page_title: History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent
section_title: Mauryan period
hierarchical_section_title: History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent / Ancient and Classical periods / Mauryan period
caption_attribution_description: English: This figure, the oldest example of Indian art on view at The Walters Art Museum, was probably placed flat on her back as an offering at a village shrine. Her wide hips and fantastic floral headdress suggest that the donor hoped to become a mother or to gather an abundant harvest.
context_page_description: History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent can be traced to the Indus Valley Civilization or earlier. Indians have mainly worn clothing made up of locally grown cotton. India was one of the first places where cotton was cultivated and used even as early as 2500 BCE during the Harappan era. The remnants of the ancient Indian clothing can be found in the figurines discovered from the sites near the Indus Valley Civilisation, the rock-cut sculptures, the cave paintings, and human art forms found in temples and monuments. These scriptures view the figures of human wearing clothes which can be wrapped around the body. Taking the instances of the sari to that of turban and the dhoti, the traditional Indian wears were mostly tied around the body in various ways.
context_section_description: During the Mauryan dynasty (322–185 BC) the earliest evidence of stitched female clothing is available from the statue of Mother Goddess(from Mathura, 3rd century BCE). Ladies in the Mauryan Empire often used to wear an embroidered fabric waistband with drum headed knots at the ends. As an upper garment, people's main garb was uttariya, a long scarf. The difference existed only in the manner of wearing. Sometimes, its one end is thrown over one shoulder and sometimes it is draped over both the shoulders.
  In textiles, mainly cotton, silk, linen, wool, muslin, etc. are used as fibers. Ornaments latched on to a special place in this era also. Some of the jewellery had their specific names also. Satlari, chaulari, paklari were some of the necklaces.
  Men wore Antariya(knee-length, worn in kachcha style with fluted end tucked in at centre front) and Tunic (one of the earliest depictions of the cut and sewn garment; it has short sleeves and a round neck, full front opening with ties at the neck and waist, and is hip length). A statue of a warrior shows Boots (fitting to the knees cap) and band (tied at the back over short hair). A broad flat sword with cross straps on the sheath is suspended from the left shoulder.
caption: The Mother Goddess: evidence of stitching, Mathura, 3rd century BCE.
exif: {}