Antariya

Painting of Shakuntala and her friends wearing an antariya, Raja Ravi Varma.

An antariya (antarīya) is a lower body garment from ancient India. It is a long white or coloured strip of cotton passed through the legs, tucked at the back and covering the legs loosely, then flowing into long pleats at front of the legs.[1][2][3][4]

History

The antariya is an ancient garment mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.[5] Hindu deities can be seen wearing the uttariya and the antariya in sculptures in the Indian subcontinent,[6] especially in Hindu temples and other forms of iconography.

As mentioned in Buddhist Pali literature during the 6th century BC, Sari śāṭikā (Sanskrit: शाटिका) is an evolved form of the antariya, which was one of three-piece attire worn by women during the ancient period.[1][2][3][7][8][9]

Terminology

The word antariya is of Sanskrit origin.[10]

Use

The antariya was usually made of fine cotton or silk. It was usually used in combination with the uttariya.

  • Women in choli (blouse) and antariya c. 320 CE, Gupta Empire
    Women in choli (blouse) and antariya c. 320 CE, Gupta Empire
  • Relief depicting men in antariya and uttariya, 1st century CE
    Relief depicting men in antariya and uttariya, 1st century CE

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Nair, Rukmini Bhaya; deSouza, Peter Ronald (2020-02-20). Keywords for India: A Conceptual Lexicon for the 21st Century. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-03925-4.
  2. ^ a b Mehta, Tarla (1995). Sanskrit Play Production in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-1057-0.
  3. ^ a b Ayyar, Sulochana (1987). Costumes and Ornaments as Depicted in the Sculptures of Gwalior Museum. Mittal Publications. p. 62. ISBN 978-81-7099-002-4.
  4. ^ Shastri, Ajay Mitra; Varāhamihira (1996). Ancient Indian Heritage, Varahamihira's India: Historical geography, religion, and society. Aryan Books International. p. 224. ISBN 978-81-7305-081-7.
  5. ^ McLain, Karline (2009). India's Immortal Comic Books: Gods, Kings, and Other Heroes. Indiana University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-253-22052-3.
  6. ^ Ancient India. Director General of Archaeology in India. 1950. p. 37.
  7. ^ Prasad Mohapatra, Ramesh (1992). Fashion Styles of Ancient India: A Study of Kalinga from Earliest Times to Sixteenth Century Ad. B.R. Publishing Corporation. p. 35. ISBN 9788170187233.
  8. ^ Prachya Pratibha, 1978 "Prachya Pratibha, Volume 6", p. 121
  9. ^ Agam Kala Prakashan, 1991 "Costume, coiffure, and ornaments in the temple sculpture of northern Andhra", p. 118
  10. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2018-05-06). "Antariya, Antarīya: 7 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2020-12-09.