By Hemant SharmaIndia is a land of vibrant cultures and this diversity is beautifully reflected in the traditional clothing of each state. From north to south, east to west every region dresses differently based on weather, culture and tradition. Now let’s take a beautiful journey across India to explore the traditional Dress of All States in India. We will go alphabetically.
1. Andhra Pradesh
Men in Andhra Pradesh wear cotton dhotis and shirts, mainly in rural areas. Lungis are also common which is often worn at home in a casual manner or in hot conditions. During festivals and ceremonies, they may wear an Angavastram over the shoulder. Women typically wear sarees made from handloom fabrics like Pochampally or Mangalagiri. These sarees are bright, soft and comfortable. Gold jewelry and flowers in the hair often complete the look.
2. Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is home to many tribes, each with its own dressing style. Men often wear a Galuk, a short-sleeved coat, along with a wrap around lower garment. They also wear colourful headgear decorated with feathers. Women wear a Yemeng, a wraparound skirt, with a Pati blouse and a shawl called Kong. The patterns are hand woven and full of tribal symbols. These clothes are not just beautiful; they are also warm and practical for the hilly climate.
3. Assam
In Assam, men wear a white or cream coloured dhoti or kurta for traditional occasions. They also drape a red and white coloured towel called a Gamusa around the neck, which is a symbol of respect. Women wear a two-piece outfit called Mekhela Chador. The Mekehela is the bottom wrap, while the chador is draped over the upper body. Made from silk or cotton, these outfits often feature Assamese motifs like flowers, birds and traditional patterns.
4. Bihar
Bihar’s men traditionally wear dhoti and kurta, often in white or cream, mainly in religious events and family ceremonies. In everyday life, many also wear lungis, which are more comfortable and easy to manage. Women wear sarees with rich colours and simple borders. These are mostly made of cotton or tussar silk. During festivals, women may opt for more decorative sarees with zari work. The draping style is typically traditional and modest, reflecting cultural values.
5. West Bengal
Bengal’s traditional dresses are famous in the entire country as well, where most women just go with simple Bengali Sarees which are often seen in white color and red borders. Usually, you’ll see women wear these sarees in big festivals like Durga Puja, or if there is some other important event. Though, that’s not the only saree they go with, there are other variations too, like the Tant and Baluchari sarees, which often are made of local cotton or silk. What do men wear then traditionally? Oh, they just like to wear dhoti and long kurta. Often, the dhoti would be tucked up at the front, with a beautiful scarf of cotton attached to that.
6.Chhattisgarh
Women in Chhattisgarh definitely love to wear a plain cotton saree, Lugda, along with a blouse called Polkha. The cool tribal designs and natural hues of these fabrics will mesmerize you. This is also the go-to for festivals or any other important event too, other than that, this same style with basic colors is worn on a day-to-day basis as well. Quite naturally, men’s wear usually consists of dhotis paired with vests or bandis. By the way, a special mention of this state is the beautiful silk known as Kosa, which is used in sarees.
7. Goa
Sure enough, women in Goa love to wear either a Nav-vari saree or an extremely fancy Pano Bhaju with glitter and tons of designs. Well, Kunbi sarees, basic with checkered patterns, were favored by the tribal women some decades back. And what about the men? Like, what do men wear down there in Goa? Oh, well, they wear chill shirts and pants, usually complemented by funky local caps that are just good to look at. Though, you’ll not see many men wear super traditional attire back in Goa, there are still some who like to wear something called “Pudvem” or “Kashti.”
8. Gujarat
The Chaniya Choli is a brilliant representation of how women of Gujarat dress in an extraordinary three-piece garment filled with glitter and intense colors. Surely, you’ll find them at festivals and stuff, like Navratri. Now, the men also look cool in a flowy long top called Kediyu with Chorno pants. Though, oftentimes, it is just plain pants with colorful shirts, and that’s kinda the go to type for most men down there in Gujarat.
