One of the Indian ethnic groups, the Assamese people, have a very delicate and elegant women’s folk clothing. The outfit is called “mekhela sador”. Basically, it is a sari but the draping is typical for the Assam. Millions of people in the world consider sari to be one of the most feminine and beautiful garments. And mekhela sador is no exception. It emphasizes woman’s curves perfectly and hides most of the drawbacks of the body. Beautiful trimmings add some flavor and color to the attire.
Mekhela sador is the traditional Assamese attire of a woman in Assam (Northeastern India). It is an assemblage of 2-piece cloth, consisting of the mekhela and the sador. A blouse and a riha also is worn in addition to form a set.
The Assamese people are the indigenous ethnic group of the state of Assam, Northeastern India. This nation was historically formed from Indo-Aryan, Austroasiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and Tai races. Today, there are over 15 million Assamese.
Mekhela. Mekhela is a piece of cloth that is draped around the lower portion of the body, running down from the waist to the ankle. It is worn around the waist and is cylindrical and neatly arranged into folds around the waist and tucked in.
Sador. Sador is the other piece in the assemblage of mekhela sador. It is a long length of cloth worn from the upper portion of the body, with one end beautifully tucked in around the waist in certain patterns, like triangular folds or simply running folds to be tucked in over the mekhela. The sador is tidied in pleats and pinned on the left shoulder.
In addition, there is a blouse worn underneath the sador.
Riha. During marriage or other auspicious customary rituals, Assamese women also adorn themselves with a riha. It resembles the sador, though is longer in length. Riha is draped around the body underneath the sador and over the mekhela.
How to wear the mekhela sador
Step 1
Folding of mekhela. There are folds.
Step 2
Folding of sador.
Step 3
Wrapping of sador. From right to left
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