Pheichom is a traditional Meitei loincloth worn by men. It is mainly made of cotton or silk in gold, saffron or white. The khamen chatpa is the most popular style of ''pheijom''. The ''pheijom'' is similar to the

dhoti The dhoti is an ankle-length breechcloth, wrapped around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape of trousers. The dhoti is a garment of ethnic wear for men in the Indian subcontinent. The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular p ...

, worn by men elsewhere in

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 ...

. A ''khamen chatpa'' is a white silk pheijom, block printed in black, brown, or purple. It is worn especially during the festival of

Lai Haraoba Lai Haraoba (, ), also known as Umang Lai Haraoba, is a classical,———— ritualistic, theatrical dance and music festival, annually celebrated by the Meitei people, to please the Umang Lai deities of the traditional Meitei religion (San ...

. During the days of monarchy, the ''khamen chatpa'' was worn by royalty but not by people of lower rank. On auspicious occasions, Kings would honour favoured subjects by awarding a ''khamen chatpa''. Although a ''pheijom'' is normally an item of male attire, the ''khamen chatpa'' is also worn by priestessess and Pena musicians.

References

{{clothing-stub Meitei culture Indian clothing