Topic started by Mani (@ spider-wo013.proxy.aol.com) on Fri Dec 14 15:12:52 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

What is the history of clothing in TN?
How did the mundu/veshti/ and neriyathu get its style of wearing it long?
How did Thamizh pennangal start wearing their distintively different than other Indians? Is it a more ancient way? What is the origin on the kasavu itself in TN?

Responses:

• From: sk (@ 202.142.70.111) on: Sat Dec 15 01:18:39
  
  Hi,
  Clothing depends more on the climatic conditions they live in.
  
  How when Kaili becomes a common man dress in TN.
  We call that "saaram".Is it a malyaali or srilankan word?
  
  
• From: Mani (@ spider-wc044.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Dec 15 08:26:18
  
  We call it kaili, and "lungi", by the origin of that came from Indonesia.
  
  
• From: raj (@ cache211.156ce.singa.pore.net) on: Sat Jan 5 22:35:20
  
  ladies wore the 'kachai' as a form of bra.
  only in the late 17th century the blouse( rawikai) was fashined by the nayakar queem mangamma.
  So is the mookuthi..its something wecopied from the arabs.
  
  
• From: Nagarajan (@ dkf-gw.dkf.de) on: Sun Jan 6 07:34:25
  
  I read somewhere that in ancient India people never used to wear stiched clothes. They used to wear single piece clothes like sarees etc.
  
  
• From: Kingsley Jegan (@ 203.199.202.67) on: Wed Jan 23 01:38:05
  
  I studied fashion and the history of garments. Stitched clothing never caught on in TN/Kerala till the 18th centuries.
  
  Most of the time the garments of the average villager consisted of a draped garment around the waist. This was true of both women and men. Above the waist, women sometimes wore a "kachai", but mostly, not.
  
  The blouse, was first introduced by Sadir dancers, and was considered vulgar, drawing undue attention to the breasts. It took about a century before it caught on in urban centers like Madurai.
  
  Men wore a "thundu" over the shoulders, and often used it to cover their heads (especially when lenders where after them for money :). Both men and women wore their hair long, and usually tied it up in a knot for convenience.
  
  Everyday jewellery was in the form of "Canku vaLai" 's, the conch shell bangles. Tuticorin was a major center for the production of these. Beads of various varieties where known and used in strings.
  
  Footwear was virtually non-existent, save for wooden sandals used by regular travellers and mendicants.
  
  The fibre that was most used was cotton and a few people could afford silk for special occasions. Even royalty dressed in cotton most of the time, due to climatic considerations.
  
  Most of the innovation and changes came in the patterning of the cloth, bye dyeing, selective dyeing (Chungdi, Ikkat etc.,), painting the cloth and handwoven patterns.
  
  
• From: Kingsley Jegan (@ 203.199.202.67) on: Wed Jan 23 02:22:58
  
  Oh, yeah the Sari. The Sari-blouse combo has had many avatars all over india. The currently accepted form (as worn by air hostesses) was arrived at by Rukmini Arundale, in an attempt to find a pan-Indian garment. It crystallized in the late 50's early 60's.
  
  Interestingly, one etymology of the word "Cheelai/ Seelai" is from Chi - China, and the silks from there. It's possible that more expensive fabrics where called Seelai and the less expensive cotton ones, pudavai.
  
  
• From: Fridge (@ netcache6.is.co.za) on: Wed Jan 23 03:40:16
  
  When did the under garment parvader of the saries come from and in the old days how was the sari kept in place when being draped (i mean how was it tucked in at the waist)?
  
  
• From: davie (@ ip-200-56-233-5-mx.marcatel.net.mx) on: Sat Oct 30 16:03:35
  
  tamilians still wear half jettys and langoti.
  
  
• From: Harish Kumar (@ dialpool-210-214-120-41.maa.sify.net) on: Sat Nov 6 04:29:25 EST 2004
  
  Most Indian women went topless until the coming of foreigners.
  
