Kerala sari (Set-sari) () is a clothing of women in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Mundum Neriyathum

Scene from Gajendra Moksha Mural in Krishnapuram, 1730 CE

It is worn as a garment that closely resembles the '' mundum neriyathum'' though it is not considered a true mundum neriyathum by classic definition. Traditional mundum neriyathum consists of a two-piece cloth, while Kerala sari is worn in a way to resemble navi drape using two-piece mundum neiyathum. Otherwise, the Kerala sari closely resembles the mundum neriyathum and is often worn by

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomin ...

women as a

quasi Quasi (phonetics 'kwa - zee') is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by former spouses Sam Coomes ( vocals, guitar, rocksichord, various keyboards, bass) and Janet Weiss (vocals and drums). Joanna Bolme performe ...

mundum neriyathum. Surviving medieval Kerala mural paintings depict existence of three-styles of clothing worn by women, these include one-piece mundum, single-piece sari with over-lapping pleats resembling nivi-drape worn today by

Mohiniyattam Mohiniyattam, ( ml, മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian classical dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala. Kathakali is another classical dance form of Kerala. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name fr ...

dancers and two-piece mundam-neryathum attire which evolved into Kerala sari.Miller, Daniel & Banerjee, Mukulika; (2004) "The Sari", Lustre press / Roli books

Weaving centers

Balaramapuram, Chendamangalam and Kuthampully are the three major sari weaving centres in Kerala, these clusters have been given a Geographical Indication Tag by the Indian Government and all three are famous for the weaving of Kasavu saris notable for its white cotton or silk textile with golden borders. The Balaramapuram cluster weavers traditionally weave Kasavu saris and mundu. The Balaramapuram cluster is known for having a simple gold border and it is woven out of cotton and silk yarn. Chendamangal, the second cluster, is known for weaving saris with cotton and silk and striped golden borders. They are similar to Balaramapuram but with lesser emphasis on the golden border. It is widely believed that weaving in Chedamangalam was introduced by the Paliam clan. Called the Paliath Achans, these hereditary prime ministers to the Maharaja of Kochi have been associated with Chendamangalam from the 16th century onwards. The Devanga Chettiars settled in this region at their behest to serve the family's sartorial needs. The Kuthampully cluster is based in Thrissur District, their history dates back 500 years when their forefathers came to Kerala from

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. The weavers of Kuthampully came under the patronage of the Kochi royal family, and had woven fabrics for the Royal family. The saris by Kuthampully weavers are quite different from the other two clusters as they include more patterns, borders and motifs.

Cultural costume

Kerala sari is regarded as the cultural costume of women of the

community.Boulanger 1997, Ghurye 1951 The grace and appeal of the golden borders contrasting with the otherwise plain white mundum neryathum of Keralite women has come to symbolize Malayali women. The sari is a hot favorite during the time of

Onam Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana ...

, not just in

but in other parts of India as well.

In popular culture

Both the traditional and modern styles of the mundum neryathum are depicted in the paintings of the Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. The mundum neriyathum was modified in several paintings depicting shakuntala from the mahabharatha to a style of draping now popularly known as the 'nivi saree' or 'national drape'. In one of his paintings, the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

was shown as a mother wearing a flowing nivi saree.Miller & Banerjee 2004

Notes

https://www.keralasaree.com

References and bibliography

*Boulanger, C (1997) ''Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping'', Shakti Press International, New York. *Mohapatra, R. P. (1992) ''Fashion styles of ancient India'', B. R. Publishing corporation, *Alkazi, Roshan (1983) "Ancient Indian costume", Art Heritage *Mahaparinibbanasutta (ancient Buddhist text) *Miller, Daniel & Banerjee, Mukulika; (2004) ''The Sari'', Lustre press / Roli books * Bjorn Landstrom (1964) ''The Quest for India'', Doubleday English edition, Stockholm. * T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) "The Travancore State Manual"; 4 volumes; Trivandrum * Miller, J. Innes. (1969). ''The Spice Trade of The Roman Empire: 29 B.C. to A.D. 641''. Oxford University Press. Special edition for Sandpiper Books. 1998. . * K.V. Krishna Iyer (1971) "Kerala’s Relations with the Outside World," pp. 70, 71 in ''The Cochin Synagogue Quatercentenary Celebrations Commemoration Volume'', Kerala History Association, Cochin. * Periplus Maris Erythraei, ''The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'', (trans). Wilfred Schoff (1912), reprinted South Asia Books 1995 {{Clothing in South Asia Saris Kerala clothing

Mundum Neriyathum

Weaving centers

Cultural costume

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References and bibliography