9. Haryana
The super colorful Ghagra-Choli outfits are definitely being rocked by women in Haryana, with a Phulkari Dupatta filled with funky designs. That Phulkari style, you’d notice, is something quite special for Punjab and Haryana. Well, mainly that’s the case! As for the men, they pretty much wear dhotis and plain kurtas before going to the villages, with a turban called Pagri, you know.
10. Himachal Pradesh
In this cold part of India, both genders go for warm clothing. That’s why women like to drape themselves in singular shawls called Pattu over their salwar-kameezes, which is a must-see for every person. These are all about a Chola with comfortable wool caps for the boys, no kidding! By the way, this place is famous for Kullu shawls and their pretty designs, so, if you’re just visiting this stunning state, you should get this one for family or friends, or maybe just gift yourself one.
11. Jharkhand
You will find most women follow the trend of simple cotton sarees in Jharkhand, a lot of them sometimes carry this signature cool silk called Tussar, which is very much made right here. What about men though? Men would carry ordinary dhotis with kurtas, as often the man would have them. In villages, women love to style their attire with accessories and put some designs on whatever they’re wearing, for sure. That’s just to level up the styling part, you know?
12. Karnataka
Karnataka is world famous for its beautiful Ilkal and Mysore silk sarees, which you may love to know or even buy sometimes when you are just paying this beautiful state a visit. These sarees are adorned with shine, which also feels good when draped with golden borders called zari, and that’s precisely the most traditional way women look here. For the men, though, you can wisely never go wrong with a lungi/panche and shirt combination. Plain and simple! No kidding, their top silk is shipped to all corners of the world.
13. Kerala
Oh, what about Kerala? You see, in Kerala, women would flaunt a beautiful white saree with gold trim called Kasava or Mundum Neriyathum. And for the men out there, well, a cool wrap called a Mundu is paired with a long shirt or kurta. Yes, that’s also called Lungi in the general language in the country. Surely, you will find them on festivals and weddings, that’s literally the go-to attire for most men down there in Kerala.
14. Madhya Pradesh
Without a doubt, women in Madhya Pradesh wear wonderful Chanderi sarees, a fusion of silk and cotton. The lightweight, with their cool designs of animals or coins (or something like that most of the time), and super-soft. Well, just like many other states in the country, the men of Madhya Pradesh like to have it simple and super comfortable, and that’s the reason most of them just go with dhotis and kurtas, sometimes donning a bandi vest, pretty cool, we’d say.
15. Maharashtra
To be honest, for women out there of Maharashtra, a Nauvari saree is unlike anything else, measuring nine yards in length and draped like a pair of as-you-please pants. Talk about working it and looking fab, oh yes, you would! Sure, it is true that you’ll see mostly men in Maharashtra in general western attire, but since we’re talking about traditional dress, well, in that case, men down there likes to go with dhotis, cotton kurtas, and festive headgear ranging from a Pheta to a Pagadi, while they cannot forget to layer a bandi vest for the really big occasions.
16. Manipur
Manipur is a place where you see women styling a really nice piece of clothing called Phanek, usually worn with a shawl which is called Innaphi, as you would love. Some of the women from the Meitei community also wear fancy Phanek, called Kanap Phanek, which is filled with designs. For boys/men out there, well, it goes down to a chill white dhoti, kurta and a turban, you know. And the rest of the time, they would wear special stuff like Lai-Phi and Chin-Phi, which are pretty cool, by the way.
17. Meghalaya
So, women in the Meghalaya state possess this beauty called Jainsem or Dhara, really awesome colorful dresses with broad borders that really catch your attention! For sure, Khasi (which is a tribe name) women wear all that all the time. And the men? Simple, they just have the cool top called Jymphong with ordinary pants. And yes, these are, in general, tribal and Christian hues/vibes, you know, super typical for Meghalaya.
18. Mizoram
Mizo women habitually wear the Puan, that super-cool hand-woven skirt worn with a Kawrechi blouse, have seen that somewhere? Quite fabulous, indeed! They put on the Puanchei, the brighter and much more merrier version, for weddings and dances-they know how to celebrate! The men in Mizoram? They wear light cotton shirts with a turban in summer, and as the temperature starts dipping, they swap their shirts for warm coats. Nothing complex here!
