier forms of blouse or choli were only front covering; the back was mostly strings to tie the blouse, was always bare but covered with end of saris pallu. Bodices of this type are still common in the state of Rajasthan.

After 10th Century there wasn’t much evolution in dressing as culture in general was taking back seat due to constant attacks and invasions from west. The next big change came with Moghul influence, from around 15th Century, that chiefly brought in “Purdah” (veil) practice. A lot of couture details can be read from the very elaborate and fine works of Moghul and Rajasthan schools of paintings of this era. The garments by this time period became very heavy, elaborate and detailed in their workmanship as well as bulk. The outfits by this time, both for men and women, were covering most of the body. There was a variety of styles in fashion for women including pants, sheer skirts, chogas that had stylish details like slits, ties, heavy embroidery and brocade work, layering of fabric for varying textures and so on.

The next big influence was the British Raj that brought western aesthetics in the mix. That brought tighter sleeves, interesting new cuts for neckline, different fabrics, slimmer outfit profiles, to emphasize on waistline etc. It is interesting that for western women it was desirable to show the beauty of their décolletage but their dresses would never show the midriff, whereas Indian women would never show their décolletage but considered the midriff showing between the Saree’s drape below the waist and the Choli, to be a desirable element of feminine beauty.

Finally she showed us how the blouse cuts and Saree draping saw some more slight modifications as an influence of Hollywood fashion during the 20th century.

After this, she gave us a quick demo on how to drape a Saree in the most common current style. She used a beautiful green silk Saree she got from her studio, and draped on an enthusiastic volunteer from amongst us. It was wonderful to see a jeans clad person turn into a very feminine lady in couple of minutes. We saw another demo of slightly different style on another volunteer who was very comfortable with Saree already.

Demo followed questions we had in mind to prepare ourselves for the upcoming India Night.She suggested that we choose fabric keeping in mind how easy it will be to manage them. She thinks it may not be a good idea to choose cotton based fabrics as they tend to wrinkle and puff. Silks may be more suited for the weather, occasion and easy wearability. Lighter silks may be better than very heavy silks. Lighter fabrics with fall and drape like chiffons, georgettes will be good too. She suggests to be more experimental with color, but also getting something that you feel comfortable, eventually it should be enjoyable to wear and should suit who you are.

Its best to get the Sarees dry cleaned professionally. Look for references when trying a new dry cleaner. You should also check the cleaners or when you purchase the Saree if and how often should it be “Polished”.

And then the discussion came to the trickiest part of getting a Saree ensembled – the blouse or the Choli. It is acknowledged that getting a choli stitched and getting it stitched right is by far the most effort and time consuming part of getting a Saree ready. You again can only go by reference, whether you are going to one of the tailors at Commercial Street or to a high end designer. The issues can be similar – not getting the blouse ready on time, not getting the right size or right cut, or any unforeseen issue. The two most important things you can do to have a better chance at success are, one, start finding the tailor, and drop the cloth to be stitched well in advance, Anjali suggests we should keep at least couple of months if possible, especially if you do not have a trustable established tailor or boutique. Second, its always better, for a tailor you haven’t tried before, to give a cheap cotton or muslin cloth for a sample stitch first before giving the actual blouse piece that comes with the Saree or that you especially purchased otherwise.

With this and a little more chit chat our session with Anjali ended leaving all of us looking forward to the next trip - for actual Saree shopping and some more helpful tips on this beautiful classic outfit.

Heritage Gwalior - 16th Century - Tansen - The King of Indian Classical Music

Raja Man Singh was a great lover of music and had instituted multiple learning centers for Indian classical music. He patronized various masters of classical music and “Gwalior Gharana” flourished during this period. It is believed that 16 of the 36 singers of Emperor Akbar’s court, as named in Aine-Akbari, came from Gwalior, including the legendary musician Mian Tansen – the most famous musician at the court of Akbar. Regarded as one of the treasured “nine jewels” of the court, Tansen was an exponent of the Dhrupad.  Legend has it that by the intense allure of his mellifluous voice - Tansen could make thunderclouds appear, followed by rain. His ragas (melodies) caused lamps to light up and held animals and birds spellbound.

Tansen, was born a Hindu, named Ramtanu Pandey, but later converted to Islam under the influence of his music guru, Mohammed Ghaus. The name Tansen was given to him by Man Singh, and much later Akbar conferred the honorific title of “Mian” on him. Tansen, is considered the greatest singer-musician ever born in India. Young Tansen was one of Man Singh’s  court musicians and learnt and practiced music with Man Singh’s gujri wife Mrignayani who herself was a music lover. He became part of Akbar’s court when he was around 60 years of age and for rest of his life enriched Indian classical music with his prolific work, creating music that is regarded in highest esteem even today. Several of his raga compositions have become mainstays of the Hindustani tradition, and these are often prefaced with Mian ki ("of the Mian"), e.g. Mian ki Todi, Mian ki Malhar, Mian ki Mand, Mian ka Sarang; in addition he is the creator of major ragas like Darbari Kanada, Darbari Todi, and Rageshwari.

