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{{about|the item of clothing|the abandoned village in Georgia|Kurta (village)|the Ukrainian footballer|Serhiy Kurta}} |
{{about|the item of clothing|the abandoned village in Georgia|Kurta (village)|the Ukrainian footballer|Serhiy Kurta}} |
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[[File:Kurta ornate side open chikan2.jpg|thumb|right|A formal-wear kurta with off-centre [[placket]] opening and [[chikan (embroidery)|chikan]] embroidery]] |
[[File:Kurta ornate side open chikan2.jpg|thumb|right|A formal-wear kurta with off-centre [[placket]] opening and [[chikan (embroidery)|chikan]] embroidery]] |
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A '''kurta''' (or sometimes '''kurti''', for women) is a traditional item of [[clothing]] worn in [[ |
A '''kurta''' (or sometimes '''kurti''', for women) is a traditional item of [[clothing]] worn in the [[Indian subcontinent]], but now also modernized, and worn around the world. It is a [[tunic]], or upper body garment, plain or with embroidered decoration, such as ''[[chikan (embroidery)|chikan]]'', which can be loose or tight in the torso, typically falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer; it has slits on the sides, also of variable length; it can be worn by both men and women; it is traditionally collarless, though [[mandarin collar|standing collar]]s are increasingly popular; and it can be worn over ordinary [[pajamas]], loose [[Shalwar Kameez|shalwars]], [[churidar]]s, or less traditionally over [[jeans]].<ref name="Shukla2015">{{citation|last=Shukla|first=Pravina|title=The Grace of Four Moons: Dress, Adornment, and the Art of the Body in Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlObCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA71|year=2015|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-02121-2|page=71}} Quote: "The kurta—the tunic—is likewise variable in its cut. It might be wide or tight, there is variety in the length and width of the sleeves, the height of the slits on either side, and especially the shape of the neck. The length of the tunic varies as well, ranging from upper-thigh to well below the knee. Like most garments of this type, worn by people in many countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, the tunic always covers the crotch area of both genders.</ref> Kurtas are worn both as casual everyday wear usually in cotton) and as formal attire (sometimes in silk). |
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== Etymology == |
== Etymology == |
Revision as of 21:35, 6 April 2019
A kurta (or sometimes kurti, for women) is a traditional item of clothing worn in the Indian subcontinent, but now also modernized, and worn around the world. It is a tunic, or upper body garment, plain or with embroidered decoration, such as chikan, which can be loose or tight in the torso, typically falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer; it has slits on the sides, also of variable length; it can be worn by both men and women; it is traditionally collarless, though standing collars are increasingly popular; and it can be worn over ordinary pajamas, loose shalwars, churidars, or less traditionally over jeans.[1] Kurtas are worn both as casual everyday wear usually in cotton) and as formal attire (sometimes in silk).
Etymology
The word kurta is a borrowing into English from Hindustani language, and there in turn from Persian ("P. masculine, a collarless shirt").[2] It was first used in English in the early 20th century.[3]
Styles
A traditional kurta is composed of rectangular fabric pieces with perhaps a few gusset inserts, and is cut so as to leave no waste fabric. The cut is usually simple, although decorative treatments can be elaborate.
The sleeves of a traditional kurta fall straight to the wrist; they do no narrow, as do many Western-cut sleeves. Sleeves are not cuffed, just hemmed and decorated.
The front and back pieces of a simple kurta are also rectangular. The chak, or side seams, are left open for 6-12 inches above the hem, which gives the wearer some ease of movement.
The kurta usually opens in the front; some styles, however, button at the shoulder seam. The front opening is often a hemmed slit in the fabric, tied or buttoned at the top; some kurtas, however, have plackets rather than slits. The opening may be centered on the chest, or positioned off center.
A traditional kurta does not have a collar. Modern variants may feature stand-up collars of the type known to tailors and seamstresses as "mandarin" collars. These are the same sort of collars seen on achkans, sherwanis, and Nehru jackets.
