the history of the world is divided in various ages

8/11/2019 The History of the World is Divided in Various Ages

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The history of the world is divided in various ages, which have their own significant cultures. These

ages are further divided into BC and AD, the timelines before Christ's birth and after His death. Onesuch era that the world witnessed is the Vedic era, which was mostly related to the Indian region.

The Vedic age or the Vedic period was the time duration between 1500 to 500 BC and is called so

because it was during this period that the Vedas were being written. The Vedas are books or texts

that are related to the religion followed by the Indo-Aryans, or Hindus.

Since, this age was known to be Vedic only in the Indian subcontinent, the earlier years of this age

usually overlap with the Later Harappan period. The Vedic period is also divided into early and later

years, for the purpose of studies. As the Indian man was developing in this age, one of the most

significant inventions was weaving of cloth and making clothes.

Costumes During the Vedic Period

When the Aryans settled in the Indus valley, which was then known as the Sapta Sindhu (today's

Northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan), there was no civilization. The Vedic period began when

the Aryans started their civilization in these areas, flourished and later traveled across the world. In

India, the Vedic period was also known to be a flourishing time for the Sanskrit literature and Indian

culture. During this period, the Vedas were written in four strata which were distributed as: Rigveda,

Yajurveda, Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda.

However, it was the period of Rigveda when the Vedic civilization took deep roots in the Indian

valley. Throughout this era, people grew from domesticating cattle, to learning the art of farming,

building weaponry, preparing medicines and stitching clothes. The clothes of this period are used as

the "traditional attire" of India as it was this land where these costumes were designed and worn.

Find out what interesting clothes the people of the Vedic period wore, from the paragraphs

mentioned below.

Women's Costumes

As the Vedic people were in the initial stages of stitching clothes, the easiest piece of clothing for

women was 'the Sari'. It is a long stretch of cloth which is about six to nine yards, and is to be draped

on a woman's body in a specific manner. Even though the initial styles of draping the Sari were very

basic, they were later altered on a regional basis. However, the most common manner of draping


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the sari was, wrapping one end of the cloth around the waist, and throwing the other end over the

shoulder covering the bust area.

A blouse or a 'Choli' was later incorporated as a part of the sari, as an upper body garment withsleeves and a neck. A sari is known to be the most elegant woman's clothing in the Indian culture.

Another similar type of Vedic clothing is 'the Dupatta', which is the smaller version of the sari. It is

only a few meters long and was usually used in the later Vedic period as a part of sophisticated

garments such as, 'Ghagra Choli', where the Ghagra is a long skirt worn with a blouse and the

Dupatta.

Men's Costumes

Men too draped pieces of long clothing around them during the Vedic period. The most initial attire

of Vedic men were 'Dhotis', which are similar to a Dupatta but slightly longer. However, men draped

the Dhoti around their waste and partitioned it with pleats. There were no upper garments required

by men in this era, therefore, the Dhoti was the only piece of clothing they wore. Another similar

garment worn by men was the 'Lungi', which was simply draped around the man's waist and pleated

in the center, but is not partitioned. However, when Vedic people learned to stitch, they made 'the

Kurta' which is a loose shirt like upper body garment. Then, came the 'Pajama' which resembled a

loose trouser. Men also wore head gears such as turbans, draped in various regional styles.

With these costumes from the early and later years, hope you have learned many new facts about

the Indian culture and fashion. So, the next time you have to wear something Indian for a costume

party, pick one of these colorful and brilliantly designed clothing.

Read more at Buzzle:http://www.buzzle.com/articles/vedic-period-costumes.html

India has a diverse and rich textile tradition. The origin of Indian textiles can be traced to the Indus

valley civilization. The people of this civilization used homespun cotton for weaving their garments.

Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, have unearthed household items like needles made ofbone and spindles made of wood, amply suggesting that homespun cotton was used to make

garments. Fragments of woven cotton have also been found from these sites.

The first literary information about textiles in India can be found in the Rig-Veda, which refers to

weaving. The ancient Indian epics-Ramayana and Mahabharata also speak of a variety of fabrics of

those times. The Ramayana refers to the rich styles worn by the aristocracy on one hand and the

simple clothes worn by the commoners and ascetics. Ample evidence on the ancient textiles of India

can also be obtained from the various sculptures belonging to Mauryan and Gupta age as well asfrom ancient Buddhist scripts and murals (Ajanta caves). Legend has it that when Amrapali, a
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courtesan from the kingdom of Vaishali met Gautama Buddha, she wore a richly woven semi

transparent sari, which speaks volumes of the technical achievement of the ancient Indian weaver.

