The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (लहंगा lahaṅgā or lehenga in the north, langa/pavada/pavadai in the south, chaniyo, parkar in the west, and shaya in eastern India), with a blouse known as a choli or ravika forming the upper garment. The choli has short sleeves and a low neck and is usually cropped, and as such is particularly well-suited for wear in the sultry South Asian summers. Cholis may be backless or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with plenty of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery, and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a short-sleeved shirt tucked in at the waist. The sari developed as a garment of its own in both South and North India at around the same time, and is in popular culture an epitome of Indian culture.[3]
The sari is worn by women throughout Bangladesh. Sari is the most popular dress for women in Bangladesh, both for casual and formal occasion. There are many regional variations of Saris in both silk and cotton. But the Jamdani Tanta/Taant cotton, Dhakai Benarosi, Rajshahi silk, Tangail Tanter sari, tashar silk, and Katan sari are the most popular in Bangladesh.
In Pakistan, saris are less commonly worn than the Salwar kameez which is worn throughout the country. Because of its long association with the Hindu culture and it exposing the stomach and navel, Sari is considered to be against the injunctions of Islam and as a 'Hindu dress'.[16][17] Even though, saris have been worn by people living in the region that is now Pakistan since ancient times, it has lost popularity since 1947. Many Islamic right wing elements have pressed on a move to ban saris.[17] However, the sari remains a popular garment among the upper class for many formal functions.[18] The sari is worn as daily wear by Pakistani Hindus, by elderly Muslim women who were used to wearing it in pre-partition India[19] and by some of the new generation who have reintroduced the interest in saris.[20]
The traditional Indian dress is the Sari which can be worn in many ways. Underneath the sari one wears a Petticoat: - a waist-to-floor length skirt, tied tightly at the waist by a drawstring and a Choli : a blouse that ends just below the bust. The Salwar Kameej is the second most popular dress and is gaining in popularity fast with the younger generation. The Salwar Kameej too has had many design changes. The new designers have come up with great variations of the Salwar Kameej. Women also wear Lehangas.
