15. Description of the Dress of women

Women generally seem to have put on at least three clothings, one of them reaching well over the head, the other serving as the undergarment, and the third one used for securing the breasts. Both the north Indian as well as the south Indian styles are referred to by Dhanapala; the former one being described in connection with 330. cf. infra; also cf.Tilakamanjari,p.301(1) ruttariyamsukaih ----- 331. cf. ibid.,p.125(19) --- sveta cinam suka cinavasasa canivastradvayem nam----- ; 311 (15) indragopakaruna yutibhi- \; 229(8ff.) da 332. ibid.,p.165 (6) .-- patta suko snisina ke sabharana ... ; 232 (23):-- usnisa patta krta sirovedanah- ..) pradhana ratmadhyaksama 1 333. cf. ibid., p. 63 (4) anulbano dara vesa kara dharina mahodadhi namana ; 323 (6) grhatiruciradvesah .. 334. cf. ibid.,p.151(4ff.) --Atufioni fot 335. cf. ibid.,p.236 (6ff.) -- vidhrtajina tra 1 jatakalapa stapasa kalpam kalayadbhih-- 1

561 Tilakamanjari, and the latter one with reference to Malayasudari. Tilakamanjari is said to have worn a clothing which hung from her waist and covered the lower half of the body right from the hips. coat is meant here. Another item of her dress mentioned by Dhanapala is the garment which covered her breasts. The reference here is obviously to the blouse or bodice, The 'Vaikaksyaka' might connote a garland or a sort of an 336 We might conjecture that the petti- 338. 337 upper garment. It might also have been that young unmarried girls might not be normally putting on the upper garment in domestic company. The details of female-dress are more numerous in the case of Malayasundari. As a princess, she put on a pair of stripped red clothings after her bath and in that dress see went to see her parents. 339 The upper garment could be fastened at the waist with aknot and could at times cover 340 up the whole of the body. There is a mention of a beautiful 'gatrika-bandha' of the upper garment over the breasts. 336. Cf.Tilakamanjari,p.354(12) niksanam--- 1 337. ibid.,p:354(17ff.) jaghanamandala saktam nibidi krtya vikhrasta nivi ullasita stanamsuka 338. cf. Amarakosha, II, vi, 136 kanthadvai kaksakam tu tat | yattiryak ksiptamurasi .... on which see Nam, Can. 1 ; also Abhidhana-cintamani of Hemachandra, Thiefer ksiplamalyasya | III, 336 : vaikakse pavase tarasa ौ brhatikapi ca | 339. Tilakamanjari,p.300 (13££ . ) - krtabhiseka raktasom ke pusya vatalam paridhaya patta vaso yugalam ... 340. cf.ibid.,p.302 (17ff.) -- apapadaniparinahena pratanuna cinamsuka- patena pracchadya sarvatah f you el q sariram 341. cf.ibid.,p.313(17) sanaih sanaiitthaya krtasiro vagunthana ... |

562 It seems to have been customary To cover the head, if not even the face, with the upper garment in presence of persons 342 like one's husband as a mark of respect or bashfulness. F, A sort of a blouse or bodice was definitely worn under the 343 upper garment. The details about the way of wearing the lower garment are interesting. The reference to the practice of beautifully tying twofold 'Kaksa' on both legs, which 344 naturally brought out the hips more prominently, reminds us of the way in which orthodox middle-aged and aged women of South India wear their eight-yard 'Sari' in the manner of modern 'Dhoti' worn in the double-kaccha' style in Maharashtra. Naturally the garment had to be tied very tightly on to the waist. 346. As an ascetic woman, Malayasundari is shown to be putting on a white bark garment. Besides, there are stray reference to the white dress of celestial women, the multicoloured undergarments of the courtezans, and covering of the face with the upper garment drawn down from the head 347 by the 'Abhisarikas' 342. Tilakamanjari,p.306(3ff.) vidhaya ciramuttariyena -- kucamandalasyopari -- 1 1427224 acchadilodara bali 1; 306 (2f£.) bandhure gatrika bandha m 343. ibid., p.160 (10ff.) 47092 tryasya asithila ke cuka vrttasthapi 344. ibid.♚♚p.160 (8ff.) ubhayathapi parimandaloruna 345. (See p.563) kancukala - kuca mandalastha-- 1 dvidhapi nibina kaksa HT- bandha bandhurena |