Saree is a marvel. It's a fine creation which gives that sensuous and caring touch, feminine appeal and above all aided by these factors gives its wearer, obviously a lady, that special sparkle and charm. It has been a part and parcel of the Indian and sub-continent body polity since ages and today it stands tall among the galaxy of women's wear. It has withstood the ravages of father time, seen through dynasties and battles of yore and has emerged unscathed in spite of having the hardest of trials of being done away with.

My goodness, it sure is a wonder, so many years gone by and yet it exists. That's what is called timeless appeal and beyond compare. Its history, growth, and what make it so alluring is a subject of fascination and queries. It's worthwhile to make a thorough read up of the same.

Fabled History

What can one say about it? Words run out and one runs out of adjectives to describe the same. Words like rich, class; masterpiece, rare appeal, and above all pure plus simple magic can be illustrated to describe it. Records reveal that it has the oldest existence in the world of garments. It is also regarded as the longest running female garment in the world.

Its origin goes back to 5,000 years ago; mention of it is there in the great masterpiece Vedas, a literature that is the oldest, way back in 3,000 BC. Not only has it seen through the rise and fall of kingdoms, legacies and regimes but also many an alien influx, with élan, fortitude and grace.

It boasts of various names such as Saree, Seere, Sadi, the term Saree comes from a Sanskrit word 'sati', which means strip of cloth. The same word evolved into the Prakrit 'sadi' and was subsequently converted into the word 'Saree'.

The history of Indian civilisation reveals that unstitched fabric has been the fulcrum for its apparel development. Saree along with dhoti, lungi, dupatta and so on falls under this category. The reason for this has been attributed to the belief that such a fabric is pure.

There have been some misinterpretations of the garment, its origin, and other such ilk. Some people attributed the garment to be a straight lift from a Greek or Roman toga one sees on medieval statues. That is not correct, since the garment is cent-per-cent an Indian one, and originated from the compulsions of sub-continent weather conditions. Saree is manufactured from a crop called cotton. This crop existed in India much before Greek legend Alexander, or for that matter any invader set foot on Indian soil. That in addition, centuries back of the same. The other interesting titbits worth a reveal are:

• In the early stages, people of both sexes wore the garment. It became more refined, adjustable and in tune with the gender needs of men and women. This was necessitated by various considerations such as region and social conditions. With passage of time, the garment came to be known as dhoti and made in tune with the physical appearance of men folk. And the same with women, for whom the garment's name remained the same, that is, Saree.

• Early examples of Indian art support the existence of Saree. Scriptures from the Gandharva, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st-6thcentury AD) reveal that the Saree in its earlier form was a brief garment with a veil.

• Ancient records also support the fact that in South India the Saree has been for a long period a single piece of material, which served as both skirt and veil. This trend continues to date in some rural areas.

• The well-known Indian painter of the 19thcentury Raja Raviverma in his time was asked to do a neat paint-up on various goddesses. Towards this purpose, he looked for a wear, which suited the goddesses he was to paint.

• He scouted the length and breadth of the whole sub-continent for that elusive perfect female-wear. He found one, in the form of Saree, a garment that in his opinion made for a perfect female wear. It fitted and presented a woman, as they should be.

• Famous Indian historical heroines like Queen Jhansi Laxmibai, Belawadi Mallamma and Kittur Chennamma wore Saree during their battles. Neat and tightly away, Saree enabled them to battle enemy troops on horseback.

• A worn-out Saree was and is used in many innovative ways. Once its usefulness as a garment wears tapers off, they were and continue to be used as a bed sheet cover; the torn part of the garment was covered by a cloth and used as such. Village women use Saree as pouches and bags to carry grocery and their little ones. On some occasions, they are used by village folk as a cradle, tying the ends of a Saree to nearby trees.

• They are also used as towels, napkins, and so on long after they are worn out.

• Ancient western historians like Herodotus and so on thought that Saree were cloth-growing trees in India.

