Dupatta

Women from Jaipur, India wearing Salwar kameez and dupatta

Dupatta (Hindi: दुपट्टा, Urdu: دوپٹہcode: ur is deprecated ) is a long scarf that is an important part of many South Asian women's suits. Some "dupatta suits" include the salwar kameez, the trouser suit, and the kurta. The dupatta is also worn over the Hindu outfit of lehenga or ghaghra- choli. The dupatta has long been a symbol of modesty in South Asian dress. It is traditionally worn across both shoulders. However, the dupatta can also be worn like a cape around the entire torso. The material for the dupatta varies according to the suit: cotton, georgette, silk, chiffon, and more. The other names for dupatta are chunri and chunni (sometimes shortened to 'unni' by many Gujaratis).

There are various modes of wearing the unsewn dupatta. When not draped over the head in the traditional style, it is usually worn with the middle portion of the dupatta resting on the chest like a garland with both ends thrown over each respective shoulder. When the dupatta resting is worn along with the salwar-kameez it is casually allowed to flow down the front and back.

The use of the dupatta has definitely undergone a metamorphosis over time. In current fashions, the dupatta is frequently draped over one shoulder, and even over just the arms. Another recent trend is the short dupatta often seen with kurtas and Indo-Western clothing. Essentially, the dupatta is often treated as an accessory in current urban fashion. Nevertheless, the dupatta remains an integral part of Indian clothing and Pakistani clothing. Its nowadays a blend of fashion with the tradionalism.

A Pakistani Woman with dupatta

Dupatta Media

Women wearing dupatta with Ghagra choli
Dancing woman wearing dupatta, detail from Kalpa Sutra manuscript, c.1300s.
The dupatta's use as protection against dust or the sun
A Punjabi Sikh woman with blue chunni
A dupatta shop in Dhaka, Bangladesh
A dupatta shop in Dhaka, Bangladesh
...on the left, a pink silk skirt my friend Sussette gave me. On the right, a cotton dupatta I bought in the Amma bookstore that looks like it came out of the exact same dye lot!*The weird thing is that I'd wanted to find a matching shawl but knew I never really would since the skirt's hand-dyed.
A Bangladeshi draped in dupatta
A Nepali in a modern style of draping dupatta over the neck
A Sikh in a salwar kameez

Other websites

Article about Dupatta at indiaprofile.com