Mughal clothing: the story on HearLore

Mughal clothing

The Mughal Emperor Akbar did not merely wear clothes; he engineered a national identity through fabric, transforming the rigid Central Asian tunics of his ancestors into a distinctly Indian court style that would define an empire for centuries. Before his reign, the Mughals had arrived in the Indian subcontinent with the heavy, fur-lined coats of the steppes, but Akbar realized that the climate and culture of India demanded a new aesthetic. He took the traditional Jama, a side-fastening frock coat, and radically altered its silhouette by removing the slits, rounding the hemline, and increasing the fullness of the skirt to create a formal gown that flared at the knees. This was not a simple change of fashion but a political statement, signaling the empire's shift from a foreign conqueror's regime to an indigenous dynasty. While his predecessors wore the Yaktahi Jama with a tight bundle in the front, Akbar introduced the takauchiya, a versatile costume stitched from silk, gold, or woolen material that could withstand both the scorching summer heat and the winter chill of the northern plains. He did not stop at the coat; he popularized the doshala, a double-faced shawl with two right sides and no wrong side, which he embroidered with gold to showcase the beauty of the fabric. This garment became so significant that it marked the first true change from Central Asian to Indian conditions, proving that the Mughals were becoming Indianized in the true sense of the word. The common costumes of the court were no longer just inherited from Babur and Humayun but were adapted to the specific requirements of the new empire, creating a visual language of power that was both luxurious and practical.

The Architecture of Turbans

A turban in the Mughal court was not merely a head covering but a complex architectural structure that conveyed the wearer's rank, religious affiliation, and political allegiance through its shape and ornamentation. During the reign of Akbar, the typical turban was wrapped directly on the head without a Karakul hat, featuring a tight bundle in the front and an ascending slope backwards that bulged near the back to create a distinctive silhouette. A turban band or sash was wrapped across the turban to keep it in place, usually made of a different material than the turban itself to add a layer of visual contrast. As the empire matured, the styles of ornament acquired the generic name of sarpech, derived from the Persian words for head and fastener, and became a symbol of imperial authority. Only the emperor himself, his intimate relations, and select members of his entourage were permitted to wear a royal turban ornament, turning the head into a canvas for the state's wealth. Royal portraits from the reign of Jahangir reveal a more elaborate style of noteworthy games clustered at the base of the plume, with a pendant pearl encouraging a gentle droop from the plume itself, a softer style that contrasted with the upright feather plumes Akbar had stuck to from Iranian trends. By the time of Shah Jahan, an entirely mineralogical version of the kalgi appeared, an ornate, heavily jeweled brooch in which a stylized plume as well as the stem was composed of gems set in gold and backed by polychrome enamel. This evolution from a simple cloth wrap to a mineralogical masterpiece demonstrated the increasing sophistication of the court and the emperor's desire to project an image of divine kingship through the very fabric of his headwear.

Common questions

How did Mughal Emperor Akbar change the style of clothing in the Mughal Empire?

Mughal Emperor Akbar transformed rigid Central Asian tunics into a distinctly Indian court style by altering the Jama frock coat silhouette. He removed the slits, rounded the hemline, and increased the fullness of the skirt to create a formal gown that flared at the knees. This political statement signaled the empire's shift from a foreign conqueror's regime to an indigenous dynasty.

What were the specific features of the turban worn by Mughal Emperor Akbar?

During the reign of Akbar, the typical turban was wrapped directly on the head without a Karakul hat and featured a tight bundle in the front. It had an ascending slope backwards that bulged near the back to create a distinctive silhouette with a feather plume stuck upright from Iranian trends. A turban band or sash was wrapped across the turban to keep it in place, usually made of a different material to add visual contrast.

What beauty rituals did women in the Mughal Zenana perform before dressing?

