THE VERSATILE TRADITIONAL OUTFIT KURTA PAYJAMA

INTRODUCTION 

DO YOU KNOW THAT THE WORD KURTA IS NOT A HINDI WORD BUT ITS A PERSIAN WORD, KURTA MEANS THOSE SHIRT WHICH DON'T HAVE ANY COLLAR WHERE PYJAMA ALSO ORIGINATED FROM PERS IAN WORD PY+JAMA WHERE PY MEANS LEGS AND JAMMA MEANS COVER.

HISTORY

IN INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION, MEN AND WOMEN OF HARRAPA  CIVILIZATION USE TO WEAR CLOTH WITHOUT STITCH  WRAPPED CLOTH. THE EVIDENCE OF STITCHED  GET FROM CENTRAL ASIA FROM MIGRATED PEOPLE, PEOPLE FROM PERSIA INTRODUCED VARBANA WHICH WAS A TYPE OF TUNIC, IN WHICH SLITS ARE ON BOTH SIDE AND IT WAS AVAILABLE IN BOTH  FULL AND HALF SLEEVES,  FROM HERE IT STARTED MAKING KURTA.

THE WORD KURTA HAS ORIGINATED FROM URDU, HINDUSTANI LANGUAGE ALSO GOT NAME FROM SANSKRIT WORD KURATU OR KURTARA, IN PERSIAN IT LITERALLY MEANS AS COLLARLESS  SHIRT.

KUSHAN'S ERA 30 CE TO 375 CE 

THE TIME WHEN KUSHAN'S ESTABLISHED THEIR EMPIRE IN  NORTH WEST NEAR PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN OR NORTHERN  INDIA, THEY DEVELOPED JACKET OR COAT OVER KURTA DUE TO THAT INSIDE KURTA COAT WAS HIDDEN, KURTA'S COLLARS ONLY SEEN.

IN MUGHAL PERIOD (1556CE-1605 CE) IN PAINTINGS OF MUGHAL AT THE TIME OF BAD SHAH AKBAR WE CAN SEE THAT HOW PAYJAMA WAS FREE FROM WAIST TO KNEE BELOW THE KNEE IT BECAME TIGHT WHICH GIVES A PENCIL LOOK AND WHICH COLLECTS FOLDS NEAR LEGS, IN AKBAR ERA PAJAYMA USE TO COME IN SOLID COLOR  WAS FASHIONABLE AT THAT PERIOD AND APPRECIATED CHURIDAR SALWAR, DHILIJA, GHARARA FARSI PAYJAMA. WHERE ROYAL RAJPUT AND MUGHAL DARBARI DRESS CODE WAS SAME OR SIMILAR TO EACH OTHERS WHERE NIZAMI WOMEN'S WEAR SLEEVELESS KURTI WITH COATTY.    

THE BHOPAL KURTA FROM CAPITAL CITY OF MADHYA  PRADESH; BHOPALI KURTA WAS LOSE KURTA THAT HAD PLATES AT THE WAIST AND ITS LONG ENOUGH TO REACH BELOW THE KNEE AND END ABOVE ANKLE. IT IS BELIEVE THAT INFLUENCED BY DRESS OF TURKEY THE BEGAM OF BHOPAL SULTAN JEHAN BEGAM INTRODUCED IT.

INDIAN INDEPENDENCE 1857-1947

TO FIGHT AGAINST THESE CRUEL BRITISHERS, INDIAN ABOLISHED WESTERN CLOTH IN NON COOPERATION MOVEMENT AT THAT TIME KURTA MADE OF HANDICRAFT KHADI KURTA WAS TO POPULAR BECAUSE IT WAS SYMBOL OF NATIONALISM.

KURTA WAS FAMOUS IN NOT ONLY INDIA BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD, SPECIALLY PAYJAMA WHICH WA IN HIGHLY DEMAND OF WESTERN COUNTRIES IN VICTORIAN ERA 1837-1901 DUE TO BRITISHERS PAYJAMA GOT ITS IDENTITY IN WESTERN COUNTRIES, IN 1960 TO 2000 MEANS IN 20TH CENTURY IN UNITED KINGDOM, BRITAIN AND AUSTRALIA PAJAMA WORE FOR COMFORT AND FOR FASHION AND STYLES. KURTA MADE OF TYPICALLY IN COTTON, KHADI OR SILK BUT NOW IT AVAILABLE IN   SOME MORE FABRICS SUCH AS LINEN, RAYON MATERIALS ARE USED. BY PASSING OF TIME THE VARIATIONS CAME IN DESIGN, FABRICS, COLOR AND PROCESS OF MAKING KURTA.

  TODAY'S TREND 

SHORT KURTA,LUCKNOWI KURTA, PATHANI KURTA, MUKSARI KURTA,BENGALI KURTA,SIDE BUTTON KURTA, FRONT BUTTON KURTA,.MANDARIN COLLAR KURTA, V CUT KURTA, EMBROIDERY KURTA.

THE WAY WE CAN MEASURE THE POPULARITY OF KURTA IN ALMIRAH OF EVERY HOME OF INDIAN SUBCONTINENT WE CAN FIND KURTA EASILY, IN PRE INDEPENDENCE ERA, TILL TODAY POPULARITY OF KURTA HAS NOT DECREASED ITS VALUE, AS ALWAYS IT BEING THE FIRST CHOICE OF INDIAN POLITICIANS AND LEADERS FROM FIRST PRIME MINISTER PT. JAWAHARLAL NEHRU  OR SENCOND PRIME MINISTER SHASTRI JII TO NARENDRA MODI OR RAHUL GANDHI USE TO WEAR KURTA IN THEIR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS . EVEN KURTA WORE WITH DHOTI OR WITH TIGHT FITTING PAYJAMA. IT WORE IN VARIOUS FESTIVALS, HOLI, DIWALI AND MANY MORE FESTIVALS, AND WEDDINGS. NOT EVEN INDIANS  BUT MANY OF HOLLYWOOD ACTORS WORE KURTA IN THEIR MOVIES, THE MOVIE OF 1968 BEETLE THEIR ACTORS  WORE KURTA IN INDIA'S VISIT.AND SPIDER MAN IN COMING MOVIE ROBERT DROWNEE JUNIOR WORE. KURTA WITH BANDHANI DUPATTA.