Dressing style of royal servants

[Full title: Dressing style of Men: Royal servants]

Royal servants are seen in the form of dvarapalaka, chamara-dhari, gana and soldiers. Their dressing style does not differ from that of the warriors. They wear an ardoruka reaching either to the knee or thigh region supported by a kati-bandha or a kati-vastra. Further an uttariya can also be seen hanging loosely. A clear representation of the dress of a master and his servant can be had from the northern face of the second tala of Dharamaraja-ratha (fig. 108). Here Vishnu, in the company of His mount Garuda in anthromorphic form is treated in the usual purvoruka type tied in kachchha fashion along with the kat/i-bandha and uttariya. However, Garuda wears only a short garment reaching to His thigh in the form of a jhangia. It is interesting to see that many of the Vidhyadhara couples, depicted as flying in the Bhagiratha penance panel also wear a lower garment of the ardoruka type. The treatment of the dress follows the diaphanous method and only close observation reveals the border of the dress on the thigh region. A very fine example of an ardoruka can be seen in the historical panels adorning the cloister walls of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. A panel (lower row) on the northern wall depicts a sub-ordinate of the king standing before Him with his hands in anjali. He wears a knee-length short garment with horizontal striped designs on it (fig. 109). The ardoruka is further fastened by a kati-vastra with its pleat hanging beautifully in front.