The sufi saint Mohammed Ghaus, was not only Tansen’s music guru but also his parent’s spiritual master.  It is believed that Mohammed Ghaus helped Babur annex the Gwalior Fort. According to local folk lore, he also granted the boon of a son to Tansen’s  parents, and is therefore venerated as Tansen’s janma daata (the giver of life). According to another version, Mohammad Ghaus was an Afghan prince.  Whatever be the truth, his mazaar (tomb) suggests that he was a man held in great esteem. The tomb is made very close to the eastern gate to the Fort, designed in the typical Mughal style, and is a grand structure that arrests one’s attention. The path leading to it is flanked by a garden decorated with roses and other flowers.

Built in the late 16th century, the tomb is square-shaped built with stone, with huge towers which are crowned by small domes. The building is enclosed on all sides by delicately carved filigree in stone, over which rises a large dome – once inlaid with blue tiles. The tomb is a pilgrimage centre for both the Hindus and the Muslims. The structure is an amazing architectural masterpiece and is made of huge walls with “jali”, or the filigree, work in all its intricacies and glory.

Its amazing to see filigree as intricate and delicate as a lace, but actually carved in stone. The “jali” work on stone walls is a contribution of Gwalior to other parts in north India.

Right next to the tomb of Mohammad Ghaus is the mazaar (tomb) of the simple and humble mazaar of Tansen, lying in piece next to his Master.

Heritage Gwalior - 16th Century - End of Romance, Begining of a Long Doom

Few years after Man Singh’s death the Fort eventually fell to Ibrahim Lodhi and soon went to Babur, the first emperor of the Mughal Dynasty. The buildings and palaces made my Man Singh where music, beauty and love once thrived were converted into prisons and torture houses. A beautiful rounded “Bawri”, a stepped well, made by Man Singh to collect water for the population living on the Fort, was converted into state prison. This stepped well is accompanied by a large open hall with 84 pillars. The hall  was later used as a prison by Aurangzeb and pillars were  used to keep the 52 kings who  were later freed with Sikh Guru Hargobind Singh Sahib.

The indoor bath for queens at one of the underground floors which used to be filled with fragrance and flower petals at one time, was used as torture dungeon for royal prisoners, mainly Murad by his brother Aurangzeb, who later killed him on the reasons of treason. 

Heritage Gwalior - 15th Century - Mriganayani

While Raja Man Singh is remembered very highly for the peace and glory he brought to Gwalior region, he is also very fondly remembered for his love to his eighth wife, a love affair that has now become a lore.

Once when Man Singh was hunting in jungles surrounding Gwalior, he came to a gurjar village next to river Sank. On his way he encountered two wild buffaloes fighting with each other. While fighting, the buffaloes ended up entwining their horns, such that they both got stuck and were not able to untangle. No one in Raja’s hunting group nor in the villagers gathered to see Raja, had courage to help the buffaloes. Suddenly a young girl from the village came out and without any fear went ahead and helped the buffaloes untangle themselves. This act impressed Man Singh to no end. That the girl was extremely beautiful added to the enigma. Her name was Ninni. Man Singh put a flower garland around Ninni to express the mark she had made on him and left the village. Some days later Man Singh arranged another hunting trip in the same area. This time, Ninni was asked to be a part of the hunting group. During the hunt, Ninni killed a tiger with her fierce arrows. Man Singh was floored again to see such a mix of beauty and strength. Man Singh proposed Ninni, to marry him and be his eighth wife. Ninni responded saying that she can go with him only if he gets water from her village river Sank, to Gwalior. After all, it was water from Sank that had made her as strong and beautiful as she was. Man Singh agreed to build a canal from Sank to Gwalior. She also put a condition that she will not stay with the first seven wives Man Singh had, as they may not respect her for lack of class and caste. Man Singh promised to make a new palace for her and keep her pride.

Thus Man Singh married Ninni and named her Mriganayani, the doe-eyed one, and made her his eighth wife. A new palace was made at the foot of Fort hillock, on the way to Man Mandir’s entrance, Hathi Pol. This palace is called Gujari Mahal. Fresh water from river Saank was brought to Gujari Mahal through a canal and one can see beautiful aqueducts running in the palace, which must have been flowing Saank water at that time.

