The word "kurta" is a borrowing from Hindustani, and originally from Persian and was first used in English in the 20th century. Kurta is a piece of clothing worn by males, it is usually worn for fashion, tradition and culture.
A kurta worn by females is called a kurti.
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by men. They were traditionally worn with loose-fitting paijama (kurta-paijama), loose-fitting shalwars, and tight from the calves to the ankles churidars, or wrapped-around dhotis but are now also worn with jeans. Kurtas are worn both as casual everyday wear and as formal dress.
In Andhra Pradesh it is called Pancha, in North India it is called dhoti in Hindi, 'Laacha' in Punjabi, 'mundu' in Malayalam, 'dhuti' in Bangla, 'veshti' in Tamil, 'dhotar' in Marathi and 'panche' in Kannada, is the traditional garment of men's wear in India. Dhoti is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 5 yards long, wrapped about the waist and the legs, and knotted at the waist.
Dhoti, a cloth-piece covering the lower part of the body from the waist, is a kind of traditional drapery, bearing the signature of the heritage of Indian civilisation. This single piece of rectangular stitchless cloth , measuring about 5 yards in length, can give a man an air of elegance, inherent to his culture.
A turban is a kind of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear, usually by men. Communities with prominent turban-wearing traditions can be found in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Near East, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and parts of the Swahili Coast.
Contemporary turbans come in many shapes, sizes and colours. Turban wearers in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia (including Sikh), and Philippines (Sulu) usually wind it anew for each wearing, using long strips of cloth. The cloth is usually under five meters in length. Some elaborate South Asian turbans may also be permanently formed and sewn to a foundation. Turbans can be very large or quite modest depending upon region, culture, and religion.
The Sherwani originated in South Asia and was the court dress of nobles of the royals of India, before being more generally adopted in the late eighteenth century.
It appeared during the period of British India in 18th century, as a fusion of the Shalwar Kameez with the British frock coat. It was gradually adopted by most of the Indian aristocracy, and later by the general population, as a more evolved form of traditional attire. To the Muslims, like the Urdu language, it also became a symbol of Muslim nobility. Before the independence of India and Pakistan, the Sherwani was closely associated with founders of Aligarh Movement. Following Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, all the professors and students wore Sherwani.
Traditional Indian clothing has come into prominence once again. Well, if you notice the trends in fashion industry, you'll realize that modern fashion has aped the styling and designing of the bygone eras, the period of royalty, when Maharajas and Ranis used to spend extravagantly on their clothing. Whatever the royals chose to go in for was reminiscent of splendor and luxury. The creative fashion designers of today are in a lookout for ethnic designs that take us close to our cultural roots and remind us of the glorious past.
Dhoti
Kurta
A salwar kameez or a kurta churidar is accompanied by a dupatta. Dupatta is a 2.5 meter rectangular cloth. Dupattas come in all hues and colors. Generally the dupatta color is the same as the salwar. A dupatta enhances the beauty of the salwar kameez. A extensive bridal salwar kameez will have an extensive embroidered dupatta. Sometimes the embroidery on the dupatta will be heavier than the embroidery on the kamiz.
A dupatta is a very handy accessory of the salwar kameez. The dupatta can be worn in many ways, it can be thrown over the shoulders one side or two sides. Conservative women generally put the dupatta in a way it falls on their bosom and covers the curves. It is also used by women to cover their heads to show respect to their elders and during religious ceremonies.
Salwar Kameez
A sari or shari, is a South Asian female garment that consists of drape varying from two to nine yards in length and two to four feet in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff.
The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (called lahaṅgā or lehenga in the north; langa in Kannada, pavada, or pavadai Tamil, langa in Telugu; chaniyo, parkar, ghaghra, or ghagaro in the west; and shaya in eastern India), with a fitted upper garment commonly called a blouse or a choli or ravika. The blouse has short sleeves and is usually cropped at the midriff. The sari is associated with grace and is widely regarded as a symbol of Indian,Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nepalese and Sri Lankan culture.
Indian Sari
Indian Traditional Clothing
Sherwani
Turban
By YEW CHUN REN
Traditional Indian Sari
Salwar Kameez
Sherwani
Kurta
Indian Traditional Wedding Clothing
For Indians, the wedding rituals and clothes make the wedding as much as that of the bride and her groom. Both look their splendid best in gorgeous clothes. Not just the couple, but the guests attending the family and the relatives are often seen dressed up to the teeth. The bride is dressed up in auspicious colors, whereas the bridegroom is dressed to exude a regale aura. The bridesmaids and best men are often dressed in par with the bride and the groom. But they are toned down a bit because the day belongs to the couple. All the folks attending the marriage are decked up with gold jewelry including the bride and sometimes the groom. The ladies are additionally adorned with henna patterns all over their palms, hands, forearms, legs and feet. Sometimes henna patterns are replaced with alta designs which are short lived and easily removable.
Indian weddings generally tend to continue for several days and new attire is worn each day. All these dresses and the color symbolize the meaning of marriage and the period that follows it. Indian wedding is one that gives more importance to details like different rituals and the various attires one wears to attend them.
The bride wears a saree or a lehenga according to the region. Red is considered to be the most auspicious color in among Hindus. While the saree is preferred as the bridal dress in South India, West, East India, most brides of other parts of India prefer Lehenga, Gagra Choli and Odni as bridal dress.
Female Wedding Dress
Male Wedding Dress
Many bridegrooms prefer to wear a Kurta. Kurta can be worn with Salwar, or Dhoti. A dazzling series of ensemble for bridegrooms include majestic sherwani, blended Indo-western suit and ethnic Jodhpuri suit. The exquisite shirts, coats and jackets are designed with extra care and touch to bring out the magnanimity out of the bridegroom on the marriage day. Precious embellishments are studded into the collars and the cuffs of the bridegroom's dress. Available both in simple cottons and splendid, royal raw silk, these Kurta Pyjamas are a preferred mostly by the bridegrooms.