Material
Kurtas worn in the summer months are usually made of thin silk or cotton fabrics; winter season kurtas are made of thicker fabric such as wool or "Khadi silk", a thick, coarse, handspun and handwoven silk that may be mixed with other fibers. A very common fabric for the kurta pajama is linen, or a linen-cotton mix ideal for both summers and winters.
Kurtas are typically fastened with tasselled ties, cloth balls and loops, or buttons. Buttons are often wood or plastic. Kurtas worn on formal occasions might feature decorative metal buttons, which are not sewn to the fabric, but, like cufflinks, are fastened into the cloth when needed. Such buttons can be decorated with jewels, enameling, and other traditional jewelers' techniques.
Decoration
Tailors from the Indian subcontinent command a vast repertoire of methods, traditional and modern, for decorating fabric. It is likely that all of them have been used, at one time or another, to decorate kurtas. However, the most common decoration is embroidery. Many light summer kurtas feature Chikan embroidery, a speciality of Lucknow, around the hems and front opening. This embroidery is typically executed on light, semi-transparent fabric in a matching thread. The effect is ornate but subtle.
Regional variants
Kali kurta
A kali or kalidar kurta is similar to a frock and has many panels.[4] The kalidar kurta is made up of several geometrical pieces. It has two rectangular central panels in the back and the front.[5] The kali kurta is worn by men[6] and women.
Bhopali kurta
The Bhopali kurta (taking its name from Bhopal) is a loose kurta with pleats at the waist, flowing like a skirt reaching midway between the knees and the ankles.[7] It is worn with a straight pajama.[8] The Bhopali kurta was popular with the local royal families and is believed to have been adopted from the dress of Turkey by Sultan Jehan Begum[9] who reigned between 1901 and 1926 C.E.[10]
Hyderabadi kurta
The Hyderabadi kurta is named after the former royal state of Hyderabad and is a short top which sits around the waist, with a keyhole neck opening. It was popular with the local royal households.[11][12] Traditionally, the Hyderabadi kurta was of white material,[13] but modern versions can be of any colour. Over the kurta, some versions have net material, the combination of which is called jaali karga, worn by men and women.[14]
Lucknowi kurta
The traditional Lucknowi kurta can either be short[15] or long, using as much as 12 yards of cloth.[16] The traditional Lucknowi kurta styles have an overlapping panel.[4] However, the term "Lucknowi kurta" now applies to the straight-cut kurta embroidered using local Chikan embroidery.
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Chikan embroidery, Lucknow
Straight-cut kurta
The straight-cut traditional kurta is known as "Panjabi" in West Bengal, Bangladesh and Assam
Multani kurta
The Multani kurta is crocheted using designs of Multan (Punjab, Pakistan).[17] Local Ajrak prints are also used. The Multani kurta is also known as the Saraiki kurta.
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Pakistani Saraiki Ajrak fabricPakistani Saraiki Ajrak fabric
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Saraiki Ajrak
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Saraiki kurta
Punjabi phulkari kurta
A Phulkari kurta[18] is embroidered using the Phulkari embroidery of the Punjab region.[19]
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Punjabi straight-cut kurta, Ferozepur, 1845
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'Phulkari' (bridal shawl), Punjab, early 20th century, cotton, silk and embroidery, Honolulu Academy of Arts
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Phulkari from Punjab, India, 20th century, khadi, silk, plain weave, embroidery, Honolulu Museum of Art
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Punjabi woman in short Punjabi kurta 1874
Punjabi bandhani kurta
Bandhani tye-dyeing is popular in the Cholistan Desert[20] area of the Punjab region. Bandhani patterns are used on kurtas.
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Rohi (Cholistan) woman's bandhani dress (Punjab, Pakistan)
Muktsari kurta
The traditional Punjabi kurta of the Punjab region is wide and falls to the knees[21] and is cut straight.[22] The modern version of the regional kurta is the Mukatsari kurta which originates from Muktsar in Punjab. This modern Punjabi kurta is famous for its slim-fitting cuts and smart fit designs. It is very popular among young politicians.[23]
Delhi kurta
Styles of kurta peculiar to Delhi include the wooden beaded kurta and a kurta heavily laden with embroidery.[24]
Sindhi kurta
The Sindhi kurta is the traditional straight-cut variety but uses local patterns to embroider the garment and also makes use of mirrors. The local art of bandhani (creating patterned textiles by resisting parts of a fabric by tying knots on it before it is dyed) is utilised, which is believed to have originated in Sindh and spread to Gujarat via Rajasthan[25] and is also practiced in the Punjab region. Sindhi kurtas are also made out of heavy local material called rilli, and the kurtas are often called rilli kurtas.[26] Ajrak prints are also used.
