The Ancient Drape of the Goddess
Since the beginnings of recorded history, pure unstitched cloth has been considered the holiest and most sacred of costumes. Many cultures—including the ancient Greeks, the Druids, and the Hindus of the Vijaynagara era—wore draped clothing. Indian myths often use weaving as a metaphor for the creation of the universe. The sutra or spun thread was the foundation, while the sutradhara (weaver) or holder of the thread was viewed as the architect or creator of the universe.
Since the beginnings of recorded history, pure unstitched cloth has been considered the holiest and most sacred of costumes. Many cultures—including the ancient Greeks, the Druids, and the Hindus of the Vijaynagara era—wore draped clothing. Indian myths often use weaving as a metaphor for the creation of the universe. The sutra or spun thread was the foundation, while the sutradhara (weaver) or holder of the thread was viewed as the architect or creator of the universe.
Hindus still regard the sari and the dhoti—the female and male forms of draped clothing worn today—as the proper attire for religious and ceremonial occasions. Gifts of woven cloth are presented at temples to honor the Deities during pujas. Temple priests offer these beautiful lengths of cloth to the Gods and Goddesses as a representation of the unending thread of life symbolized in the long warp and weft of the cloth, their hearts filled with gratitude toward the creator for endowing humanity with the skills to spin and weave these treasures.
Artists and craftspeople have long celebrated the magnificent bounty of creation by weaving representations of natural forms, leaves, flowers, animals, which have developed over the millennia into meaningful symbologies of the human condition. The highest representation of the Great Mother's infinite beauty and creativity can be found in the weaving traditions of India .
For centuries this drawing force of nature has sparked the development of hundreds of different regional specialties of ornament. The diverse climates and landscapes of India have produced varied raw materials and techniques to spin, dye and weave the fibers in mind boggling variety. Invading armies have brought their own cultural aesthetic to the mix, leaving India with the world's richest palette of textures, styles, colors and weaves. The Indian sari is the most varied textile form on the earth!
When the human form drapes itself with these rich traditional weaves the cycle is complete. As the body interfaces with the cloth, these ancient-feeling drapes enshroud the wearer with a tangible purity and holiness—as if the entire history of humankind is gently encasing the body. There is nothing like the feel of hand-loomed cloth against the skin. No other cloth can be quite so soft and supple.
A charming folktale explains the origin of the sari as follows:
“The sari, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt of Woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn't stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled.”
Draped clothing is the preferred garment for yoga and meditation, ceremonies and auspicious occasions. There are no seams to bind or to disrupt the flow of energy along the sacred threads of warp and weft. Enshrouded in this ancient pure drape, you are one with the continuum of nature.
In the 5,000-year-old Mahabharata , Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, was lost to the Kauravas in a gambling duel. The lecherous victors, intent on humiliating and harassing Draupadi, caught one end of the diaphanous material that draped her. They continued to pull and unravel, but could not reach the end, and thus undrape her. In a metaphysical sense the Kauravas symbolize the forces of chaos and destruction, trying to unwind what is, in effect, infinite. They are finally forced to stop, frustrated and defeated. Not only is the sari the most spiritually inspired clothing, it is also the most elegant and beautiful garment in the world. Draping a sari on any woman, tall, short, chubby or thin, transforms her into a living goddess. The sari is at once the most chaste and sexiest garment you can wear.
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