Significance of color in sarees

SAREE, the world's oldest surviving garment, is still de rigueur outfit for most brides. Indian marriages showcase our ancient rich heritage in the repertoire of saris draped by brides from different regions. Even colours and patterns woven in various fabrics of saree, signify many beliefs embedded in our culture.

Undeniably a bride's charm heightens more in a beautiful sari. The modern bride has access to almost a limitless rich and varied sarees ranging from Mysore silks, Banarsis, Kanjivarams, Paithanis, Pochampallis, Patolas, Tanchois, Tangails, Jamawars, Balucharis, Zardosis, Gharcholas, those embellished with rich gold and silver embroidery, mirrors, crystals and beads to designer saris. Indeed, its difficult for a bride to choose a suitable one for most important day in her life, her wedding day, when all eyes are upon her. How will she decide which one to drape for this occasion?

Although every bride has a ritual bath, significantly it is class, caste, ethnicity and regional customs that determine what kind of a sari she will adorn herself with in terms of fabric, colour and pattern. Moreover, there are many sari-draping styles that vary from region to region.

As is commonly believed, all Indian brides do not wear fiery red saris (lehenga for Rajasthani ones). Only ones from north India, Bengal as well as Brahmins of south India do so, regarding red as colour of blood and marital bliss having several emotional, sexual and fertility related qualities. Auspicious red is prominently portrayed in matrimonial symbols like sindoor, bindi and chura (traditional red and ivory bangles) of Punjabi brides. Variations of red are burgundy, magenta, pink and orange, blue and black being inauspicious.

Yellow ranks as a sacred colour in many Indian weddings since it is linked with prosperity (depicted as good harvest of wheat and mustard), healing and religion. A maternal grandmother from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh gifts a piri i.e. yellow sari to the bride for lagan while a groom dons a golden yellow dhoti or a jama-chola. A pitambar i.e. a yellow odhni or shawl covers the shoulders. In the Kangra region, the maternal aunt used to stitch a yellow full-length ling-chola during once-lengthy pheras, now it is worn as an under-kameez or has been done away with.

Interestingly, in some communities during the haldi ceremony, yellow clothes are donned and yellow delicacies like zarda-flavoured dishes, kesar kheer, yellow-tinged ladoos, jalebi, halwa, rice and makki ki roti relished. After all, beti ke haath pile kiye ja rahen hain.

For the wedding puja, a Maharashtrian bride wears a yellow silk sari given by her maternal uncle. Brides of certain Telugu and Tamil castes don sarees of around eight metres in length that are dyed in turmeric during the wedding ceremony when the groom ties a tali (wedding necklace) around the bride's neck. Sometimes, a string dipped in turmeric paste substitutes for a tali. Rajasthani women wear yellow in sawan, which oddly attracts insects!

For Maharashtrian bride, green colour dominates symbolising fertility and prosperity. Invariably, she drapes a green sari with a red border, even her wrists being covered with proverbial hare kaanch ki churiyan. Traditionally, a Maharashtrian bride ties a nine yards saree, nav-vari or lugda in kaccha style. The free end of the front pleats is drawn between legs and then tucked into back of waist, thus revealing her legs' beauty. The pallu rises from behind, cutting diagonally across the body, going towards her pelvic.

Surprisingly, white, a colour that usually symbolises mourning, especially widowhood, is the bridal hue in some regions since it also symbolises virginity and chastity. A Santhali tribal bride prefers a khandi i.e. a white saree with a purple border, four metres in length. Assamese brides don their traditionally white with a zari border, mekhla chaddar. The Malyali bride from lush green coconut groves and backwaters of Kerala, wears her setmundu i.e. bridal sari in typical creamy white colour, bordered in gold, traditional one being in two parts. A white saree (but with a red border called panitra), is also draped by a Gujarati bride for jaimala, though a colourful one is worn for pheras.

