The charming costumes and jewelry of Kerala

As one thinks about the costume of men and women in Kerala, the first picture that comes to our mind is that of a woman clad in a lot of jewelry from her neck to the waistline, wearing a traditional set-saree. The people of Kerala love peace and serenity and hence, their traditional wear is also pure white or off-white. The people of Kerala are always enthusiastic in buying new clothes and wearing on every special occasion like marriage, festivals etc. Their dressing sense is as vivid and beautiful as the landscapes and cuisine you will enjoy during your Kerala tour packages. Women in Kerala, especially the Hindu women, wear the traditional Kerala saree, which is off-white in color with a golden Kasavu border.

Usually, it is a set of two separate cloths called the mundu and the neriyathu, in which the mundu is used to cover the lower part of the body and the neriyathu is for the top. The more exquisite and expensive ones are now worn on special occasions like wedding and festivals. Many foreigners love to try this traditional costume which suits everyone during their Kerala packages. The Christian women wear the same Mundu that has a small extension in the back like a fan and a blouse called Chatta. Muslim women are mostly seen wearing purdah, a long gown like the dress that covers the entire body. In the earlier days, Muslim women in Kerala used to wear Mundu and colorful blouse called Chatta with a Neriathu to cover their head. Men are mostly seen wearing a bottom wear called mundu or the Dhoti usually accompanied by a shirt or jubbah. Lungi is a casual bottom wear for men. Nowadays men prefer western wear too. In the olden days, men never wore any shirt. Instead, they preferred to drape a cloth called mel-mundu to cover their upper body.

Nowadays, men wear the same when they are visiting any temples on Kerala tourism packages specialized on Kerala customs. The styles and patterns of wearing any dress differ with the place and the religion they follow. Like the mundu worn by the men follow different style among the Muslims and a different style among the Hindus.

Sarees, salwar and jeans etc have become the common dresses in most parts of Kerala. Men prefer shirts and trousers as casual wear. Off late, people in Kerala are adapting the modern western wear and are comfortable wearing the same. Traditional wear has become an occasional wear in most parts of Kerala. Bridal costumes vary a lot in all the communities. They are the trademark of Kerala you will enjoy during your Kerala holiday packages with personalized options. The costume for the brides in Hindu marriages is saree, which come in bright colors and shades with heavy embroidery work.

Many women prefer Kanchipuram silk sarees for the wedding, preferably in colors like red, green, maroon, orange etc. on their auspicious day. Sometimes, these sarees are adorned with crystal work, stones and beads to add more richness. It totally gives a grand look to the bride. Men usually wear a Kasavu mundu or silk Dhoti and shirt. If you are attending a typical Kerala Hindu wedding during your Kerala tour packages from Mumbai, don’t miss a chance to get dressed in the traditional Kerala wear to attend the wedding. Among the Muslims, men used to wear a simple mundu and shirt in the earlier days.

But nowadays, keeping with the fashion trends, things have changed. Muslim men prefer sherwanis or kurtas for their wedding. Muslim women wear a silk saree or rich embroidered Lehenga with their head covered with a golden dupatta. Among the Christians, the women prefer to wear white for their wedding. Men are usually seen in a white shirt and black trousers with blazers or sometimes plain shirt and mundu. Women chose to wear white saree and a veil. Nowadays women are choosing to wear white gown instead of saree. If you are attending a modern Christian wedding during your Kerala tour packages from Delhi, you will be surprised to find the bride and the groom dressed in the English way which is trending.

Kerala is famous for their hand-woven (kai thari) sarees too. Most of the villages still create the handloom sarees which are always in demand. Half sarees are in high demand for the young girls nowadays. Pattu pavada or silk skirt is worn by young girls are again either silk or plain. These days, such costumes are worn on special occasions like weddings, Onam and Vishu. Tourists on Kerala trip who love to explore these traditional wear are always open to visiting the looms where they make these hand-woven beautiful sarees.

Most of the tourists visiting Kerala enjoy wearing these traditional dresses. Along with the costumes, the jewelry is also very important, particularly for the women. Any attire is incomplete without the jewelry. The people of Kerala love gold jewelry as you may realize when you visit a gold jewelry during your Kerala tour. They love to dress up and wear as many gold ornaments as they can. For marriages, gold jewelry has become an integral part. Kasu Mala (Kaasumala), Palakka Mala, Nagapada Thali, Karimani Mala, Mullamottu Mala, Manga Mala, Cheruthali (Thalikoottam), Addiyal, Kashali, Poothali, Jhimki etc. are the old traditional jewelry of Kerala.

Though the traditional ornaments still retain their space in bridal wear, most of the people try to give it a modern outlook. Other than this bridal jewelry, there are ornaments that are adorned for the gods too in the temple called the Thiruvabharnam, which is supposed to be sacred. In the olden days, even men used to pierce their ears and wear a small stud called kadukkan. As they say, fashion will repeat after a few years, you will find many men with one of both ears pierced in Kerala during your Kerala travel.

The Mulla Mottu mala looks like jasmine buds lined along the necklace. Usually, this jewelry is either full gold or accompanied by beads or precious stones of various colors. The Manga mala looks like mango pendants woven along the necklace and is truly a visual treat. Kasu mala has coin-like pendants assembled together. Palakka mala is also mango-shaped with a flat emerald stone in the middle. This pattern has come a long way from the olden days to the modern generation too. You will find this jewelry worn by newly married women on their Kerala honeymoon packages visiting the temples or during some functions. That’s probably the only times they wear such traditional ornaments which have a charm and elegance of their own. The Nagapada thali is similar to the Palakka mala, but the pendant is in the shape of a snake’s hood. It has a mix of green and red stones. Karimani mala is similar to the Mangalsutra used in northern parts of India. It has gold and small black beads. Karimani means black beads that are very small like mustard seeds!

Kolusu or anklets worn by many girls are either gold or silver. Jimmiki is the earring worn by the brides and are seen as a part of temple jewelry too. It is like the jhumkas in the North India but the shape of the bell is rather rounded here and typically, it will not have any Kundan beads hanging from the middle of the jhumki. Many people love this typical Kerala jewelry and tend to buy some during their Kerala tours. 

Gold has become an inseparable part of any occasion, be it a wedding or a festival! The brides adorned in jewelry are always a blissful sight, though sometimes it goes overboard! The jewelry adds to the beauty of the bride. Most of the women in Kerala, irrespective of their caste and religion, wear an ornament called thali, a leaf-shaped gold pendant which denotes that they are married. Every religion has some distinct jewelry that symbolizes the culture they follow. The Christian women wear a large ring like an earring that is worn on the upper ear lobe. The Muslim women wear distinct earrings, bangles and a waist belt called the Oddiyanam.

Most of the modern men in Kerala prefer to wear a single neck chain or bracelet. With the changing trends of fashion, the dressing and the jewelry has also changed and the people adapt a lot more of trendy jewelry now. In fact, in the earlier days, you will see women decked in a lot of jewelry mostly during their honeymoon packages with special appearance. But now the modern women rarely use any jewelry other than the Thali and the wedding ring at the most. Working women avoid gold jewelry due to safety, convenience and formality. Other than gold, diamond, platinum and silver are also in demand. 

If you visit any old palace or any ancestral homes in Kerala during your honeymoon packages in Kerala with surprises, you will find a variety of bronze and silver vessels here. These vessels were used to serve the great kings and queens of that time. Kerala has a unique and trending sense of fashion especially in gold, diamonds and platinum which makes it the perfect place to shop for precious jewelry.