Traditional Dress of Himachal Pradesh | Himachal Traditional Dress

Traditional Dresses of Himachal Pradesh: As we know that dresses are an essential part of our life as well as our culture. Dresses represent our tradition and tell us about the depth of it. Many researchers used to study the dress culture of a particular cast or tribe to know more about them.

So, we are going to discuss some of the dresses of Himachal Pradesh that everybody needs to try. Some of them are:

#1.Rajputana Men Churidaar Pajamas

The dress is one of the most famous dresses worn in Himachal by the Rajputana men. Rajputana men used to wear these pajamas under the Kurtas. Over the kurtas, they wear long overcoats made of Yak leather embroidered with gold threads to give them a traditional look. They also used to wear Different-different coloured turban on the head to match the look and these whole things give a rich look to the dress.

During the time of events, men used to wear embroidered caps which seems good on clothes. One more thing is that this dress is also used to wear by the Brahmans in the upper parts of Himachal. The dress is one of the most famous dresses of Himachal mainly in the places near Kullu and Manali.

#2. Caps and Shawls of Kullu

These things are very famous around all the states of India. These are known by different-different names around the states like Himachali Caps or topis and Gaadi caps, Kinnauri caps, etc. This is considered the most essential part of the Himachali Culture, without this Himachali culture, can’t be fulfilled.

The cap usually consists of a round structure which is very smooth in cushioning. There is a semicircle patch of colourful cloth attached in front which we have used to attach the Kalgi or any such type of beautiful flowers, etc to it. These caps are very common nowadays as you can see these even in any marketplace.

These caps are also related to the religious aspect of Himachalis. It is considered that these caps are worn to show gratitude to Lord Shiva. So, they bring prosperity to our lives and we can live our life without any fear. These caps generally originated from the Kullu region.

#3. Pashmina Shawls

Pashmina Shawls are also one the famous item of the Himachal dress culture. These are made up of the wool that is cut off from the sheep. This is considered the most exquisite form of handmade work. This type of beautiful work is not easily seen in this world of machine-made things.

it is said that the concept of Pashmina was first introduced by the Mughals and in the past times these shawls are used as vital additions to the dowry during marriages.

These shawls are mainly found in the region of Ladakh and many other such places where temp decreases to a level of negatives.

#4. Kullu Shawls

One more beautiful and very famous thing from the Kullu that brings many tourists to this place. Kullu shawls are very famous now in the plain parts of north India like Chandigarh, Delhi, Ludhiana, etc. The best thing about these Shawls is they have a very big border on the edges which gives them a very bolder look. The border on the shawls is embroidered with threads of different-different coolers, which gives a very soothing effect on the eyes. The shades of coolers included in the design of shawls may include up to the count of eight. These shawls are mainly designed by the artisans of Rampura who are very famous for their Handmade work.

The prices of these shawls are quite higher as because of the time consumed to weave it and the materials used in the making of the shawls.

#5. Chambyali Dress

The dress is native to Chamba as this dress belongs to the community of Gaddis, who are primarily residents of this place. This dress consists of Ghagra choli made up of cloth having a polka dot-like pattern printed over it. Then women used to wear 6 to 7 meters of the long rope-like thing called Pattoo on the stomach, which is made of wool. While on the other hand, men used to wear white Kurta and pajama and they also used to wear this rope-like belt over that. They also used to wear on the head.

While women have to wear Jewellery made of silver on that so to complement the whole dress.

This dress is generally related to Lord Shiva as it is considered that the rope-like structure is worn on the dress to show respect to the god and thank them for such a prosperous moment.

This dress is mainly worn by the students of the school during school functions and is becoming famous rapidly.

#6. Tribal dresses in Himachal

As we know that in Himachal many people belong to different-different tribes used to live, which means they have different cultures and traditions and also dresses. What does this mean? Diversity, Himachal Pradesh provides all rights to people to enjoy their cultures in their form and ways.

There are many tribes resident in Himachal mainly in the region of the Kullu, Lahul, Spiti, and also in the regions near Kinnaur. They all used to practice their rituals in their way and they have different-different dresses like Dohru, stall, and Bushehri topi. Women of these societies used to wear heavy ornaments made of silver, etc which is part of their dress, and this is all they have done to perform their rituals.

They have dresses similar to the dresses of Brahmins, Rajputanas, and Gaddis but the way they celebrate their occasions is different from ours. Some of the Dresses they used to wear were named ‘Sultan’, ‘Chola’ and ‘Thipu’.

So, the dresses play a very vital role in representing the cultural outlooks of the particular caste or state. These may differ for different-different regions. What you all have to do is to try and enjoy everything you see in your life. As life is the most prominent gift of god to us and we always have to be very thankful to god for this.