Mriganayani was a true match for Man Singh as she too was a great lover of music. She learnt music from the greatly respected musician in Man Singh’s court, Haridas who had also been the early teacher of the greatest in Indian Classical Music, Mian Tansen. In fact Mriganayani shared a very friendly relationship with Tansen, and they remained in touch long after Tansen moved to Delhi. Another great musician, Baiju, who is mostly known through the lore surrounding him, was a fellow student of Haridas at the time of Tansen and Mriganayani.

The palace currently houses Gwalior’s  Archaeological Museum. The museum hosts an impressive collection of Hindu and Jain sculptures and artifacts found in and around Gwalior, dating from 400BC.  It also is the proud home of an exquisitely carved Salabhanjika sculpture that is considered as one of the most beautiful and valuable in its kind.

Heritage Gwalior - 15th Century - Man Mandir

Raja Man Singh built 3 beautiful monuments on Fort that are testimonies to his love for architecture. One of these is a remarkable palace called “Man Mandir”, which can be considered the crown jewel of Gwalior’s architectural wealth. The palace sits at the eastern wall of the fort and is the main building next to the northern Gate called Hathi Pol, as it was the way for elephants. The Palace is built in Rajasthani or Rajput architecture but with some very surprising elements like frescos in unusual colors like turquoise, green and yellow, of geese and crocodiles with entwined tails. The parapet wall of the palace depicts elephants, peacocks and trees. This large palace was primarily used as Man Singh’s residence and has multiple courts, rooms, auditoriums etc. The elaborate description of the palace in Babur’s autobiography Baburnama describes it to have six large main domes on the north wall that were gold plated and interior walls of rooms and salons to be studded with precious and semi-precious stones. These were later looted by the Lodis who captured the Fort after Man Singh. One can still see the hollow depressions where the stones might have been studded.

Two inner courts inside the palace are enclosed by a series of apartments all around, which have perforated screens or “jalis”. The “Jali” or “Jhilmili” as they are fondly called are astonishing example of craftsmanship on stone and get even more refined and complex in design in later decades as seen on the tomb of Mohammad Ghaus. Jalis became integral part of moghul architecture of later years and can be seen in monuments in Agra and Delhi. The inner courts of Man Mandir have an ornately carved facade. They are decorated with carved brackets in the form of lotus petals, friezes on the walls of colourful tiles and with projecting upper balconies. The southern façade, however, depicts figures of elephants, tigers and ducks. The feature which makes it truly unique is that it has 6 floors out of which three are above the ground and 3 below, out of which the lowest one is now closed. There is not much natural light in the underground floors but one can feel the circulation of air as the north wall of even the underground floors has windows opening to fresh air, as the palace sits on the edge of hill top.

One can only imagine how the Man Mandir would have looked in past when its 6 golden domes atop the hillock would have caught morning rays. No wonder there are beautiful accounts of the palace and Fort in various documentation of Moghul court.

Heritage Gwalior - 15th Century. Man Singh Tomar and the Golden Period

After the Tomar dynasty was started by Veer Singh in Gwalior in the late 14th Century, the area saw a mostly peaceful period of around 100 years during which a series of Tomar kings ruled Gwalior and brought peace, prosperity, cultural and political eminence to the region. Veer Singh was succeeded by his son Uddharan but he could remain a king only for two years as he lost his life. Uddharan was succeeded by Veeramdev Singh who ruled for the next 20 years. Veeramdev Singh was succeeded by Ganapati Dev who was succeeded by Dongarendra Singh. Dongarendra Singh made strong relationships with neighboring kings and ensured peace and prosperity for Gwalior. His rule lasted till 1450 and this was a period that saw much cultural patronization, in music, literature, architecture, sculpture styles et al. He was succeeded by his son Keerti Singh who followed his father’s footsteps and Gwalior continued to flourish. Keerti Singh ruled till 1480 and was succeeded by Kalyanmal who ruled only for five years.  Kalyanmal was a learned man and had translated the biography of sufi paigambar Suleiman into Sanskrit. Kalyanmal was succeeded by his son Man Singh who ruled till 1518. Man Singh Tomar brought the most prosperous time to Gwalior and has left the most remarkable contribution to Gwalior’s heritage.

Man Singh ascended the Gwalior throne in 1486, inheriting a peaceful kingdom made prosperous by his ancestor kings. The thirty years for which he ruled were a mix of peace and war time. Gwalior was surrounded by multiple Muslim Sultanates when Man Singh came to power. In north, Punjab and Delhi region were ruled by Lodis. Malwa was ruled by Sultan Gayasuddin who was later succeeded by his son Mahmud II. Gujrat in west was ruled by Mahmud Bardhara. All of them were fiercely hostile to Indian/Hindu religion and culture and brought destruction to temples, buildings, statues and other cultural artifacts. In this difficult situation Man Singh formed friendly alliances with neighboring smaller provinces to safeguard the Gwalior region and its population. He was a friend of Maharaja Sangram Singh of Mewar. He also had relationships with neighboring small provinces of Etawah and Dhaulpur, which at multiple times became the frontier for battles when Gwalior was attacked by the Sultans of Delhi.