Women in the Zenana practiced an elaborate beauty ritual consisting of sixteen celebrated rituals that transformed the body into a work of art. They arched their eyebrows symmetrically, applied Kajal to eyelids, whitened their teeth with missi, and used betel leaf to redden lips and sweeten breath. Princesses always decorated hands and feet red with mehendi, which was also used as a remedy for skin irritations.

Which footwear styles were popular among Mughal nobility and how were they constructed?

Mughal nobility wore the Mojari, a distinctive type of footwear that was ornate, often woven with gold-silver zari thread, and encrusted with jewels. The Mojari is known for its curled front design, and Jahangir popularized this type of footwear among the nobility. Other styles included the Jhuti, which was Persian in style with turned-up toes, and the Kafsh, worn by nobles and kings.

What types of jewelry were worn by men and women in the Mughal Empire?

Women in the Mughal Empire were known to have as many as eight complete sets of jewelry that adorned their bodies from head to toe. Popular ornaments included two-inch-wide armlets, bracelets, rings, and strings of pearls, while men wore turban jewelry such as the Kalgi and Sarpech. Nose ornaments were worn solely by women, and ear ornaments like Jhumkas and Kanphool were popular among both men and women.

How was muslin cloth produced in the Mughal Empire and what were its characteristics?

Weaving the cotton to make the muslin cloth was an arduous and time-consuming task that could take up to six months for just twenty yards. Spinners in Bengal worked in the early mornings or on humid afternoons when the fibers were most pliable, and the resulting cloth was so fine it could pass through a finger ring. Malmal, or Muslin, was a cotton cloth that was highly valued all across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

The Silk and Shadow of the Zenana

Within the secluded walls of the Zenana, the imperial harem, women practiced an elaborate beauty ritual consisting of sixteen celebrated rituals that transformed the body into a work of art before it was even dressed. Eyebrows were arched symmetrically, Kajal applied to eyelids, and the teeth were whitened with missi, while betel leaf was used to redden the lips, sweeten breath, and act as a deodorant. Princesses always decorated hands and feet red with mehendi, despite the great cost, as it was also used as a remedy for skin irritations. The clothing worn by these women was a testament to the isolation and the intricate social dynamics of the court, where fashion in the early days of the empire adhered to the traditional dress of Khurasan and Persia. Noble women in the court of Babur or Humayun began their outfits with wide loose pants, painted or stripped, and covered their upper body in loose garments fastened at the neck or with V-shaped necklines. With the addition of Rajput princesses during the reign of Akbar, Hindu clothing came to influence the court, and the wives and consorts began to dress similarly regardless of religion. Often the ladies wore multiple layers of clothing, with a tight fitting bodice that stopped short of the navel, and the peshwaz, fashionable as a men's garment for a time and later adopted by the women, was added on top. The length hit the knees or lower, the waist fastened closely, and the neckline was in a V shape, with the opening at the front of the peshwaz decorated in gold. Their lower half were covered either in tight pants, known as tunban or izar, or in la hengu, which itself was styled like a lungi attached at the ends and a band sewn into the top. Muslim women favored the pants style, and Hindu women, the skirt, but in either style, the drawstrings were decorated at length with pearls and jewels. Only the costliest clothes of cotton, silk, or wool were used, and in the Zenana, there were multiple costume changes a day, often with an outfit worn only once and then given away.

