Argon (clothing)

Argon

Argon
Type	Shawl
Material	Silk, Cotton
Place of origin	India

An Argon (also called Agon, Agrun or Parsa) is a traditional shawl-like garment worn by Hajong women in the Indian subcontinent, in modern-day India and Bangladesh.^[1]

It is a form of festive wear, worn during special occasions. Argons are shuttle-woven and characterized by large-scale, symmetrical patterns, featuring geometrical shapes and stylized leaves and flowers in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. Traditionally argons used to be very large in size and would have birds like herons, ducks and peacocks; and trees like kadamba tree brocaded on them.

It can be worn by men during weddings or when attending religious ceremonies. Their appearance and dress resembles Boros.^{[note 1]}

Gallery

• 
  Details of brocaded patterns on an argon.
• 
  Women traditionally use the Argon to cover their left shoulder.
• 
  Chiwar Phul motif woven along the edges.
• 
  Hajong girls in traditional clothing.
• 
  Traditional Hajong Clothing.
• 
  Argons with 'bugri phul' (black) and 'chiwar phul' (green) motif along the borders.
• 
  Traditional Hajong ornaments placed upon an Argon.

See also

• Pathin
• Dupatta
• Sabai
• Hajong people

Notes

1. In appearance and dress the people are said to have a close resemblance to the well-known Kachári^[2] type, but this resemblance hardly holds good of their language as now spoken, for this is little more than a medley of Assamese and Bengali.^[3]

References

1. Hajong, B. (2002). The Hajongs and their struggle. Assam, Janata Press.
2. In Assam proper the Hindus call them Kacháris; in Bengal they are known as Meches. Their own name for their race is Boṛo or Boḍo (the o has the sound of the English o in “hot”) (Endle 1911, p. xvi).
3. Endle 1911, p. 86.

Sources

• Endle, Sidney (1911). The Kacháris. Macmillan and Co.

External links

• Media related to Argon (clothing) at Wikimedia Commons