Mundum neriyatum
traditional clothing
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. 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 tuṇi (meaning cloth), while the nēriyatu 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 nēriyatu tucked inside the blouse, or in the modern style with the nēriyatu 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. The mundu is the surviving form of lower garment of the ancient clothing referred to as antariya worn in a special way (lower garment). 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. These two-set garments eventually evolved into what is now known as Kerala sari. 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.
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