Backless cholis bared even 500 yrs ago

Good Morning friends, today is September 19, 2008. Start my day with morning walk, as it’s raining here form last two days, my garden walking track spoiled. It’s all wet send there. I manage to walk. When I reach office and finish my routine prayer, I face power failure. Power restore in 50 minutes. Day started with routine work. I was reading timesofindia’s website and I read following article.

I like to let you all know that Gujarat is having 9 days Flok dance festival called Navaratri ( that’s nine nights ). I talk more on that in other post. In navratri, girls were suppose to wear traditional cholis and many girls love to wear backless cholis. Following article is with that backless cholis. Read it first.

During Navratri, when dancers are in a frenzy of garba or raas to pulsating music, backless cholis send the pulses of young men racing. Amdavadi girls wear them as a style statement — the more elaborately embroidered the better.

In fact, intricate jewellery and tattoos on the back accessorise these cholis and up the glamour quotient. Those who may disapprove of this garment thinking it’s provocative, will be surprised to know that women in Gujarat, particularly Ahmedabad, used to wear it 500 years ago!

Durate Barbosa, a Portuguese traveller wrote about the way Gujarati men and women dressed at that time. Describing the chaniya choli, he wrote, “This dress is silky and goes down to the feet. The jackets have narrow sleeves, open at shoulders.”

He goes on to describe the women, “They have large holes pierced in their ears and in them wear rings of gold or silver large enough for an egg to pass through.”
Other sources say cholis evolved as a form of clothing in the 10th century and then cholis covered only the front, leaving the back bare. Blouses of this type are still common in Rajasthan and some parts of Gujarat. But today, traditional cholis have become
highly stylised.

City-based designer Bhumika says, “Backless cholis were a traditional piece of fashion and we can find people wearing them in some pockets of Gujarat even today. Largely, the backless choli remains unchanged.”

A book on ‘Costumes and Ornaments of Chamba’ by Kamal Prasad Sharma and Surinder Mohan Sethi says, “Recorded example of the choli or blouse is found in pre-Mughal miniature paintings of Gujarat, but there was gradual adoption of choli in northern India. It is the first example of an upper garment for women. it covered only the front, the back being bare.’

ref: timesofindia. agents website design, woodblinds