Kapdaa
Kapdaa (phonetically Cup-pa-daah) means cloth in Hindi and is as the Oxford Dictionary defines, a woven or felted fabric made from wool, cotton, or a similar fibre. Kapdaa is a very typical feature of human societies made of textiles or animal skins. Kapdaa in India has undergone a significant transformation over the years. What started off in the country as pieces of kapdaa tied together and worn has today evolved into an innate fashion sense for the country.
[1]Kapdaa in India was mainly the local grown cotton. A closer look at the the art like the temple paintings, the sculptures, the figurines discovered near the sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation reveals Kapdaa was either wrapped or tied around. How kapdaa was draped or the kind of kappda worn reflected the socio-economic conditions of the society then and over the years. [2]The affluent class were draped in silk whilst the the common class draped the locally grown fabric. The art indicated that people during the Indus Valley Civilisation were as familiar with the production of silk as well.
Lets take a step back to see the evolution of and the different types of Kapdaa in India.
Evolution
[3]During the Vedic period, Kapdaa was draped around like a skirt with a veil or shawl that covered the torso. During the Guptan period , it evolved to a saree. The geographic location and the socio-economic status determined the way women draped the saree. For instance, saree in some states was pinned from the left and in some from the right. The working women pulled the saree between their legs which allowed them to work easily. Opulence, luxury were the characteristics of Kapdaa during the Mughal period. It was made up of muslin, silk, velvet and brocade, which also complemented the flourish art and poetry of that time. The men wore angoras and frock coats, and women wore salwar kameez, churidar and sarees. The addition of rajput princesses during the reign of Akbar also brought with it the influence of Hindu clothing to the Mughal court. There were some similarities and some very characteristic preferences. The Muslim women preferred the pants style while the Hindu women wore skirts. Regardless of the styles only the costliest of the Kapdaa was used be it cotton, silk or wool.
Silk Silk in India has long been considered as a symbol of royalty. In the East it was known as ‘Paat’ in the South it was known as Pattu and Resham in the North. [4]The royalty resided at the capital of the kingdom, which explains why the brocade weaving centers developed around it. The rich merchants of the trading ports of centers advanced money to these weavers two buy more silk thus contributing to their development and growth. There are various types and forms of silk in the country and majority of them comes from five Indian states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Several reports highlight how silk and cotton were woven into various designs and motifs that emphasised the distinct style and technique of each region. For instance, northern weavers were influenced greatly by the brocade weaving regions of eastern and southern Persia, Turkey, Central Asia and Afghanistan. Akbar, the first great Mughal patron of the arts was believed to have taken an active role in overseeing the royal textile workshops established at Lahore, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. These centers had skilled weavers with different backgrounds who then in turn worked alongside the local weavers. This intermingling of different techniques led to fusion of different cultures expressed in the designs. Today the silk industry is an integral part of the country’s textile industry and the country’s silk industry is a major player in the global scenario. [5]History of Kapdaa in the country would be incomplete without a mention of the Kashmiri shawl which has many varieties like the ring shawl or the Shahtoosh and the pashmina wool shawls. Textile of wool is also mentioned during the Vedic times in association with Kashmir as well as in the Afghan texts of the 3rd century.
Every era left its distinct impression on how the Kapdaa was worn.
From the vedic ages to the Islamic invasions then came the British rule with its own set of identity, style and fashion. [6]The influence of the British Raj helped break down the socio-economic barrier which dictated a certain class or castes wear a specific style of clothing. Consequently, this aided the spread of western fashion across the Indian society. There was a huge admiration at what the gora sahibs and memsahibs wore and many of the labourers employed under the British Raj were required to wear western attire. Nevertheless there remained a persistence within the country to maintain an identity of their own. [7]Owing to the many economic influences Khadi was born.
Kapdaa Today
The evolution did not stop there.
Post Independence in 1947, the country set out to create its own identity. Even the Kapdaa women wore underwent a parallel transformation. On the one end there was the continued growing western influence and the other spectrum we had the versatile saree and the salwar kameez. This paved the way for the east-west fusion of wearing kurta with jeans. The simple kapdaa adapted, evolved and its style flourished. The country’s most popular film industry since its hey days defined and continued to redefine the Indian couture. The fashion industry in the country started to emerge. The liberalisation of country’s economy in the 1990’s allowed this industry to flourish and even noted a spurt of growth in the 80’s and 90’s. Today the industry boasts of several Indian fashion designers whose attires are making fashion statements across the world.
Armed with the rich heritage and diverse cultures these designers continue to grow and weave a new identity to the once unstiched Kapdaa.
References[edit]
- ↑ http://www.blog.iwpindiaonline.com/history-of-clothing-india/
- ↑ http://www.lisaadelhi.com/tracing-the-history-of-clothing-in-india
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_in_India
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_in_the_Indian_subcontinent
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_India
- ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/PriyalThakkar/fashion-history-of-india-56599569
- ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/PriyalThakkar/fashion-history-of-india-56599569
http://www.blog.iwpindiaonline.com/history-of-clothing-india/ http://www.lisaadelhi.com/tracing-the-history-of-clothing-in-india https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_in_the_Indian_subcontinent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_India https://www.slideshare.net/PriyalThakkar/fashion-history-of-india-56599569
This article "Kapdaa" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Kapdaa. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
