Similar to sarongs, dhotis are commonly worn with western-style oxford shirts by the men of South India.

The dhoti, called Laacha in Punjabi, mundu in Malayalam, dhuti in Bangla, vaetti in Tamil, pancha in Telugu, dhotar in Marathi and panche in Kannada, is the traditional garment of men's wear in South Asia, especially India. It is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 5 yards long, wrapped about the waist and the legs, and knotted at the waist. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 666 KB)Sri Ponnumala C. of Palakkad, India, atop the 18th century Tippu Sultan Fort built by Haider Ali, emperor of Mysore province. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 666 KB)Sri Ponnumala C. of Palakkad, India, atop the 18th century Tippu Sultan Fort built by Haider Ali, emperor of Mysore province. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, Panjābī in Shāhmukhī) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ... Malayalam (മലയാളം ) is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... This article is about the Bengali language. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... “Telugu” redirects here. ... Marathi is one of the widely spoken languages of India, and has a long literary history. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ...

In northern India, the garment is worn with a Kurta on top, the combination known simply as "dhoti kurta", or a "dhuti panjabi" in the East. In southern India, it is worn with an angavastram (another unstitched cloth draped over the shoulders) or else with a "chokka"(shirt) or "jubba"(a local version of kurta). The lungi is a similar piece of cloth worn in similar manner, though only on informal occasions. A kurta (or sometimes kurti, for women) is a traditional piece of clothing worn in Afghanistan, northern India, and Pakistan. ... A boy in a village of Narail, Bangladesh wearing a lungi with single knot. ...

Custom and usage

The dhoti is considered formal wear all over the country. It is eminently acceptable wherever "formal wear" is bespoken or enjoined in India. Apart from all government and traditional family functions, the dhoti is also deemed acceptable at posh country clubs and at other establishments that enforce strict formal dress codes. The garment enjoys a similar, eminent status across the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. In many of these countries, the garment has become something of a mascot of cultural assertion, being greatly favoured by politicians and cultural icons such as classical musicians, poets and literatteurs. Thus, the dhoti for many has taken on a more cultural nuance while the 'suit-and-tie' or, in less formal occasions, the ubiquitous shirt and pants, are seen as standard formal and semi-formal wear. Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ...

A Chakravati wears a pancha in an ancient style. First century BCE/CE. Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. Musee Guimet

In southern India, the garment is worn at all cultural occasions and traditional ceremonies. The bride-groom in a south Indian wedding and the host/main male participant of other rituals and ceremonies have necessarily to be dressed in the traditional pancha while performing the ceremonies. Many of the more important temples in southern India demand that males entering the precincts of the temple be dressed formally in veshti and angavastram.(??) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (870x1057, 216 KB) Summary A Chakravatin, 1st century BCE/CE. Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (870x1057, 216 KB) Summary A Chakravatin, 1st century BCE/CE. Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. ... This article is about a city. ... Guimet in his museum. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ...

Unspoken rules of etiquette govern the way the pancha is worn. In south India, men will occasionally fold the garment in half to resemble a short skirt when working, cycling, etc., and this reveals the legs from the knee downwards. However, it is considered disrespectful to speak to men or to one's social inferiors with the dhoti folded up in this manner. When faced with such a social situation, the fold of the package is loosened with an imperceptible yank of the hand and allowed to cover the legs completely.

Dhotis are worn by western adherents of the Hare Krishna sect, which is known for promoting a distinctive dress code amongst its practitioners, with followers wearing saffron or white coloured cloth, folded in the traditional style. Mahatma Gandhi invariably wore a pancha on public occasions^{[citation needed]}, but he was well aware that it was considered "indecent" in other countries and was shocked when a friend wore one in London. (See The Story of My Experiments with Truth/Part I/Narayan Hemchandra.) Binomial name Crocus sativus L. Saffron (IPA: ) is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: , Hindi: , IAST: mohandās karamcand gāndhī, IPA: ) (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. ...

The genteel Bengali man is stereotyped in popular culture as wearing expensive perfumes, a light panjabi and an elaborate dhuti with rich pleats ,the front corner of the cloth being stiffed like a japanese fan and holding it in his hand; whilst feverishly discussing politics and literature. It is considered the most elegant costume and is worn at bengali weddings and cultural festivals. The Bengali people are the ethnic community from Bengal (divided between India and Bangladesh) on the Indian subcontinent with a history dating back four millennia. ... Punjabi (sometimes spelled Panjabi) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ...

Over the past century or more, western styles of clothing have been steadily gaining ground in the region, gradually rendering the pancha a garment for home-wear, not generally worn to work. It is less popular among the youth in major metropolises and is viewed as rustic, unfashionable and not 'hip' enough for the younger age-set. However, use of the dhoti as a garment of daily use and homewear continues largely unabated.

Dhoti's are worn everday in the Rajput caste, and it is a disgrace to talk to a Rajput without wearing a dhoti.

Styles and varieties

The garment is known as the vaetti in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is called pancha in Andhra Pradesh and panche in Karnataka and dhuti in bengal. The word is related to the Sanskrit "pancha" meaning "five"; this may be a reference either to the fact that a 5-yard-long strip of cloth is used.It is also related to the sanskrit word 'dhuvati' .In one elaborate south Indian style of draping the garment, five knots are used to wrap the garment, and this also is sometimes held to have originated the word. South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... “Andhra” redirects here. ... , Karnātakā   (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙ্গদেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

It is usually white or cream in colour, although colourful hues are used for specific religious occasions or sometimes to create more vivid ensembles. Off- white dhuti is generally worn by the groom in bengali weddings.White or turmeric-yellow is the prescribed hues to be worn by men at their weddings and upanayanams. Silk panchas, called Magatam or Pattu Pancha in south Indiapossibly Tamil Nadu, and Andhra respectively, are often used on these special occasions. Vermilion-red dhotis, called 'sowlay', is often used by priests at temples, especially in Maharashtra. Kings and poets used rich colors and elaborate gold-thread embroideries. Cotton dhotis suit the climatic conditions for daily usage. Silk panchass are suited for special occasions and are expensive. Binomial name Linnaeus Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae which is native to tropical South Asia. ... Upanayanam, sometimes known outside India by the name, sacred thread ceremony, is a Hindu rite-of-passage ritual. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Vermilion, also spelled vermillion, when found naturally-occurring, is an opaque reddish orange pigment, used since antiquity, originally derived from the powdered mineral cinnabar. ... , Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र , IPA:  , translation: Great Nation) is Indias third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. ...

There are several different ways of draping the panchas. The two most popular ones in south india are the plain wrap and the Pancha katcham(possibly in Tamil Nadu)or (five knots or five folds). The first style is mostly seen in south India as shown in picture. It is a simple wrap around the waist and resembles a long skirt. It will be folded in half up to knees while working. Second style is folding around the waist in the middle of the garment and tying the top ends in the front like a belt and tucking the falling left and right ends in the back. Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

Along with dhoti, the angavastram (an extra piece of cloth) will be draped depending on the usage. Farmers carry it on one shoulder and treat it as sweat towel. Bride grooms use it as entire upper garment. It will be folded decoratively around the waist while dancing. Priests wrap about the waist as the extra layer.

It is also worn in East Africa, mainly by the Somalis and Afars, it is called a ma'awees.

See also

• Sari
• Lungi
• Longyi
• Sampot

For the city, see Sari, Iran. ... A boy in a village of Narail, Bangladesh wearing a lungi with single knot. ... Longyi is a sheet of cloth. ... The sampot is the national garment of Cambodia. ...

External links

• Dhotis
• How to tie a dhoti
• How to tie a veshti
• How to wear a dhoti