N is for... Nine ... n ... Nudity

 

All this month I am writing about the marvellous Indian handlooms, a quick but captivating dive into the saree specifically, a garment worn by Indians for five millennia. Come with me into the magnificent, complex and utterly fascinating world of fibre and yarn, of skills and techniques of dyeing and printing and embroidery, traditions unchanged for centuries. Of sumptuous finished fabrics that not only make a fashion statement, but also constitute our cultural heritage and political identity.

N is for Nauvari

 

Image credit. The location of Maharashtra within India.

Your average, normal saree is roughly 5.5-6 m (6 yards) long. The Nauvari is a special saree worn by Maharashtrian women. Nine yards in length, it's worn in such a way that its ends are taken between the legs and tucked in at the back resulting in a trouser like drape, with much greater freedom of movement. Very similar to the dhoti, incidentally. The Nauvari is also known as the Kaashta saree and the Sakachha. 

Watch a Bollywood musical sequence below, an 18th century period drama featuring two mega celebrities wearing the Nauvari. Note how it combines tradition, elegance and shows off every nuance of the footwork. And read about the development of the Sakachha from the earliest times in this article. 

 

From what I can make out, the Nauvari, as it is worn today, originated during the Maratha Empire under the Peshwas in the 18th  century, so it has a 300 year old history even if we discount the 'sakachha' styles of the Gupta period (320-550 CE). 

When you consider that  -

1) the Maratha Empire started off as a rebelion against the Muslim Sultanates of the Deccan region 

2) was characterised by guerrilla tactics 

3) the army was drawn from peasant pastoralists 

4) several women of the ruling elite actively participated in empire building,

the introduction of the Nauvari feels logical under the circumstances. The style of draping allowed women to be combat ready, to defend or escape, to ride horseback without hindrance, as also perform their daily tasks with greater freedom. In short, it was developed by women living with the practicalities of a state at war. With time, it has evolved and differentiated into minor variations worn by different groups/regions within Maharashtra. Read about the present day Nauvari here and here.

...also for Nivi

The Nivi drape is the most common way to wear the saree - with the free end thrown over the left shoulder and a series of pleats tucked in at mid-waist level. This draping style is  actually a modern take on the saree, though it has become so ubiquitously pan-Indian that most people when they think of a saree think of the Nivi drape. It's the way most women wear the standard 6 yard saree in India.

There are in reality many dozens of ways to drape a saree, several regional variations -  Nauvari being one of them, as we have just seen. Originally the Nivi style was draped in the Deccan, in Andhra as a regional style. Read more about the regional draping styles here. 

The modern Nivi drape was devised by a Bengali lady, Jnanadanandini Devi Tagore (1850-1941), the sister-in-law of the famous Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore - she was married to his eldest brother Satyendranath, the first Indian to join the Imperial Civil Service. Jnanadanandini was a leading social reformer, a champion of women's emancipation and a fashion icon of her time. 

Image credit
L to R : Jnanadanandini, Satyendranath, Kadambari.
Seated: Jyotirindranath Tagore.

 

At the time, most Bengali women wore sarees without undergarments or blouses in the 'aatpoure' style. It served most women well as they led a cloistered life inside the home in the women's quarters. 

Image credit

To understand the exact social context - the First War of Independence had happened in 1857, following which the Crown took over from the East India Company in 1858, the start of the British Raj. Victorian notions of morality and modesty met and inevitably clashed with Indian body positivity and confidence as displayed in easy-breezy bare bodied saree draping. Nudity was equated with backwardness by the Brits.  The social reformers and opinion leaders of the era therefore undertook to dress women more 'appropriately,' in keeping with Victorian ideals of propriety. Bare bodied saree drapes were no longer perceived as adequately 'civilised.'

Jnanadanandini was reportedly refused entry somewhere in Bombay by the Raj, because she wore the saree over her bare upper body. She had met Parsi women who wore the saree with jacket style blouses, an underskirt and central pleats tucked into the latter. The aanchal/pallu was brought over the right shoulder and tucked at the left covering the upper half of the body. Jnanadanandini therefore adopted this style with minor tweaks. She changed the aanchal placement to the left shoulder so as to leave the right arm/hand free for greeting/work and created this new style. This was initially called the Brahmika saree and changed to Nivi over time, not quite sure exactly when. She also wrote articles and took out advertisements in a women's magazine called Bamabodhini to educate women and popularise the new drape.

The late 1800s was also a time of an avalanche of changes for Indian women, they transitioned from rarely seen homebodies to active participants in various public spaces. The first women's college in India was established in Calcutta in 1879, the first time women students were granted admission to medical colleges was in the 1880s. As women got educated, graduated universities and became the first female professionals, they needed a new, modern dress code which the Nivi style met admirably well. By the early 1900s the Nivi had become widespread, especially among the younger women. 

...and the Navel

If you look at the earliest sculptures and other archeological evidence of saree in India, you'll find the midriff and more particularly the navel was mostly bared and women were not secluded and did not veil their heads/faces. These practices came later on and were further reinforced with Islamic influences, they modified the style in which sarees were worn - less skin shows. 

There is a deep seated cultural reason for the navel to be exposed, less about sex appeal and more about spirituality. The ancient Indians believed the navel was the conduit of spiritual nourishment even after the umbilical cord was cut. The navel's job was to seek energy from the environment and channel it into the body therefore it was recommended that it be left bare, especially in sunlight. 

The navel is bared. Bronze sculptures
from the Chola kingdom, around
1000 CE. British Museum.

Nowadays, there is no hard and fast rule, it's a personal choice  how much of the midriff is exposed and if the navel is bared or not.

~~~

Did you know that sarees are draped in numerous different styles? Every region has its own particular way in which the saree is draped - pleated in the front, pleated at the back, not pleated at all, the free end or aanchal/pallu thrown over the left shoulder, right shoulder, down the back or at the front, endless permutations are possible because it's a piece of unstitched cloth!

Thank you for reading. And happy A-Zing to you if you are participating in the challenge. 

A-Z Challenge 2025