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Sindhi hat with Ajrak designs. Scarf with bandhani prints
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Ajrak
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Rilli material
Assamese Panjabi
The Assamese Panjabi[27] is worn with a scarf (Gamosa) using local prints.
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Gamosa print
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Gamosa pari
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Man wearing a Panjabi with a Gamosa
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Gamosa
Bengali Panjabi
The Bengali Panjabi[28][29] utilises local embroidery traditions. Kantha embroidery means patched cloth and is the regional style of West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is known as Fanjabi in Sylhet and Chittagong. [30] Kantha is also traditional in Odisha. The other variety of embroidery from West Bengal and Bangladesh is the Nakshi kantha.
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Kantha (quilt) LACMA AC1994.131.1
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Modern Nakshi kantha
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Scholar in panjabi kurta, East Bengal (Bangladesh), 1860
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Man in short panjabi kurta, East Bengal (Bangladesh), 1860
Photo gallery
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A modern shin-length embroidered silk kurta
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A blue khadi kurta
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An Indian child in kurta
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Pakistan Frontier Constabulary soldiers wearing kurtas at Torkham border crossing gate
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Indian Army 15th Sikh Regiment, wearing kurtas, arrives in Marseille, France, on their way to fight the Germans during the First World War
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Assamese Gamosa and Panjabi
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Kurta, India, 20th century, cotton blend - Saint Ignatius Church, San Francisco, CA
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Man in dhoti kurta
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Bhangra dance performers in Punjab wearing kurta and tehmat
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Man in blue kurta
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Statues of women in kurta
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Kurta
Jeans and straight-cut kurta
Kurtas are often worn with jeans.[31] Women sometimes wear kurtas as blouses, usually over jeans pants.[32] Jeans are sometimes preferred over pajamas or leggings as they are more durable for rough use. Most colours of kurtas match with blue jeans.[33] In 2014, an Indian family court in Mumbai ruled that a husband objecting to his wife wearing a kurta and jeans and forcing her to wear a sari amounts to cruelty inflicted by the husband and can be a ground to seek divorce.[34] The wife was thus granted a divorce on the ground of cruelty as defined under section 27(1)(d) of Special Marriage Act, 1954.[34]
Leggings and straight cut kurta
Ladies' kurtas/blouses, along with leggings, are most popular in the Indian subcontinent, and the community from the Indian subcontinent in Singapore and Malaysia.[35]
Kurti
In modern usage, a short kurta for women is referred to as the kurti. However, traditionally, the kurti refers to waistcoats,[36] jackets and blouses[37] which sit above the waist without side slits, and are believed to have descended from the tunic of the Shunga period (2nd century B.C.).[38] Kurtis are typically much shorter than the traditional garments and made with lighter materials, like those used in sewing kameez.
See also
- Angarkha
- Dashiki
- Jama (coat)
- Kurti top
- Shalwar kameez
- Tunic
- Khadi
- Khādī Development and Village Industries Commission (Khadi Gramodyog)
References
- ^ Shukla, Pravina (2015), The Grace of Four Moons: Dress, Adornment, and the Art of the Body in Modern India, Indiana University Press, p. 71, ISBN 978-0-253-02121-2 Quote: "The kurta—the tunic—is likewise variable in its cut. It might be wide or tight, there is variety in the length and width of the sleeves, the height of the slits on either side, and especially the shape of the neck. The length of the tunic varies as well, ranging from upper-thigh to well below the knee. Like most garments of this type, worn by people in many countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, the tunic always covers the crotch area of both genders.