The Weight of a Feather

Jewelry in the Mughal Empire was not merely an accessory but an integral part of the lifestyle, with women known to have as many as eight complete sets of jewelry that adorned their bodies from head to toe. Jewelry-making practices flourished during the Mughal period, which is well-documented through chronicles and paintings, and the Mughals contributed to almost all fields of development of jewelry. Popular ornaments included two-inch-wide armlets worn above the elbows, bracelets or pearls at the wrist stacked high enough to impede access to the pulse, and many rings, with the mirror ring worn on the right thumb customary for nearly all the inhabitants of the Zenana. Strings of pearls, as many as fifteen strings at a time, were draped around the neck, and metal bands or strings of pearls were worn at the bottom of their legs, with ornaments hanging in the middle of the head in the shape of star, sun, moon, or a flower. Turban jewelry was considered a privilege of the Emperor, and the constant change in the influences from Europe can be clearly witnessed in the design of the turban jewelry. Akbar stuck to Iranian trends of the time by keeping a feather plume upright at the very front of the turban, while Jahangir initiated his own softer style with the weighed down plume with a large pearl. By the time of Aurangzeb, this form became more ubiquitous, and turbans were usually heavily set with jewels and fixed firmly with a gem set kalangi or aigrette, similar in style to the Ottoman aigrette worn by the Sultan. Some of the popular head ornaments worn by men were Jigha and Sarpatti, Sarpech, Kalgi, Mukut, Turra and Kalangi, while women also adorned a variety of head ornaments such as Binduli, Kotbiladar, Sekra, Siphul, Tikka and Jhumar. In addition to these, the braid ornaments constituted an important part of women's head ornaments, and ear ornaments were also quite popular during the Mughal times, with Mughal paintings representing earrings quite often. Ear ornaments were worn by both men and women, with Mor-Bhanwar, Bali, Jhumkas, Kanphool and Pipal patra or papal patti being some of the known earrings from the period. Neck ornaments of different kinds of pearls and precious stones were worn by men and women, with some of the neck ornaments for men including Latkan, amala necklace as well as Mala, and neck ornaments formed an important part of jewelry of women also, including Guluband, Hans, Har and Hasuli. Nose ornaments were worn solely by women, and the variety of nose ornaments worn by women during the Mughal times constituted phul, besar, laung, balu, nath and Phuli.

The Invisible Fabric

Textiles in the Mughal Empire were valued for a variety of reasons, such as for the monetary value of the materials, the sensory qualities, the metaphorical and symbolic attachments, and the socio-political associations, making them the most coveted commodity of the age. Fabrics of the time included wild goat's hair cloth, known as tus, and pashmina, and light and warm wool, while silks were often embroidered with gold and silver thread and embellished with laces. Fabrics such as silk are often thought to be the material of choice for the wealthy, but wool, cotton, and goat-hair fabrics were also highly valuable due to their sensory value, including softness and warmth. Any and all of these cloths were regularly scented with rose water, and shawls were reportedly so thin they could pass through a finger ring. The various muslins had poetic names like ab-i-rawan, meaning running water, and daft hawa, meaning woven air, and each garment would wear out after a single use. Silk was a highly valuable material at the time of the Mughal dynasty, however silk production was not prevalent in the Mughal territories of India. Besides the cultivation of a thicker, off-colored silk from wild silkworms in Assam, India mainly relied on imports from Iran, China, and Central Asia for silk, until Emperor Akbar's invasion of Bengal and Kashmir gave the Mughals access to the silk production in those regions. Malmal, or Muslin, is a cotton cloth that was also highly valued all across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and spinners in Bengal would spin the cotton thread in early mornings or on humid afternoons as the fibers are most pliable under warm and humid conditions. Weaving the cotton to make the muslin cloth was an arduous and time-consuming task that could take up to six months for just twenty yards, making malmal equally as or even more expensive than silk. Calico is another similar cotton cloth to muslin, and the two cloths could be easily mistaken, but generally calico is slightly thicker and heavier than muslin. Thin cotton cloths such as these would often be worn in hot weather, and clothing items such as jamas and dupattas could be made out of cotton textiles. Cotton cloth was also often dyed using plants like Citrifolia root and indigo, which produced red and blue dye respectively, and the process of dyeing the cloth involved submerging the cloth in the indigo solution, laying it out to drain in the air, rinsing the cloth, then washing it with diluted sulfuric acid to dissolve the residual calcium carbonate. As well as dyeing, cloth was also painted or stamped, often with floral patterns, and Chintz was a type of calico fabric that was painted free hand using a bush and pencil or printed with a stamping block.