Dhoti

The dhoti, also known as mardani, jaiñboh, or panche, is a piece of cloth arranged around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape of trousers.^[1][2][3] The dhoti is a lower garment forming part of ethnic wear for men in the Indian subcontinent.^[4][5] The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 5 ft to 4.5 metres (15 ft) long.

The dhoti is considered to be the male counterpart of the saari worn by females to religious and secular ceremonies (functions).^[6] A pitambar is a yellow silk dhoti worn on auspicious occasions.^[7][8] Dhotis must not be confused with "readymade panchakachams"^[9] or "dhoti pants", which are a new ready to wear trend, popular among women and typical of children.^[10][11][12] Although the terms mundu or veshti are used interchangeably with "dhoti",^[13] they are different from the dhoti, which is "looped" or wrapped around the legs, in the form of trousers or pants.^[14] The dhoti is better known as panchakacham in South India, which may even be worn while doing dances such as moonwalks, but the skirt-like form of the veshti has its limitations, according to fashionistas.^[15] While the saari is still draped by women as daily wear, most Indian men no longer know how to wrap the dhoti,^[16] as it has been displaced by "English clothes" of the British, in urban areas or cities such as Bombay (Mumbai).^[17]