- ^ McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, p. 206, ISBN 978-0-19-864339-5
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. 1989. The first use is attributed to W.G. Lawrence in T. E. Lawrence, Home Letters, 1913, "Me in a dhoti khurta, White Indian clothes."
- ^ a b Karampuri, Aradhana (2005), Punjabi Dress Drafting and Cutting
- ^ Bhandari, Vandana (2005), Costume, Textiles and Jewellery of India: Traditions in Rajasthan [1]
- ^ Rashtriya, Sahara, Volume 2, Issue 2 (1991)
- ^ Jamila Brij Bhushan (1958), The Costumes and Textiles of India
- ^ Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan, Volume 20, Issues 27-39 (1968)
- ^ Cine Blitz, Volume 29, Issue 1 (2003)
- ^ S.R. Bakshi and O.P. Ralha (2008), Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages
- ^ Kumar, Ritu (2006), Costumes and Textiles of Royal India
- ^ Mohan Lal Nigam, Anupama Bhatnagar (1997), Romance of Hyderabad Culture
- ^ Javed, Arifa Kulsoom (1990), Muslim Society in Transition
- ^ Aslan, Reza (2011), Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East (Words Without Borders): Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East [2]
- ^ Mukherji, P. C., The Pictorial Lucknow (1883)
- ^ Ravi Bhatt. The Life and Times of the Nawabs of Lucknow
- ^ Official Journal of the European Communities: Legislation, Volume 30, Issues 248-256 (1987) [3]
- ^ The Journal of industry and trade, Volume 21. Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India., 1971 [4]
- ^ Naik, Shailaja D. (1996), Traditional Embroideries of India
- ^ Nasreen Askari, Liz Arthur, Paisley Museum and Art Galleries Merrell Holberton, (1999) Uncut cloth [5]
- ^ Punjab District Gazetteers: Attock district, 1930. Printed 1932
- ^ Asoke Kumar Bhattacharyya, Pradip Kumar Sengupta (1991), Foundations of Indian Musicology: Perspectives in the Philosophy of Art and Culture [6]
- ^ Puneet Pal Singh Gill (04.01.2012) The Chandigarh Tribune. "Muktsari-style kurta pyjama a fad" [7]
- ^ United States Treaties and Other International Agreements, Volume 21, Part 3 (1971) [8]
- ^ Ranjan, Aditi, and Ranjan, M. P. (2009), Handmade in India: A Geographic Encyclopedia of Indian Handicrafts [9]
- ^ Pakistan Exports, Volume 28 (1977)
- ^ Census of India, 1971: Series 3: Assam, Volume 6, Part 3 [10]
- ^ Fraser, Bashabi (2008) Bengal Partition Stories: An Unclosed Chapter. Anthem Press [11]
- ^ Redclift, Victoria (2013) Statelessness and Citizenship: Camps and the Creation of Political Space. Routledge [12]
- ^ Naik, Shailaja D. (1996), Traditional Embroideries of India
- ^ "Regal chic", The Telegraphk, Calcutta, April 24, 2004. Quote: "The first sequence was a range of traditional saris in silk and cotton, moving on to kurtis and jeans and short kurtas in silk and georgette."
- ^ [Yet, jeans are among the most comfortable outfits as they can go with just about anything, a short top or even a kurta.]
- ^ [13]
- ^ a b PTI (2014-06-28). "Wife's jeans ban is grounds for divorce, India court rules". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
- ^ Jaime Koh, Stephanie Ho Ph.D (2009), Culture and Customs of Singapore and Malaysia [14]
- ^ Forbes, Duncan (1861), A Smaller Hindustani and English Dictionary
- ^ Bahri, Hardev (2006), Advanced Learner's Hindi English Dictionary
- ^ Panjab University Research Bulletin: Arts, Volume 13, Issue 1 - Volume 14, Issue (1982) [15]
Notes
- Tarlo, Emma (1996): Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 382 pages. ISBN 0-226-78976-4.
- Bhandari, Vandana (2004): Costumes, Textiles, and Jewellery of India. Mercury Books. 192 pages. ISBN 1-904668-89-5.