India had numerous trade links with the outside world and Indian textiles were popular in theancient world. Indian silk was popular in Rome in the early centuries of the Christian era. Hoards of

fragments of cotton material originating from Gujarat have been found in the Egyptian tombs at

Fostat, belonging to 5th century A.D. Cotton textiles were also exported to China during the heydays

of the silk route.

Silk fabrics from south India were exported to Indonesia during the 13th century. India also exported

printed cotton fabrics or chintz, to European countries and the Far East before the coming of the

Europeans to India. The British East India Company also traded in Indian cotton and silk fabrics,

which included the famous Dacca muslins. Muslins from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa were also popular

abroad.(Muslin-a very thin cotton material) (Chintz-cotton cloth, usually printed with flowery

patterns, that has a slightly shiny appearance)

The past traditions of the textile and handlooms can still be seen amongst the motifs, patterns,

designs, and the old techniques of weaving, still employed by the weavers.

BROCADES - THE TRADITION OF BRINGING SILK TO LIFE

Brocade weaving, especially with gold and silver, has been an age-old tradition in India. There are

two broad classes of brocades. Brocades of pure silk or silk and cotton blends and zari brocades with

gold and silver threads. The most important material in brocade weaving is silk. It facilitates lovely

weaves, is durable, strong, fine and smooth. There are several varieties of raw silk of which the chief

ones used for brocades are Tanduri, Banaka and Mukta. Tanduri is imported from Malda and other

places in Bengal. Banaka is thinner and finer variety and is mostly used to weave soft fabrics such as

turbans and handkerchiefs. Mukta is a coarse and durable silk used for kimkhabs, as fine silk would

not withstand heavy gold patterns.

REFINING SILK FOR BROCADE MAKING

Raw silk is specially treated for brocades. It is first twisted (called 'silk throwing') after which the

threads undergo reeling and checking for uniformity and roundness. When the yarn has been

processed, it is bleached and "degummed", as raw silk has a gum-like substance (sericin) in its

composition. This has to be removed in order to bring out the sheen and softness and to enable

penetration of the dye. The task has to be done with great care as the fibers can weaken or get

damaged. The silk is boiled in soap water for certain duration and then sent for dying.


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IMPORTANCE OF COLOR

Color plays a vital part in weaving brocade. The charm and subtle beauty of the brocade depends

upon color synchronization. Colors are surcharged with nuances of mood and poetic association infabrics and weaving as much as in painting.

Red - the color of love. The three tones of red evoke the three states of love.

Yellow - is the color of versant (spring), of young blossoms, southern winds and swarms of bees.

Nila (indigo) - the color of Lord Krishna who is likened to a rain-filled cloud.

Hari Nila - the color of water in which the sky is reflected.

Gerwa (saffron) - the color of the earth and of the yogi the wandering minstrel, the seer, the poet

who renounces the world.

Earlier, vegetable dyes were used during weaving. These produced fast colors, lasted for almost a

generation, and remained as beautiful and vivid as ever. Nowadays aniline dyes have gained

popularity as they are cheaper, less time-consuming and produce a larger variety of colors.

MAKING NAKSHAS (DESIGNS) ON BROCADES

Making of nakshas (designs) forms an important part of brocade weaving. Banaras is the main center

where the nakshabandha (designer) tradition prevails. The skill and imagination of nakshabandha

plays a prominent part in making of designs. Designs are associated with legends and symbolism.

The most popular motifs are drawn from nature. In Banaras, it is said that nakshabandha families

were brought to this country during the reign of Muhammed Tughlak (1325-1350 A.D.). They were

supreme masters of the art of tying designs into the loom. Local artisans and weavers learned this

art from these great craftsmen. Some of these craftsmen were also great poets-perhaps they wove

their poetry into their designs. One such renowned poet was Ghias-I-Naqsband, mentioned in Abul

Fazl's 'Ain-I-Akbari'. The nakshas are first worked on paper. This part of the work is called likhai

(writing). The nakshabandha then makes a little pattern of it in a framework of cotton threads like a

graph. This pattern gives guidance to the working of that design into weaving.

CHANGES IN DESIGNS THROUGH THE CENTURIES

Designs and motifs have undergone changes gradually and imperceptibly. These changes can be

traced through paintings made during different periods. Ajanta and Bagh murals show the existence

of different techniques of designs and textiles. During the Gupta period (14th century A.D.). Popular

designs were formal floral motifs or scrolls entwined with hansas or sinhas -bird and animaldepictions. In the 16th century, the old designs were replaced by Persian floral motifs. Akbari


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paintings show half-blooming flowers, the Jehangir period, full-blown blossom and the Shahjehan

period, tiny blossoms with emphasis on the leaves. In the 19th century, with the advent of British

rule, there was a drastic change in designs. Some brocades started depicting English wallpaper

designs to suit the tastes of the British rulers.

the history of the world is divided in various ages

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