Choli

Quality 0.50 · 4 views · Updated 2 months ago

Type of crop top worn with the sari

title: "Choli" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["embroidery-in-india", "embroidery", "indian-clothing", "kerala-clothing", "midriff", "needlework", "pakistani-clothing", "saris", "sri-lankan-clothing", "tops-(clothing)"] description: "Type of crop top worn with the sari" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choli" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Type of crop top worn with the sari ::

::callout[type=note]

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Choli.jpg" caption="Woman in choli c. 1872."] ::

A choli or ravike is a blouse or a bodice-like upper garment, that is usually cut short or cropped leaving the midriff bare worn by women in South Asia. It is also known as ravike in South India. It is worn along with a sari in the Indian subcontinent. In northern Gujarat is also known as polku. The choli is also part of the ghagra choli costume in the Indian subcontinent. Women of Rajput families wore the kurti on top of the choli, because the choli left the midriff and the back bare.

Evolution

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Kutch_blouse.jpg" caption="Choli from [[Gujarat]] at the [[Peabody Essex Museum]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/ರವಿಕೆ_-_ವ&ಅ_ಮುಸೆಉಮ್.jpg" caption="V&A Museum]]."] ::

The choli evolved from the ancient stanapatta, also known as kurpsika or kanchuki, which was one of the forms of three-piece attire worn by women during the ancient period. This consisted of the antriya lower garment; the uttariya veil worn over shoulder or head; and the stanapatta, a chest band, which is mentioned in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist Pali literature during the 6th century BC.

Paintings from Maharashtra and Gujarat from the first millennium BCE are considered the first recorded examples of the choli. Poetic references from works such as Silapadikkaram indicate that during the Sangam period (third-century BCE to fourth-century CE in ancient South India), a single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and upper shawl. Paintings and sculpture indicate that the stanapatta evolved into the choli by the first century CE, in various regional styles. Rajatarangini, a tenth-century literary work by Kalhana, states that the choli from the Deccan was introduced under the royal order in Kashmir. Early cholis were front-covering and tied at the back. Cholis of this kind are still common in state of Rajasthan. In Nepal, the garment is known as a cholo, and in Southern India as a ravike. Both of these styles are tied at the front, unlike Northern Indian cholis, which are tied at the back. In parts of the Hindi Belt, mostly in Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, women wore vest-like garments, known as kanchli, over choli; this complete costume is known as the poshak.

Historical art

Image:Ajanta Paintings.jpg|Women in Choli and Antariya CE 320 Gupta Empire. Image:Aj2.jpg|Women in Choli CE 320 Gupta Empire. The early form of Choli tied at the back with the front covering. Image:Iacuci11d0b62ppy.D.0.Ajanta-Cave-painting-Painting-Dance.jpg|Dancing girl in Kurta/Salwar-like Choli Gupta Empire. File:Krishnacart.jpg| Plaque depicting ancient form of long choli and gagra worn during Gupta Empire File:(Detail) Goddess Tara, 8th century, India.jpg|Choli garments, antariya and uttariya (veil), bronze, 8th century File:(Detail) Ratnagiri ei3-30.jpg|Choli, antariya, uttariya 7th-10th CE. File:(Detail) Prajnaparamita Sutra, Folios from a Dharanisamgraha, circa 1075.jpg|Choli, antariya, uttariya fragmented palm-leaf manuscript, 10th century CE File:Detail of a leaf with the birth of mahavira.jpg| Kalpasutra Manuscript c. 1375–1400. Example of early form of full sleeve choli. File:Detail from Kalpa Sutra Manuscript, c.1375–1400.jpg|Woman dressed in choli, antariya and uttariya (veil), ca. 1375–1400 File:Krishna Dancing with Gopis in Vrindavan, Folio from a Balagopalastuti (Praise for the Young Lord of the Cowherds) LACMA M.88.49.jpg|Manuscript folio, ca. 1450–1475 File:Krishna_defeats_Trinavarta.jpg|Bhagavata Purana manuscript c. 1525–40 File:Manuscript Folio.jpg|Bhagavata Purana manuscript c. 1525–40 File:Vasant Rangini, Detail 15th century.jpg| Detail of Vasant Ragini, Rajastani painting 1500s showing early form of choli tied at the back. File:Bhairavi Ragini, Manley Ragamala, an album painting in gouache on paper.jpg|Bhairavi Ragini, Manley Ragamala manuscript c. 1610. File:Lady being offered wine, Deccan, 1600 AD.jpg|Lady being offered wine, Deccan, 1600 CE. File:Lovers in graden, Deccan, 1600 CE.jpg|Women dressed in choli and sari, Deccan, 1600 CE. File:Details from cotton tapestry, ca.1640-50 (3).jpg|Women dressed in ravike/choli, ca. 1640–50 File:Female musicians wedding of Aurangzeb.jpg|Female musicians at Aurangzeb's wedding - Mughal c. 1636. File:Kangra Painting.jpg|Krishna flirting with the Gopis, to Radhas sorrow - Kangra Painting c. 1760. Full sleeve choli and bodies are worn in Himalayan states of India.