19. Nagaland
Now, the dress is quite distinct from one tribe to another: Angami, Ao, and Chakhesang. And does this account for very distinct modes of dressing? Women look drop-dead gorgeous in skirts and tops with a sprinkling of amazing jewelry! Their men shine brightly in shirts and pants jangled with strings of beads, headgears, and war insignia/symbols. The Naga shawl, which is worn by everyone, is equally special and is a reflection of the stories woven into its designs.
20. Odisha
Okay, so women in Odisha usually go with simple choices such as Sambalpuri and Bomkai sarees. These sarees are made in an extremely interesting way whereby the threads are dyed before weaving to get that mind-blowing pattern. They’ve got some really cool designs, like shells, fish, and flowers. What men do, they just wear dhotis and kurtas, and it’ll certainly be found in temples and festivals.
21. Punjab
Well, that is the Patiala suit. You know like it is very much famous in Punjab, especially among women. It has a loose, pleated salwar, short kameez, and a bright dupatta, all very stylish and perfect for enjoying the spirit of an occasion. While men wear a lot of kurta-pajama, there is also the discussion about turban, you know, an important part of Sikh identity. In villages, men sometimes wear a Tehmat, which is kinda like just baggy pants.
22. Rajasthan
So, here’s a state with Rajasthani females in a super-traditional ghagra-choli or lehenga-choli attire, the one that really goes good with very bright colors along with mirror work (very detailed quite often) and embroidery. Men would go nothing beyond a dhoti, a long kurta, and an angarkha. And this, with the turban, is called a Safa or Pagri, the type that goes according to area or community, you know. Though, Rajasthan is considered like a super traditional state, you won’t find the young generation here wearing traditional dress, as that seems to be the case with any state out there.
23. Sikkim
Okay, so women from Sikkim wear Bakhu or Kira. It’s a very long outfit, and it has been tied very nicely. They usually wear it with a silk blouse. Male counterparts wear a Bakhu too, and sometimes have it with a very cool waistcoat known as Jyajya. And a long woolen hat, it’s called Shambo, it is like really good or go-to for special events or cold weather.
24. Tamil Nadu
Well, it kinda looks like here that all the women like to wear or go about Kanjeevaram sarees, which are woven from the purest silk and have super-duper shining gold borders. These sarees are of really good quality, often handed down from the mother to the daughter. And the men just wear a plain white or cream veshti with a shirt. And for fancy events, they throw on a cool shawl called Angavastram over one shoulder.
25. Telangana
Okay, so the women of Telangana are really crazy about the Pochampally and the Gadwal sarees, the ones with such great designs on silky fabric. And bright colors with geometric patterns, so easy to wear. Simple. Men just wear the Pancha, like a dhoti. For special occasions, they may wear a fancy sherwani, typical to the old Nizam days of Hyderabad.
26. Tripura
Now, women wear colorful outfits called Rignai and Risa that are complemented by cool-beaded necklaces and top wear. The men wear pants called Pachra or Rikutu Gamcha with cotton shirts called Kubai. Therefore, these attires reflect the tribal traditions of Tripura and that’s kinda one of the most important things for the people down there in this state to preserve their culture.
27. Uttar Pradesh
Talking about UP, there are gorgeous Chikankari sarees embellished with white thread over soft fabrics done by hand. Which can easily be identified like from a distance and that too pretty easily because it just looks stunning. The lehengas are a huge favorite among women for any festival. Usually, men down there in this state can be seen in simple kurta-pajama attire, a sherwani with a suave stole is worn to marriages or grand events.
28. Uttarakhand
Garhwal and Kumaon are pretty different as far as Uttarakhand’s traditional dresses are concerned. Though, women can be mostly seen in Ghagra-Choli, you know, mostly covering it with a very rich veil called Pichora, which is simply worn for their weddings or some other important event. Men’s traditional dress in Uttarakhand? Oh, well, they mostly go with dhotis, which are complemented by easy/cozy jackets in cold climates. Finally, they wear a fashionable headpiece called a topi.