Angia (also angi, angiya, or anggiya) is an obsolete form of

bodice A bodice () is an article of clothing traditionally for women and girls, covering the torso from the neck to the waist. The term typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the ...

or breast-cloth of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n origin dating from the 19th century, covering the entire upper body from bust to waist and tied at the back. Very short sleeves, if any, and a high waist characterized the angia, which was made of fine cotton material such as

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq. Muslin was produced in different regions o ...

Women in India The status of women in India has been subject to many changes over the time of recorded India's history. Their position in society underwent significant changes during India's ancient period, particularly in the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan ...

wore it beneath dresses such as the peshwaj.

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton Francis Buchanan (15 February 1762 – 15 June 1829), later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, was a Scottish surgeon, surveyor and botanist who made significant contributions as a geographer and zoolo ...

and

Philip Meadows Taylor Colonel Philip Meadows Taylor (25 September 1808 – 13 May 1876), an administrator in British India and a novelist, made notable contributions to public knowledge of South India. Though largely self-taught, he was a polymath, working alternat ...

assert that stitched garments of this kind did not exist prior to the

Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent The Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent mainly took place between the 13th and the 18th centuries, establishing the Muslim period in the Indian subcontinent, Indo-Muslim period. Early Muslim conquests, Earlier Muslim conquests in the ...

Style

The angia, an early version of the modern ladies' blouse, was completely enclosed in front and contoured to the bosom. Its backside was tied with strings or ribbons across the shoulder and below the bosom line; yet, unlike other tight inner garments such as corsets, it merely covered the bosom without supporting the back. Both Hindus and Muslims wore it. The

Ahir Ahir or Aheer (derived from the Sanskrit word: abhira) is a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most of whom now use the Yadav surname, as they consider the two terms synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

woman in

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

was easily identifiable by her angia, lehnga (similar to a ghagri but shorter), and orhni. In Punjab, women wore angia of colored cloth.

Artwork

In a

Johan Zoffany Johan / Johann Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German Neoclassicism, neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy, and India. His works appear in many prominent Briti ...

1785 painting that still survives in the

India Office Records The India Office Records are a very large collection of documents relating to the administration of India from 1600 to 1947, the period spanning Company and British rule in India. The archive is held in London by the British Library and is publi ...

in London, Fyze Palmer (Mughal wife Fyze Baksh) can be seen, barefoot and dressed in traditional Lucknavi court attire: "a magnificent saffron Peshwaz and

dupatta The dupattā, also called chunni, chunari, chundari, lugda, rao/rawo, gandhi, pothi, orna, and odhni is a long shawl-like scarf traditionally worn by women in the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, in India, the dupatta is part of the women's le ...

over a brief angia."

References

{{Reflist Indian clothing Women's clothing

Style

Artwork

See also

References