The attire worn by women of Rajasthan is available in assorted varieties. The women are mainly found in costumes such as ghagra, lehenga, kunchuki, kanchli, choli, sari, and odhni. The females belonging to the affluent society can be found in dupattas and patkas. The footwear that these females wear constitutes jutees and chappals. One can even find attractive and designer footwear like the sandals which are decorated with stars and golden threads. Such sandals are very general amid the high profile women.

The attires for Rajasthani women are very much similar to the culture and religion itself which are as colorful as the atmosphere here. The seasons, emotions, moods as well as status of people are displayed by the costumes of females of Rajasthan. The splendor and color of this state are much reflected in the ornament and dress of the people living here.

Since last many years, the attire of the Rajasthani Women has displayed a particular pattern of getting dressed and this is something which is very unique to this state. Most commonly worn by the Rajasthani women has a blend of upper garment which comprises of kurti, kanchali and puthia, while the lower garment comprises of skirt or ghaghra along with a veil which is draped around the skirt from lower side to upper part of human body. A number of additions and variations are there which ensemble in different communities, however depending on the social position of the wearer. But these 3 times of clothes include the must costume which is generally worn by Rajasthani women even in present era.

One of the most significant factors which ascertain the variations in attire of women in Rajasthan is her marital status. Extremely rich fabrics, heavy ornaments and bright colors which are linked to marriage and fertility reflect her status. Speaking of sharp contrast, the dull, white and light colors which are devoid of embellishments reflect the widow status of any women. There are number of variations in color, cut and style along with embellishments which very transparently reflect the assorted communities in Rajasthan.

The attires of females in Rajasthan indicate their social status too. Like the Rajput females that belong to the affluent social order mainly follow the parda system. Here the women was restricted in her movement and was not allowed to show off much. Their attires were kept in private women quarter where they were decorated elaborately without any limitation. The female ghagras were very short displaying the exquisite leg ornaments, and they are even now displayed in the paintings. But now as the parda system is becoming out dated, the rajasthani women’s clothes are seeing a lot of transformation. The length of the ghagras has been increased to hide the legs and feet. Now days the Rajput ghagra trails all over the ground making the women appear more beautiful and lavish. There are some women that work in field. They wear ghagras which reach 10cm of length, above their ankles. Many times they even wear ankle and leg bracelets which are worn not only for the adornment but also for protecting the women against bites and brambles when they walk down the fields.

In most parts of the state, a single colorful odhni speaks that a female has not yet reached her puberty age, while a large bandhani which has a circle on the corner of the dupatta speaks that she is married, a large and single circle in the middle of the odhni (bright in color) speaks that she is a mother and if the same color shades or becomes light, it speaks that she is a widow. These old age concepts, ornaments, colors have become a significant part of the oral tradition and thought in Rajasthan.

The attire of Rajasthani women has always been a sparkling and dazzling one since many years and with passage of time, much improvement and advancement has been made on the same to make them appear more beautiful. But the convential style of Rajasthani clothes even now exists with much contemporary embellishments.

Traditional Attire for Rajasthani Women

Ghagra

This is worn by the Rajasthan females and is long skirts that touch the ankle. These have narrow waist while flare at the base. not like the normal skirts, the fabric at the end of the skirts is not folded but is a wide colored cloth which is called sinjaf that is sewen with an intention to make it strong. Ghagra’s width and no. of pleats is meant to be display the wealth of the wearer. Just like the pagari, this ghagra is available in different colors, prints and styles.

Choli/Kurti

The blouse which is worn with the cholis and ghagras are generally short blouses which are below the bust while the kurtis unlike blouses are short enough reaching the waist.

Odhna

This odhni is one of the special attire in Rajasthan and is just like duppatta that is ten feet long while is five feet wide. One end of the odhni is conventionally tucked in the ghargra at the waise and the other end is taken over the right shoulder covering the head. The motifs and colors whioch are found in these odhnis display the economic status, occasion and caste. One generally prefers tie and die, mirror work and gota work on the odhnis that have different colors like pink, yellow, red and orange. Like an odhni which is yellow in color will have red motif while at the center shall have a pila. This is said to be gifted by the parents when a girl gives birth to a son. When dressing style of females in Rajasthan is spoken, one can now say that the entire wardrobe has revamped. The women in rural as well as urban areas have changed the dressing style, grabbing the modern clothes. There are assorted variations in the attire of Rajasthani females like new fabrics, accessories, and prints.