Uttarakhand is a religiously rich state with many diverse
holy places to visit. People also refer to Uttarakhand as Uttaranchal, and it
resides among the mountains of the Himalayas. This Devbhoomi is very popular
among tourists for its cultural richness. Considering which part of Uttarakhand
you choose to visit, you will see cultural, musical, dance, and attire
richness. Here we will talk about the significant traditional dress of Uttarakhand, which is popular among people for an important reason.
Uttaranchal has people following various religions such as
Rajputs, Brahmins, and even tribal people like Tharu, Jaunsari, Bhotia, and
much more. You will see a lot of creativity among the design and patterns of
the dress of Uttarakhand, as they follow specific lifestyles.
Traditional Dress of Uttarakhand For the women
In the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, women wear saris in a
very particular way that you will not see anywhere else. The pallu goes from
the front and gets knotted around the shoulders. The knot is from a wristband
made of cloth and is considered convenient for women who work in fields. In the
early days of Uttaranchal, the women wore saris with full sleeve blouses. The
blouses, a traditional dress of Uttarakhand, had buttons made from
silver to protect the women from cold.
Married women of Garhwal wear hansuli, which is a silver
ornament worn around the neck. The neck dress of Uttarakhand also has
guloband, which resembles the traditional choker and chareu, which is black beadwork
on silver. The women have silver Payal, bracelets, and toe rings to show their
status as the house's lady. Even today, married women of Uttaranchal wear
Gulaband, which is a distinctive way of showing their marital status.
Traditional Dress of Uttarakhand For the men
Garhwali men usually wear pyjamas and kurta depending upon
their age. Kurta pyjama is the most common traditional dress of Uttarakhand,
and it is often in pair with topi for the young and pagadi for the senior men.
The topi protects their head from cold, and after the British influence, many
men wear suits. The kurta pajama material varies with the regions, cotton in
warmer areas and wool in the cold.
The groom wears a yellow dhoti kurta during weddings, while
the others can wear designer kurta pajamas. In the early days of Uttaranchal,
men had to travel long miles on foot and usually tied their money pouches
around their waist. This secured pouch gave them protection from theft, and
they usually hid them inside their dress of Uttarakhand.
Kumaoni traditional women's dresses
The women in the area of Kumaon usually wear Ghagra with
kamees as a blouse. The Kumaoni dress of Uttarakhand resembles
Rajasthani outfits a lot. Kumaoni women also wear pichoras during weddings and
other essential ceremonies. During the early days, Kumaoni women made their
attire using natural yellow to wear during their wedding days.
Men of Kumaon
The men of Kumaon wear dresses that resemble Garwahl
clothes. They wear kurta pyjama with a pagdi or topi. The Kumaoni men also wear
jewellery on their necks and hands, specific to the Kumaon region. You can see
Kumaoni men wearing yellow dhoti and kurta during special occasions, which is a
traditional dress of Uttarakhand.
