page_title: Chutia people
section_title: Male Attire
hierarchical_section_title: Chutia people / Traditional Attire / Male Attire
caption_attribution_description: English: A Chutia man in his traditional attire
context_page_description: The Chutia people are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of Assam. They are part of the Kachari group. The Chutia people, through the Chutia dynasty, formed their kingdom in the present Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and reigned from 1187 to 1673.
  The Chutiya people are one of the major and earliest section of the plain inhabitants of Assam who have migrated from present-day Southern China. The seat of the Chutias when they were in the ascendant, appears to have been about Lakhimpur and the back of the Subansiri River. They held the territories to the north of the Brahmaputra as far down as Sonitpur with the Dikarai and the Ghiladhari rivers as the western borders of their kingdom. On the south bank, they were spread till the Disang river. They spoke a language of Tibeto-Burman origin but over time, started speaking Assamese language and adopted Hinduism.
  The Chutia community are recognized as an Other Backward Class by the Government of India and are an ethnic Assamese-speaking group.During the colonial period, the Chutia community had the second largest population in Upper Assam.
context_section_description: The traditional attire of the Chutia men includes the Chutia paguri (headgear), Chutia sula (shirt), Churia (lower garment), Gamusa/Bisuwan (scarf), Cheleng sador (Shawl) and Tongali (waist scarf). The royals and the rich in the past wore clothes made out of Muga and Paat Silk, whereas the ordinary class wore Cotton (summers) and Eri Silk (winter). The royals also used other clothing items like the Panikamoli cloth as well as the Aruwan.In the ancient times, royal men wore jewelry items like Longkeru (Earrings), Mota Moni (necklace) as well as golden footwear (Paduka). The royals also used silk umbrellas with gold embroidery known as Gunakara. 
  Some components of the male attire include:
  Chutia paguri
  There were several types of Chutia headgears or paguris in the past as per the style of tying the knots. The three primary types are Xatphul/Sarpa Paag, Ronuwa/Junga Paag and the Enajori Paag. Out of this, the Xatphul and Enajori paguri are still worn. The Xatphul type is worn by the priests/Deoris and is snake-shaped; hence the name Sarpa (snake). Today, the Chutias use this type as their traditional Chutia headgear. The Ronuwa type was worn in the battle field and can be seen in the terracota plates of Bhismaknagar as well as the Tamreswari temple. The word Enajori means strong family bond. The Enajori type was a commoners turban which is the one worn in Bihu dances today. 
  Churia (Churu-Isa)
  The Chutias often wear their Churia (dhoti) short (till the knees). The Deori-Chutia word for cloth is Iñ/Isa(similar to the Dimasa Ri and Boro Hi). The word Churia is possibly derived from Churu-isa in Deori-Chutia meaning short (Churu) cloth (Isa).The Churias used by Chutia men are very well depicted in the terracota plates of Bhismaknaagar as well as the Tamreswari temple. As per Buranjis, the Ahom royals didn't allow any common man to wear dhotis till their ankles which may be the reason why Chutias donot wear it that way.
  Gamusa and Bisuwan
  The Gamusa is an important part of the Chutia attire and is used as a scarf. The Bisuwan (Bisu meaning "Bihu" and Wan meaning "textile") is a varient of the Gamusa used during the Bihu/Bisu festival. The difference between the Gamusa and the Bisuwan is mainly the design and use. Although both the scarfs consist of red side borders, the Bisuwan consists of floral patterns as cross border at one end, instead of the regular plain red cross borders of the Gamusa. Gamusa is a regular scarf for daily use by the household. On the other hand, the Bihuwan is a special gift presented during the Bihu festival. On such occasion, respect for elders, affection for the young, love between young men and women blossom into ceremonial expression. That expression takes the form of a presentation of the bihuwan with special floral patterns. 
  Tangali
  The Tangali is a waist wrapper worn by males or used as belt to gird the waist. In the past, a white Tangali was worn by warriors in the battlefield which would turn red with blood on their return. This symbolism later made way for the red Tangali which is worn by young boys when they perform Bihu Huchori. The two ends of Tangali are trimmed with fringes and ornamented with floral motifs of coloured threads. The Tangali can be seen in the terracota plates of Bhismaknagar as well as the Tamreswari temple.
  Cheleng Chador (Cheleng-Isa)
  The Cheleng Chador is another important component of the Chutia attire. It is usually wrapped around the shoulders similar to a shawl and is about 9 feet in length. The word Cheleng-chandor is possible derived from the word Deori-Chutia word Cheleng-Isa meaning long chest wrapper. The Deori Bishu songs have mentions of Cheleng cloth in many instances such as: 
  "Eleng cheleng horu hutar cheleng
  Kune boi dibo pare lou heiya
  Aiye horu huta kaate lou heiya
  Ture cheleng khoni muke nelage,
  Paisu suwali kazi lou heiya."
caption: A Chutia man in his traditional attire
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