Indian Lehenga Choli

Tying the knot may mean wearing the sari or ghagra choli for many women in India, but the aptest raiment, one vindicated by tradition and purism, would have to be the Indian lehenga choli.

Heavily embroidered with thread, Indian lehenga cholis are by far the most famous of the bridal wear lot. In fact, it is not so much as about fame as about prescription.

For scores of bride across the land, wearing a red lehenga with a red chunri or veil in a multicolored Bandhini design is the closest thing to mandatory.

For Rajasthanis at least, the chunri is used to cover the bridal bed on which the grooms sit for the tilak ceremony after the marriage. Well-wishers can also wear Indian lehenga cholis to the wedding ceremony.

It was in the heyday of Mughal hegemony when Indian lehenga cholis became uplifted to perpetual vogue status.

Indian lehenga cholis have changed negligibly since antiquity. Today the lehenga is still described as a beautiful skirt of sorts, paired with a choli, a tightly fitted, short blouse that ends just below the bust.