  
• From: davie (@ s0030140939) on: Mon Nov 8 22:42:52 EST 2004
  
  i) caste in ancient india was based on character rather than color or birth. eg) thieves were assumed lowest caste
  ii) dark people and non brahmins ruled india especially the south infact they constituted many brahmins. So there is no doubt that dark brahmins who are present today were existing even before a 2000 years as brahmins.
  iii) dravidian kings ruled south india
  iv) All indians are immigrants into india at one period or the other for a time span of 25000 yrs and get suntanned. The list includes aryans and dravidians .
  BRAHMINS and BRAHMINISM WERE PRESENT IN INDIA EVEN BEFORE ARYAN INVASION
  PEOPLE MUST LEARN TO RESPECT ETHIC COSTUMES LIKE DHOTHI AND SARI
  
  
  
• From: black (@ 24.109.128.230) on: Sat Nov 13 12:24:16 EST 2004
  
  Actually the problem with whole tamil culture. The discussion is all surrounding brahmins-non brahmins, aryans, dravids, hinduism , vedas, thirukural, anti-hindi, white, black.
  Actually Tamils are inferior in all the subjects, they have no history, no culture, no good langauge so all these trouble, and so is this forum. Tamil is basically a rogue community, that is the reason they keep on fighting among themselves, with neighbours like srilanka,karnataka, kerala, with country like india. with white skinned people, with brahmins etc etc.
  No one can help these dirty pigs.
  
  
• From: davie (@ cim-14.cim.utep.edu) on: Sun Nov 14 12:28:24 EST 2004
  
  i) caste in ancient india was based on character rather than color or birth. eg) thieves were assumed lowest caste
  ii) dark people and non brahmins ruled india especially the south infact they constituted many brahmins. So there is no doubt that dark brahmins who are present today were existing even before a 2000 years as brahmins.
  iii) dravidian kings ruled south india
  iv) All indians are immigrants into india at one period or the other for a time span of 25000 yrs and get suntanned. The list includes aryans and dravidians .
  BRAHMINS and BRAHMINISM WERE PRESENT IN INDIA EVEN BEFORE ARYAN INVASION
  
  
• From: davie (@ e228-013.ecc.utep.edu) on: Mon Nov 15 22:12:42 EST 2004
  
  and the truth is
  the terms dravidians and aryans were introduced by westerners
  ddravidians were kings. i mean kshatrias. we have enough or a ton of evidences.
  brahmins just advice kings dats all.
  south indian kings especialy thamizh kings gave equal respect for sanscrit and tamil. vedas are sacred books. Thirukural is more related with buddhism and jainism
  
  
• From: thiru (@ 167.206.40.140) on: Tue Nov 16 03:49:54 EST 2004
  
  Thirukuaral was written by Jain saint much before hinduism entered dravid region.. pallava kind built jain temples, still some of them are existing.
  
  
• From: davie (@ laptop1) on: Wed Nov 17 16:18:17 EST 2004
  
  readmy proud posting regarding hindu religion
  If i or u were present before 2000 years, u willknow that there was no name called hindu
  but there would be god like shiva or vishnu or many many gods. people india had lots of gods similar to they have lots of languages.
  hinduism is the termed coined most recently and its an aggregate of lots of gods.
  all indians were almost the same.
  thiru u are right
  thirukural is more related with buddhism and jainism.
  but at the same time period thirukural originated there were also vedhas and sanscrit which were considered to be sacred.
  
  read this line: and think (@ mr thiru)
  
  buddhism was founded by buddha who was a brahmin.
  so if thirukural was related to buddhism, then it means that brahmins existed before thirukurals origin.
  it means that hinduism was followed even before origin or thirukural.
  
  
• From: truth (@ dsl-chn-111.253.247.61.touchtelindia.net) on: Sat Nov 20 07:06:32 EST 2004
  
  @davie
  dont force me to mind read u
  Reg. Tamil Clothing--
  Gandhi switched over to langodu at madurai tamil nadu.
  That had been the National Dress of Tamilians right from "Kal thondri man thondra kaalam"
  
  

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