History of Design

Costumes in Post Vedic Period

600 – 323 BC

Social life

• Buddhism • Jainism • Forms of political organizations:

– Republic – Monarchy

• Ashvamedha Yagya • By about 5th century BC there were 16 major states in Northern India, but a hundred years later there remained only 4 vital states – the three kingdoms of Kashi, Kosala, Magadha and the republic of Vrijis.

By Toolika Gupta, Associate Prof. FD Delhi 2

Social life continued…

Of These magadha became pre eminent, and its king Bimbisara, evolved an imminent form of administration which included collection of taxes for maintaining public works. His son expanded the kingdom even further Then Nandas usurped the throne and further expanded the kingdom to become the first empire builders of India. They in turn were overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya in 323 BC

By Toolika Gupta, Associate Prof. FD Delhi 3

Social Life Continued

• North western India was a part of the Persian Empire, as Cyrus the king of Persia had annexed the states of Kamboja and Gandhara and most of the trans Indus region in 530 BC. • Indians provided mercenaries for the Persian armies, and are described by Herodotus as wearing cotton clothes, and armed with reed bows, spears and iron tipped cane arrows. • Taxila was the capital of Gandhara.

By Toolika Gupta, Associate Prof. FD Delhi 4

Costume

• Unstitched garments:

– Antariya (lower garment) – Uttariya (Upper garment) – Kayabandh (sash) to hold up antariya – Patka (decorative strip made from cloth, woven bamboo fiber, leather, woolen fringes, etc.), tucked in the antariya at center front. – Usnisa (Turban)

By Toolika Gupta, Associate Prof. FD Delhi 5

Costume continued…

• Pesas (embroidered skirt). • Paridhi (breast band) brides were known to have worn it. • Different styles of wearing antariya: – Kaccha style – Hattisondaka – Machhavallaka – Chaturkarnaka

• Mention of a cut and stitched garment called atka (hip or calf length garment like a kurta or tunic worn by men...