What a sari is, piece by piece
The cloth: most saris are about five to six metres long and a little over a metre wide. Older women still measure in yards and call it a six-yard sari.
The pallu: the end of the sari that falls over the shoulder. It is usually the most decorated part, with heavy borders, motifs or gold work.
- Sari
- One unstitched length, about five to six metres
- Pallu
- The decorated end that falls over the shoulder
- Blouse
- A short, fitted top, stitched to measure
- Petticoat
- A cotton underskirt with a drawstring
- Nine-yard sari
- A longer drape worn in Maharashtra and the south
- The body: the plainer stretch that wraps around the waist and forms the pleats. On many saris the first metre is almost plain, because it is tucked out of sight.
- The blouse: a short, fitted top that ends above the waist. Many saris come with a strip of matching blouse fabric at one end for the tailor.
- The petticoat: a cotton underskirt tied tightly with a drawstring. The sari is tucked into it, so it holds the whole drape together.
- The fall: a strip of cloth stitched inside the lower hem by the tailor to give it weight and protect the edge. Most shops add it in a day.
Before you start
Put your shoes on first: the hem should just brush the top of your foot. If you change from flats to heels afterwards, the length will be wrong.
Tie the petticoat tight: tighter than feels natural, at your natural waist or just below. A loose petticoat is the reason most saris slip.
- Match the petticoat: choose one in the main colour of the sari, so it does not show through fine fabrics.
- Have pins ready: four or five small safety pins: one for the pleats, one or two for the pallu at the shoulder and a spare.
- Find a mirror and space: you need room to turn around, ideally a full-length mirror and a bed or chair to lay the sari out on.
- Find the right end: open the sari and find the plain end, which starts the wrap. The pallu end, with the heavy border, finishes it.
- Know your inside: look at the border. Embroidery and print are brighter on the right side. That side faces out.
The Nivi drape, step by step
Step 1: tuck the plain end
- Start at the right: hold the plain end of the sari with the right side facing out, and tuck the top edge into the petticoat just to the right of your navel.
- Check the hem: the lower edge should just touch the floor, or the top of your shoe, all the way round.
Step 2: wrap once around
- Go anticlockwise: take the sari from the right, around your back, to the left and back to the front, tucking the top edge into the petticoat as you go.
- Stop at the front: you should finish the round at the right hip again, with a long length of sari still hanging free.
Step 3: measure the pallu
- Bring it up: take the pallu end of the sari, bring it round the back and up over your left shoulder, so it falls behind you to about the back of your knees.
- Adjust: a longer pallu looks graceful, a shorter one is easier to manage on stairs and in cars.
Step 4: pleat the pallu
- Optional but neat: fold the pallu into narrow pleats along its length on your shoulder, about four fingers wide.
- Pin it: fix the pleated pallu to the blouse at the shoulder with a safety pin from the inside, so the pin does not show.
Step 5: make the front pleats
Gather the middle: take the loose fabric still hanging at the front and fold it, back and forth, into five to seven pleats about a hand's width each.
- Keep the hems even: hold the bottom edges together as you fold. The pleats should line up at the floor, not just at the waist.
- Point them left: the folded edges should face the left side.
Step 6: tuck the pleats
Pin first: hold the pleats together at the top with a safety pin.
- Tuck in: push the pinned top of the pleats into the petticoat just left of your navel, deep enough to hold.
- Shake out: let go and give the pleats a gentle tug from the bottom so they fall straight.
Step 7: settle and check
Smooth the hips: the fabric across your hips and back should be flat, with no bunching.
- Look in the mirror: the hem should be level, the pleats straight and the pallu falling evenly from the shoulder.
- Walk a few steps: if anything slips, tighten the petticoat and tuck again. It is normal to redo it the first time.
Common mistakes, and how to fix them
The sari slips down: the petticoat is too loose. Untie it, pull the drawstring tighter and tuck the sari deeper.
The hem is uneven: you tucked the first wrap higher on one side. Start again from the plain end and keep the hem just brushing the floor all round.
- The pleats splay open: they were not pinned before tucking. Gather them, put a small safety pin through the top and tuck again.
- The pleats are lopsided: the bottom edges were not held together. Line up the hems first, then fold upwards.
- Too little left for the pallu: your pleats used too much cloth. Make fewer or narrower pleats and the pallu will grow.
- The pallu keeps sliding off: pin it to the blouse at the shoulder from the inside, and for heavy saris pin it again at the waist.
- The petticoat shows through: choose a petticoat in the sari's colour, or a slip under very fine fabrics.
- You feel wrapped too tight: loosen the first round at the hips slightly. A sari should move with you, not hold you still.
The Rajasthani way: the pallu in front
How it differs: the first wrap and the pleats are much the same, but the pallu goes from the left hip around the back and over the right shoulder, falling down the front.
Why women love it: the decorated pallu is spread across the body where everyone can see it. Wedding saris and heavy bandhani look their best this way.
- Name
- Seedha pallu, the straight pallu
- Also worn in
- Gujarat and parts of north India
- Pallu falls
- From the back over the right shoulder to the front
- Shows off
- The full design of the pallu
- Spreading it: fan the pallu out across the front and tuck one corner at the left waist, so it covers the body from shoulder to hip.
- Covering the head: in many Rajasthani homes married women draw the end of the sari or odhni over the head in front of elders, at weddings and in temples.
- Our honest advice: the Nivi drape is easier for a first try. Ask a woman in your hotel or a friend to show you the seedha pallu once you feel steady.
Sari, poshak or odhni: what Rajasthani women wear
The traditional dress: a full, swirling skirt, the ghagra, with a fitted bodice, a short tunic and a long veil, the odhni. Our guide to dress and textiles explains each part.
