Mundum neriyathum (Malayalam: മുണ്ട് നേരിയത്; settu-mundu or mundu-set) is the traditional clothing of women in Kerala, a state in southwestern India. It is the oldest remnant of the ancient form of the sari which covered only the lower part of the body.Boulanger, C (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. Ghurye (1951) "Indian costume", Popular book depot (Bombay); (Includes rare photographs of 19th century Namboothiri and Nair women in ancient sari with bare upper torso) In the mundum neriyathum, the most basic traditional piece is the mundu or the lower garment which is the ancient form of the sari denoted in Malayalam as (meaning cloth), while the forms the upper garment the mundu. The mundum neriyathum consists of two pieces of cloth, and could be worn in either the traditional style with the tucked inside the blouse, or in the modern style with the worn over the left shoulder.

Origins The mundum neriyathum is the extant form of the ancient sari referred to as sattika in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain literature.Mahaparinibbanasutta (ancient Buddhist text) The mundu is the surviving form of lower garment of the ancient clothing referred to as antariya worn in a special way (lower garment).Alkazi, Roshan (1983) "Ancient Indian costume", Art Heritage The neriyatu is the modern adaptation of a thin scarf worn from the right shoulder to the left shoulder referred to in ancient Buddhist-Jain texts as the uttariya.Mohapatra, R. P. (1992) "Fashion styles of ancient India", B. R. Publishing corporation, These two-set garments eventually evolved into what is now known as Kerala sari.Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1951) "Indian Costume.", p.236Sulochana Ayyar (1987) "Costumes and Ornaments as Depicted in the Sculptures of Gwalior Museum.", p.152Kusumanjali Prakashan, 1993 "The Natyasastra tradition and ancient Indian society", p.63 Mundum neriyathum is the traditional clothing of Nayar women, later adopted by modern Kerala as the Kerala saree. Travancore Nayars, mundum neriyathum is the mantra koti (divine clothing) gifted by the groom to the bride at the moment of wedding. Now in modern Kerala it's the most celebrated Kerala sari.

Surviving medieval Kerala mural paintings depict the existence of three-styles of clothing worn by women, these include one-piece mundu, single-piece sari with over-lapping pleats resembling nivi-drape worn today by Mohiniyattam dancers and two-piece mundum neriyathum attire which evolved into Kerala sari.Wall paintings in North Kerala, India: 1000 years of temple art, Albrecht Frenz, Ke. Ke Mārār, page 93

Basic drape

The mundum neriyathum is traditionally white or cream in colour and consists of two pieces of cloth, which have a coloured strip at the border known as kara. The piece of cloth that drapes the lower garment is called the mundu. It is worn below the navel and around the hips, similar to the mundu worn by men in Kerala. The piece of cloth that is worn as the upper garment is called the neriyatu. One end of the neriyatu is tucked inside the pavada or petticoat and the remaining long end is worn across the front torso. The neriyatu is worn over a blouse that reaches quite above the breast bone. It is worn diagonally from the right hip to the left shoulder and across the midriff, partly baring it. The remaining loose end of the neriyatu is left hanging from the left shoulder, resembling the nivi sari. Today the nivi drape, is the most common form of the sari.Miller, Daniel & Banerjee, Mukulika; (2004) "The Sari", Lustre press / Roli books A mundum neriyathum is starched before being draped and is worn over a blouse that matches the colour of the border or kara.

Ornamental and festive use The mundum neriyathum is worn as everyday costume and also as distinct costume on festive occasions, in which case the Kara is ornamental in couture. During the Keralite festival of Onam, women of all ages wear the mundum neriyathum and take part in folk dance performed by women called kaikottikalli. The mundum neriyathum for festive occasion has golden coloured borders or a broad zari border known as kasavu, lending the costume another name of Kasavu Sari. The colour for the blouse of the mundum neriyathum for this occasion is determined by the age and marital status of the woman. Young unmarried girls wear green coloured blouse, while married middle aged mothers wear red blouses.

The kasavu or the golden border is either a pure golden layer, copper coated or artificial. The fabric of mundu-sari is cotton and is always woven by hand. Kara or simple line designs adorn the bottom of these saris, while at times small peacock or temple designs embellish the pallu. The mundum neriyathum is also known as set mundu, kasavu mundu, mundu-sari, set-sari, or set veshti. The veshti is another version of the sari which consists of small upper clothing resembling a blouse-like garment worn without the pallu along with a mundu as lower garment.

Kerala sari The Kerala sari is worn as a garment that consists of a single piece of cloth. Otherwise, the Kerala sari closely resembles the mundum neriyathum and is often worn by Malayali women as a quasi mundum neriyathum.

Cultural symbolism The mundum neriyathum is the cultural costume of women of the Malayali community. The grace and appeal of the golden borders contrasting with the otherwise plain white mundum neriyathum of Keralite women has come to symbolize Malayali women. Both the traditional and modern styles of the mundum neriyathum are depicted in the paintings of the Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. The mundum neriyathum was modified in several paintings depicting Shakuntala from the Mahabharata to a style of draping now popularly known as the 'nivi sari' or 'national drape'. In one of his paintings the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing nivi sari.

See also Dhoti Mundu Sarong Kuthampally dhoties and set mundu

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References and bibliography

Boulanger, C (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. Mohapatra, R. P. (1992) "Fashion styles of ancient India", B. R. Publishing corporation, Ghurye (1951) "Indian costume", Popular book depot (Bombay); (Includes rare photographs of 19th century Namboothiri and nair women in ancient sari with bare upper torso). Alkazi, Roshan (1983) "Ancient Indian costume", Art Heritage Mahaparinibbanasutta (ancient Buddhist text) Miller, Daniel & Banerjee, Mukulika; (2004) "The Sari", Lustre press / Roli books Bjorn Landstrom (1964) "The Quest for India", Doubleday (publisher) English Edition, Stockholm. T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) "The Travancore State Manual"; 4 volumes; Trivandrum Miller, J. Innes. (1969). The Spice Trade of The Roman Empire: 29 B.C. to A.D. 641. Oxford University Press. Special edition for Sandpiper Books. 1998. . K.V. Krishna Iyer (1971) Kerala's Relations with the Outside World, pp. 70, 71 in "The Cochin Synagogue Quatercentenary Celebrations Commemoration Volume", Kerala History Association, Cochin. Periplus Maris Erythraei "The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea", (trans). Wilfred Schoff (1912), reprinted South Asia Books 1995