Delhi Sultan Behlal Lodi wanted to attack Gwalior, so he attacked Dhaulpur which is a little beyond Agra. The king of Dhaulpur gave him 60kg of gold and stopped him. He planned to attack Gwalior again next year, but this time he first went after Etawah and defeated the Chauhan king Shakti Singh. He moved towards Gwalior after that but died on his way. Behlol was descended by his son Sikandar Shah Lodi who extended friendship towards Man Singh and thus Gwalior's peaceful years continued. But Sikandar Lodi had too many enemies and after few years due to some political situation, Man Singh had to give shelter to some of Lodi’s enemies. This breached the friendship between Man Singh and Lodi, and Man Singh failed to placate Lodi through diplomacy. Lodi decided to attack Gwalior. For that he first attacked Dhaulpur and perpetrated fierce loot and destruction on Dhaulpur. After this he moved his army towards Gwalior. Man Singh’s son Vikramaditya and Dhaulpur's king Vinayak Pal Dev led Gwalior’s army and surrounded Lodi’s army near Morena. Out of sheer good fate, Sikandar’s army caught some infectious disease and Sikander had to retreat his army and enter a treaty under which Dhaulpur was given back to its ruler Vinayak Pal Dev.
But Sikander Lodi was a war monger. After a few years he again decided to attack Gwalior. This time he moved a very large army, and wrecked havoc in Dhaulpur one more time. After defeating Dhaulpur he moved towards Gwalior and Man Singh and his men fought with them in the jungles of Jaura and defeated them. This time Sikandar did not retreat from Dhaulpur and started getting ready for yet another attack on Gwalior. But this time as the war preparations were on, Sikander got very sick, and eventually could not attack Gwalior during the lifetime of Man Singh. In 1516AD, Maharaja Man Singh passed away and after some time Sikander died too.

Interestingly, even though Raja Man Singh had to constantly be warring to safeguard Gwalior’s sovereignty, he was also a man who had great love for music, literature, architecture and other arts. Arts and culture flourished like never before under his patronage. The Gwalior Gharana is a name to reckon with in Hindustani Classical Music although it is not so popular what with changing times. The most important contribution to Indian classical music from Gwalior is Raga Dhrupad, which originated from the court of Raja Man Singh, as is documented in Akbar’s biography Ain-e-Akbari. Even though Raga Dhrupad can be traced back to 1st Century AD, as its mention is found in Bharat’s Natya Shastra, Man Singh is credited for reviving it and making it popular in times to come. He also wrote a book on music and dance, called “Mankutuhal” which got translated to Farsi by the Subedar of Kashmir at the time of Aurangzeb, and thus reached faraway lands.

welcome 2013, bye bye 2012

dear friend,

wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful new year 2013.

last year was a seemingly quite year for me but with steady progress. earlier in the year i showcased my work at chitrakala parishath, in my first exhibition, "reminiscing from the folds of memory". this was an amazing experience as my work was appreciated by people from such varied walks of life, and more surprisingly people from so many different countries! it was truly wonderful to showcase this work, that i feel so personally related to, and have made over multiple years, trips and geographical locations. all the lovely notes of appreciation and encouragement i collected during this exhibition will be treasured for ever.

the portrait studio that i setup in 2011, brought very interesting work in 2012, ranging from professionals, individuals and even some very cool products! work this year also included some challenging architectural shoot, other than usual family portrait sessions.

visited the beautiful land of kashmir one more time and ladakh for the first time. amazing amazing place. lucky to be able to capture the wilderness of land and the beauty and austerity of monasteries. images made in ladakh are available for sale, in india and in u.s., along with other images made over time.

end of the year brought a lucky opportunity to cover wedding of a beautiful couple, will share the photographs in coming weeks. i am now open to wedding photography as well.

new year has brought new excitement and new momentum. some time this year, i will be bringing my next exhibition - on my home town gwalior, to showcase its vast heritage wealth from 4th century to present times. i have set up a fb page to encapsulate the saga of gwalior, and have been updating it chapter by chapter as i work on the images and accompanying stories coming from history, archaeology and lore. so stay tuned as it unfolds. :)

and thank you for the continued interest, encouragement and support. this can not be a solitary journey.

cheers!

rachna