Historic photographs

File:Ghagra Choli1.jpg|Woman in gagra choli File:Woman wearing court dress and Indian jewelry LCCN2001705685.jpg|Woman dressed in gagra choli File:Lowana Women (9938634413).jpg|Women dressed in sari and choli (1855) File:Bhattia Women (9938694664).jpg|Women dressed in sari and choli (1855) File:Marathi Women.jpg|Marathi woman in choli File:Tamil Sari.jpg|Tamil women in choli File:Bengali Sari.jpg|Bengali girl in full sleeve choli (1880) File:Ceylon India 1880.jpg|Sri Lankan woman in choli (1880) File:Sindhi lehenga, choli and Sindhi traditional pantaloon shalwar.jpg|Woman in Sindhi choli 1845

Changing times

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/IndianModel.jpg" caption="Model wearing a choli at a fashion show, India."] ::

Traditionally, the choli has been made from the same fabric as the sari, with many sari producers adding extra length to their products so that women can cut off the excess fabric at the end of the sari and use it to sew a matching choli. For everyday wear, cotton-based materials and silk cotton are widely considered the most comfortable. Chiffon and silk are best suited for formal occasions. The ideal fabric for cholis in the summer is chiffon and georgette.

Designers have experimented with the choli, influencing pop-culture fashion in the Indian subcontinent, with adventurous tailoring and innovative necklines, such as halter, tubes, backless or stringed. Anupama Raj, a designer and boutique owner, commented that "there is a very real need to re-invent the choli so that it can be worn with a variety of outfits. Just as we see the choli to be a deconstructed form of the blouse, we need to deconstruct the choli." Bobby Malik, an exporter-turned-designer commented "the choli is the most sensuous of all garments created for women. It not only flatters the feminine form, but also brings out the romanticism in a woman. But where Indian designers have failed is at giving it an international look and making it still more beautiful."

Recent styles

File:Sherlyn Chopra at Playboy press meet 05.jpg| File:Priyanka Pripri photograph.jpg File:AmeeshaPatel04.jpg File:Sofia hayat arjun.jpg File:Kajol at Shantanu-Nikhil's store launch (42).jpg File:Woman wearing sari (31000048043).jpg File:Koppikar.jpg

References

(18 August 2023). "Indian Sari: Sartoria and Semiotics". Taylor & Francis.
Prachya Pratibha, 1978 "Prachya Pratibha, Volume 6", p. 121
Agam Kala Prakashan, 1991 "Costume, coiffure, and ornaments in the temple sculpture of northern Andhra", p. 118
Linda Lynton, Sanjay K. Singh (2002) "The Sari: Styles, Patterns, History, Techniques.", p. 40
(2009). "Indian saris : traditions, perspectives, design". Wisdom Tree in association with National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
(2003). "India: past & present – Prakash Chander". APH.
Bhandari, Vandana. (2005). "Costume, textiles and jewellery of India: traditions in Rajasthan". Mercury Books.
Sarkar, Neeti. (June 26, 2010). "Choli ke peeche". [[The Hindu]].
Singh, A. D.. (March 10, 2012). "Summer breezers". [[Deccan Chronicle]].
(December 20, 2011). "Vidya Balan puts plunge cholis on fashion map". [[The Times of India]].
Roy, Sumona. (August 31, 2002). "Deconstructing the choli into daring designs". The Tribune.
Nimisha Tiwari. (19 June 2011). "The choli lowdown!". [[The Times of India]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::