It's a matter of checks, though differently patterned, when it comes to bridal sarees of Gujarat in the west and Orissa in the east! For the actual wedding ceremony, a Gujarati bride drapes the famous traditional gharchola saree. It is usually red-hued with gold woven bands of zari over a network of checks (with small golden motifs like peacock or lotus in the centre), being ritually in multiples of nine, 12 and 52! Gharcholas are tied and dyed in Kutch with final red colour dyeing being done in Jamnagar because of special quality of water there. The pallu is displayed as it flows down the shoulder from back.

Saptakar, the bridal saree of Orissa, usually in Tussar silk, bears a checkerboard pattern in white, red and black colours. Interestingly, saptakar is also name of a board game, which the couple plays after wedding, when they are alone together for first time. It's a game of dice where a small shell serves as a dice. As per rules, the groom snatches the shell from his wife's grasp, which customarily she lets go. However, in a wedding in the Oriya village of Nimashahi, the bride refused to leave it and was beaten till she fell unconscious. Ultimately, both were remarried to different persons, as they were not made for each other!

Kin-khwab (where silk is barely visible underneath the zari) silk brocades of Banaras, the triumph of weaver's art, are a favourite with brides. Floral motifs in sarees generically called phoola (flowers) serve as fertility symbols. Motifs are of mango, lotus, rose, lily, jasmine, chrysanthemum, etc. repeated at regular intervals with borders and pallu of inter-twining creepers and flowers. But the ketaki flower is not woven, as it is said to be cursed by Lord Shiva.

Interestingly, Kanjeevaram sarees' body, border and pallu are separately woven and then interlocked into a saree. They are dominated by patterns like temple motifs, elephants, birds like parrots, peacocks and flowers symbolising water, fertility and fecundity. Modern designs bear stripes and checks.

The Manipuri bride drapes a sarong-like phanek with a gossamer veil. Sociologists regard mekhla and phanek as variations of the saree. Coorgis from Central and South India wear a saree to look like a western full-length gown. It's tied over the chest and the knotted end is below armpits, while the pallu is usually pinned over the right shoulder.

Tribal affiliation also determines what a bride wears. Ethnicity surrounds a Sambalpuri bridal saree. The pallu portrays a pair of clasped hand being symbolic of union of a man and woman. The ikat sari has a clay pot filled with rice or water, covered with mango leaves and topped with a coconut, symbolising fertility and prosperous union.

Never losing its appeal for brides of all ages and means, saree is always unchanging and yet ever new and graceful in its various styles, serving to highlight her curves and hiding her bulges, giving a feminine look even to a tomboyish bride. With changing attitudes, fashion, designing and emergence of various sub-cultures in metropolis, sari codes have changed. However, brides opine that the wedding day is the right occasion to wear a traditional saree. When else will she wear it?

What Makes it So Popular and Appealing

This is a question, which is undoubtedly asked frequently, and there is no reason why it should be so. The structure and layout of the garment just fits in with the physical appearance of a Indian women.

It is a graceful, decent, enchanting, and easily wearable garment, which presents the timeless beauty and striking appeal of an Indian woman. Women just love it for its aesthetic appearance and if the garment is devised in a properly structured manner, then women find it all the more appealing.

It fits with ease and comfort the need of any woman since it is not cut nor tailored for any particular size. The other plus points loaded in its favour is that it can be worn in several ways and cuts across factors such as status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.

Indian woman are acknowledged the world over for their beauty, and this is amplified further when they are decked up in an alluring manner. Towards this endeavour Saree plays a vital part. It transforms the looks and appeal of even an elderly Indian woman in a neat and admirable manner. The charm is magnified more when the garment is draped properly.

A chic modern woman looks elegant and neat in a Saree; hair cut short and trimmed projects the picture of a stylish Indian corporate office goer. The picture is further heightened with a modern office briefcase in hand.

Tradition and modernity apart, the garment has been and will continue to remain an elegant Indian women's wear. With modern techniques and clever insights the garment would continue to have an impact of its own.

Saree is not only popular in India, but also in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Fiji, and Mauritius and so on.