The Rajputi poshak: the formal version worn by Rajput women, in silk or georgette worked with gold. Many brides still choose it over a sari.
- The sari in towns: in Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur many women wear saris every day, especially for work, temple visits and weddings.
- For visitors: both are welcome. A sari feels grand at a palace dinner. A ghagra and odhni are easier to dance in, and a light odhni alone over a kurta is the simplest way to join in.
- The salwar kameez: a tunic with trousers and a scarf, worn by most young women. It is the most practical choice for a day of forts.
The Rajasthani saris worth buying
Leheriya, the wave
What it is: cloth rolled and tied before dyeing, so the colours run in diagonal stripes like ripples on water.
- When to wear it: the monsoon, especially at Teej, when green and yellow leheriya fills the streets of Jaipur.
- Learn more: our page on leheriya and bandhani explains how it is made.
Bandhani, the tie-dye of dots
What it is: thousands of tiny knots tied by hand before dyeing, leaving a pattern of dots.
- The bridal colour: red bandhani is worn by brides and new wives across Rajasthan and Gujarat.
- Check it is real: genuine bandhani has slightly irregular dots and a faint crinkle where each knot was tied.
Kota Doria, the airy weave
What it is: a fine, light cotton or silk-cotton with a small square check, woven around Kota.
- Why we love it: it is the coolest sari you can wear in April heat, and it drapes softly.
- Learn more: our journal on Kota Doria weaving tells the story.
Block-printed cotton
- What it is: cotton printed by hand with carved wooden blocks in Sanganer and Bagru, near Jaipur.
- For whom: perfect for a first sari. Cotton holds pleats well and forgives mistakes.
Gota patti, the festive edge
- What it is: ribbons of gold or silver tissue folded and stitched onto silk or georgette, a speciality of Jaipur.
- When to wear it: weddings, festivals and grand dinners. It catches lamplight beautifully.
Buying a sari in Jaipur
Where to look: the bazaars of Jaipur sell saris at every level, from cotton prints to silk wedding saris. Our textile shopping page has more.
Ask for the blouse piece: most saris include fabric for the blouse. Ask whether it is attached before you leave the shop.
- Where
- Jaipur's walled city bazaars
- Blouse stitching
- Allow a day or two
- Fall and edging
- Usually added by the shop
- Bring
- A blouse that fits you, as a pattern
- Get the blouse stitched: a good tailor needs your measurements or a blouse that fits you well. Allow a day or two, and try it on before you leave Jaipur.
- The fall: ask the shop to stitch the fall and finish the edges. It costs little and makes the sari last.
- Buy a petticoat: sold in every market in plain colours. Choose cotton and buy one a shade close to the sari.
- Avoid commission shops: we take guests to family shops we know and never to showrooms that pay drivers. Our shopping guide explains how to buy well.
Walking, sitting and climbing in a sari
Walking: take shorter steps than usual and kick the pleats forward slightly with each step. You will feel them swing.
Stairs: gather the front pleats in your right hand and lift them an inch or two, as you would a long gown.
- Getting into a car: sit down first, then swing both legs in together, holding the pleats.
- Sitting on the floor: at weddings and temples, sit cross-legged or with your legs to one side, tucking the hem over your feet.
- Eating: tuck the end of the pallu into your waist or drape it over your arm, so it stays out of the dal.
- Restrooms: gather the pleats and lift the whole front together. It is easier than it sounds.
- Heat: in hot months choose cotton or Kota Doria over silk, and drape the pallu over your head as shade, as the women in the fields do.
- Forts and ramps: for a day at Amber Fort or Mehrangarh, save the sari for the evening and wear a kurta in the day.
When to wear a sari in Rajasthan
A wedding: a sari or lehenga is the natural choice. Our guide to Rajput weddings explains what to wear to each event.
A palace dinner: an evening on a terrace at a palace hotel, with musicians and lamps, is the perfect first outing.
- Festivals: green leheriya for Teej in the monsoon, and bright colours and jewellery for Gangaur in spring, when women carry the goddess through the streets.
- Diwali: families dress in their best silks for the evening prayers and lamps. Our Diwali guide has more.
- Temple visits: a cotton sari is respectful and comfortable. Our page on temple etiquette covers the rest.
- A mehndi afternoon: pair a light sari with a mehndi session and you will look ready for any celebration.
Caring for your sari at home
Wash dyed cloth alone: hand-dyed leheriya and bandhani may bleed in the first wash. Use cold water and wash it on its own.
Dry in the shade: strong sun fades natural and vegetable dyes. Rajasthani women always dry saris in shade or inside out.
- Cotton
- Gentle hand wash, dry in shade
- Silk
- Dry clean only
- Bandhani and leheriya
- First wash alone, in cold water
- Storage
- Folded in muslin, refolded every few months
- Silk and gota work: dry clean only. Gold ribbon and zari tarnish if washed at home.
- Refold it: folds left too long weaken silk. Refold along new lines every few months, and wrap the sari in soft cotton or muslin.
- Neem leaves: our grandmother kept dried neem leaves in her trunk against moths. Many Rajasthani homes still do.
Is it all right for a visitor to wear a sari?
Yes, warmly: Rajasthanis are delighted when a visitor wears a sari. You will be complimented by strangers and adjusted by aunties.
Wear it properly: a petticoat and a fitted blouse, not a sari over a T-shirt. Taking care is the respect.
- Accept the help: if a woman offers to fix your pleats or pin your pallu, let her. It is a kindness, not a criticism.
- Avoid white at weddings: white saris are associated with widowhood in many traditional families. Choose colour for celebrations.
- Ready-to-wear saris: pre-pleated saris that zip or hook in place are a fine shortcut, especially for a wedding with many changes.