Uttarakhand resides in Northern India. And here you will come across some incredible collections of the cultural and traditional dress of Uttarakhand. The history and heritage of this place are vibrant, and the credit goes out to the people who did manage to preserve almost all of it pretty well.
Uttarakhand’s population is generally known as Pahari people by neighbouring state inhabitants, and they mainly comprise Garhwalis and Kumaonis. There is an enormous number of people belonging to other religions as well.
Garhwali Traditional Dress For Men and Women
Most Garhwali men here wear a lungi or dhoti, a lower garment, and the upper wear is the Kurta. The men here also love wearing headgear, which is usually a turban that holds moral value.
The younger men generally wear topis, but young adults start wearing turbans as well. During weddings, the groom wears yellow Kurta, which goes in pair with dhotis.
The fabric of the dress of Uttarakhand depends on the climate and seasons here, where cotton and wool are usually the staple fabric to use. You can still see some expensive silk work once in a while when you walk the busy markets.
You can also find numerous shops here which sell garments made from a variety of different materials.
The Garhwali women in Uttarakhand wear a saree around their homes and outdoors, known as Sarang. The women also give proper pleads at the bottom of their saree, just like everywhere else in this world.
The only alteration with a saree is that the women here tie their saree around their waist to make sure the designer part comes over to the front, which forms the traditional dress of Uttarakhand.
The saree pallu does not restrict women’s daily tasks and never ties them too hard around their waist. The women also wrap a shawl on their abdomen, which resembles a wrist band’s work.
The married women also wear silver ornaments with the name Hansuli. This ornament decorates the necks of brides. Another decoration with the name guluband is popular among married women, and it resembles a choker.
Kumaoni Traditional Dress For Men and Women
The Kumaoni men wear a significantly similar dress of Uttarakhand to Garhwali men. The Kumaoni men also wear kurta pyjamas, just like Garhwali men.
They also have to travel long distances on foot, so they need to wear clothes which are comfortable to carry. The men also wear jewellery on their neck and hand, and it is a significant trait of Kumaoni men.
The Kumaoni women of Uttarakhand wear a long skirt which is known as ghagra and choli. The bridal dresses of Kumaoni women are ghagra, choli, and lehenga.
The wedding dresses also have silver or gold tatting work to give them an exotic and premium feel. Such clothing prices are not cheap, though, as there is actual gold tatting on them at times.
The women also wear a black necklace made of gold or silver after they get married. You can sometimes see the women who live near hilly areas wear a shirt and skirt.
But they usually stick to ghagra and choli if they get married, which is the Kumaoni traditional dress of Uttarakhand.