:Dupatta

{{short description|Cloth wrap worn as a shawl, scarf, or veil in South Asia}}

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The dupattā, also called chunni, chunari, chundari, lugda, rao/rawo, gandhi, pothi, orna, and odhni is a long shawl-like scarf traditionally worn by women in the Indian subcontinent.{{cite book |last1=de-Gaia |first1=Susan |title=Encyclopedia of Women in World Religions: Faith and Culture across History [2 volumes] |date=16 November 2018 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-4850-6 |page=47 |language=English|quote=Dupatta: A long scarf that is loosely draped over the head and shoulders, commonly worn in South Asia.}} Traditionally, in India, the dupatta is part of the women's lehenga or ghagra/chaniya choli. A lehenga is a three-piece outfit which is made up of a skirt, called a ghagra or chaniya; a blouse, called a choli, and a dupatta. The dupatta is worn over one shoulder, and traditionally, married women would also wear the dupatta over the head in temples or in front of elders.

The dupatta is also worn as part of the shalwar kameez which is worn by women in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh, particularly in parts of Northern India and Deccan region. The Punjabi suit is worn in Punjab and Pakistan, it is another three piece outfit made up of trousers, called pyjama or salwar; a top, called a kurta or kameez, and the dupatta.

Etymology

The Hindi-Urdu word dupattā (दुपट्टा, دوپٹہ),{{cite web |title=Meaning of dupatta |url=https://www.rekhta.org/urdudictionary?keyword=dupatta |publisher=Rekhta |access-date=20 May 2022 |language=en}} meaning "shawl of doubled cloth," stemming from Sanskrit, is a combination of du- (meaning "two", from Sanskrit {{transl|sa|dvau}}, "two", and dvi-, combining form of {{transl|sa|dvau}}) and paṭṭā (meaning "strip of cloth," from paṭṭaḥ),{{cite web |url= https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=dupatta|title= American Heritage Dictionary Entry: dupatta|author= |date= 2014|website= www.ahdictionary.com|publisher= Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company|access-date= 2015-05-12}} i. e., stole.

History

File:Detail from Kalpa Sutra Manuscript, c.1375–1400.jpg

Early evidence of the dupatta can be traced to the Indus valley civilization, where the sculpture of a priest-king whose left shoulder is covered with some kind of a shawl-like scarf suggests that the use of the dupatta dates back to this early Indic culture.{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Upinder|title=A History of Ancient and Early medieval India : from the Stone Age to the 12th century|year=2008|publisher=Pearson Education|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788131711200|page=137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&q=malvan}}{{cite book

| last = Condra

| first = Jill

| title = The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History

| publisher = Greenwood Press

| year = 2008

| location = Westport, Connecticut

| pages = 220

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=S8bTzilz1BMC&pg=PA207

| isbn = 978-0-313-33662-1}}

Early Sanskrit literature has a wide vocabulary of terms for the veils and scarfs used by women during the ancient period, such as avagunthana (cloak-veil), uttariya (shoulder-veil), mukha-pata (face-veil), and siro-vastra (head-veil).Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1951) "Indian Costume.", p.236 The dupatta is believed to have evolved from the ancient uttariya.Simmi Jain (2003). Encyclopaedia of Indian Women Through the Ages: The middle ages, p.200Anupa Pande (2002). The Buddhist Cave Paintings of Bagh, p.49Prachya Pratibha (1978). Prachya Pratibha, Volume 6, p.121

Use

File:Bride's way - Why Women Wanted to be in Nizami Harem - Chowmahalla Palace (3582293976).jpg royal court attire dupattas on display at Chowmahalla Palace.]]

File:Azizunisa Begum - Aziz Bagh, Hyderabad, Deccan.jpg lady wearing a dupatta in distinct style called Khada Dupatta, 20th century.{{cite news |last1=Nanisetti |first1=Serish |title=Living Hyderabad: The khada dupatta |url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/living-hyderabad-the-kadha-dupatta-with-deccani-history/article25462632.ece |work=The Hindu |date=10 November 2018 |language=en-IN}}]]

The dupatta is worn in many regional styles across South Asia. There is no single way of wearing the dupatta, and as time evolves and fashion modernizes, the style of the dupatta has also evolved.

A dupatta is traditionally worn over the left shoulder in India, and tucked in to a skirt on the opposite side. However, the dupatta can be free hanging over the shoulder, or, across the neck and behind both shoulders. A modern variation is to allow the length of the dupatta to drape elegantly around the waist and through the arms at the front. The material for the dupatta varies, but it is normally light and long, allowing for flow and variation.

When the dupatta is worn with the shalwar kameez, it covers the chest, creating a U or V shape.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

In addition to wearing the dupatta when going out in public, South Asian women wear the dupatta as a veil when entering a mandir, church, gurdwara.{{cite book|last1=Goldman|first1=Ann|last2=Hain|first2=Richard|last3=Liben|first3=Ann Goldman Richard Hain Stephen|title=Ox Textbook Palliat Care Child Oxt:ncs C|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f1fTsoA4wDMC&pg=PA224|access-date=13 November 2012|year=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780198526537|page=224}}{{cite web |title=Dupatta Types In Salwar Kameez |url=https://www.thefashionstation.in/dupatta-types-in-salwar-kameez/ |publisher=The Fashion Station |access-date=20 May 2022 |language=English |date=18 July 2019|quote=Dupatta is also used by some women when entering a mosque, dargah, church, gurdwara or mandir, it is the habit in the Indian subcontinent for women to cover their head with a dupatta.}}{{cite book |last1=Rader |first1=Debra |title=Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding: Engaging Young Hearts and Minds |date=19 April 2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-59523-0 |page=132 |language=en|quote=Colourful dupattas and salwar kameez are very common among both the Muslim and non-Muslim women of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.}} In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not considered proper for use as a cloth face mask as it is a religious cloth.{{cite web |url= https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/for-women-dupattas-turn-protective-gear/articleshow/74921046.cms|title=For women, dupattas turn protective gear |publisher = Times of India |date= 1 April 2020}}

A dupatta used as a covering for the head and face is called a ghoonghat. It was customary for new brides to wear a ghoonghat to protect them from the evil eye. In Nepal a dupatta or similar shawl is called a pachaura.{{cite web | url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_As1993-01-7 | title=Shawl | British Museum }}

Since dupattas are worn across the Indian subcontinent, and are part of modest dress worn by women irrespective of religion or culture; they appear in diverse forms, many of which are characteristic of regions of the subcontinent.{{Cite web |title=Types of Dupatta: Find Beauty in Simplicity |url=https://www.exoticindiaart.com/blog/types-of-dupatta/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=www.exoticindiaart.com |language=en}} Phulkari dupattas, which originate from Punjab, display intricate floral patterns, while Bandhani dupattas (or Bandhej dupattas), originating from Gujarat and Rajasthan, feature tie-dye patterns. Dupattas can also be made from velvet or silk, or printed with modern designs; Banarasi silk dupattas, native to Varanasi, are adorned with zari brocade work and traditional motifs.

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