Accessories - Additional ornamentation to accompany the traditional Indian clothing like bindi, bangles, maang tika, armlets etc.

Achkan - A long-sleeved coat-like garment buttoned in the front and reaching down to the knees or lower.

Ambi A mango-shaped motif - the paisley pattern (lit.

'rich') Amli Needle work embroidery native to Kashmir Angarkha A long-sleeved, full-skirted tunic for men, generally open at the chest and tied in front with an inner flap Ari Awl-like hooked needle, often used for chain stitch embroidery Badam - A textile term for oval-shaped motifs Badla - Flattened gold or silver wire Badla - Mukaish Knots of badla sewn onto cloth Baluchar - A type of brocaded silk sari Bandgala- Achkan and shervani (lit.

'closed neck') Bandhini - The mode of tie-dyeing fabrics to form patterns (also known as bandhej) Bandhni - Fabric which is prepared using the tie-and-dye process.

Also commonly known as Bandhej and spelled as Bandhani.

Bandhni Print - A pattern/print commonly used in northern India on the fabric which gives a tie-and-dye effect.

Bandi - A short jacket or waistcoat Bangle - Hoops, made of glass or metal, and worn around the wrists.

They come in different colors and may be plain or have designs etched on them.

Normally, more than 1 are worn on both wrists by girls.

Batik - A paste or wax resist dyeing technique Bel - A stylized creeper pattern Bindi - An Indian accessory generally worn on the forehead - comes in different colors and shapes and is made of varied materials (beads, stones, felt, etc).

Bindis, these days, are self-stick and are usually worn on the forehead, in between the eyebrows.

Also commonly known as Bindiya / Kumkum / Tikki.

Booti - A floral pattern very commonly used in Indian textile design.

Also spelled as Buti.

Buti - A smaller version of a buta the term is used also to denote stylized animal motifs printed in block repeats Calico - A term used by early European traders Cheent - Spotted Chikankari - White embroidery, predominantly floral patterns, executed on fine white cotton with untwisted threads of white cotton or silk Chiru - Himalayan antelope Choli - A short blouse, which leaves the midriff exposed, usually worn with a saree / lehenga / ghagra.

Choli - A woman's blouse or bodice usually tight-fitting Chunari - A tie-dyed dotted pattern, a veil Chunnat - Pleated or crimped gota ribbon Chunri - A scarf or wrap worn with most Indian girls' and boys' outfits.

It can be worn in countless ways - for example, it can be draped over one or both shoulders (for both girls & boys) or can be used to cover the head like a veil (for girls only).

Also commonly known as Chunni.

Chunri Print - A pattern/print commonly used in northern India on the fabric which gives a tie-and-dye effect.

Churidar paijama - Style of tight-fitting paijama, rouched from the knee to the ankles (lit.

the paijama with bangles) Churidar - Pants which are snug around the calf and ankle, but loose at the hips and thighs.

The garment is made long so that gatherings form at the ankle.

Can be worn by girls under salwar or boys under a kurta (tunic).

Also spelled as Churidhar.

Desi - Anything of Indian origin.

Dhoti - An unstitched garment used to drape the lower body, very much in use today Dori - A cord Dupatta - An unstitched length of material for the upper body traditionally worn by both sexes, but now mainly worn by women as part of a salwar kameez (paijama and tunic) ensemble Farshi - A wide legged trailing paijama Ganga Jamuna -The juxtaposition of silver and gold in a woven pattern, named after the confluence of dark and light waters of the two sacred rivers Ghaghra - A gathered skirt usually very flared Ghagra - Skirt, usually flared, which reaches upto the ankles.

Usually has embroidery or some other work on it.

Also spelled as Ghaghra / GagraGhungroos : Tiny bells attached to clothes or anklets.

Gota : Thin ribbon made of gold or silver thread.

Ghera - Circumference, fullness of a garment Gheru - Saffron, ochre Ghundi - A button made of silk or cotton, sometimes covered with gold or silver wire, held together with a loop Gota - A metallic ribbon in which badla forms the weft and silk or cotton the wrap Gota - Patti Small leaf shapes made of gota Gota Moti - A beaded cord covered with gota, often used for finishing ghaghra and jama hems Gote - The bottom part of a farshi paijama which is made up of three sections, often richly embellished Holi - A lively and colourful festival celebrated on the last day of the month of Phalgun to welcome the onset of spring Ikkat - The name of the pattern created by the tie-dyeing the weft and wrap threads before weaving which is a specially of Gujarat Orissa and Andhra Pradesh Izarband - The decorative drawstring at the waist of a lower garment, usually a ghaghra or a paijama with ornamented tasselled ends Jaal - An all over pattern in a printed or embroidered fabric Jala- A small wooden frame used by master craftsmen, on which threads are tied to form a grid of the wrap and weft outling the design of the weave Jamakhana - The storehouse for garments in the Mughal and other royal courts Jamavar - The trade name for the woven or embroidered Kashmir shawls Jamdaani - A weaving technique traditional to the town of Tanda, Jais and Dacca used to produce figured muslins Jhoomar - A jewelled hair ornament worn on the side of the head Jhumka - A bell-shaped piece of jewellery Jutis - Slip on shoes, usually elaborated embroidery and with unturned toes Kada - A thick bangle or bracelet worn by girls and boys.

May be worn on just one wrist or one on each wrist.

Kairi Buti - A pattern common in Indian textile design, based on the shape of a mango.

Kalamkari - Painted cloth (as a trade term it referred to both painted and printed cloths) Kali - A gored panel Kalioyndar Paijama - A wide bottomed paijama made up of several panels Kameez - A tunic Kameez - A shirt or tunic worn by girls over a salwar (pant) - may be of varying lengths depending on the current fashion trend).

Also spelled as Khameez / Kamiz.

Kanchala - Kundal A type of earing Kanchli - A sleeveless bodice worn in Western India Kanni - A complex weaving technique originating in Kashmir (known in the West as the double twill-tapestry technique) Khadi - Fabric made of handspun yarns, symbol of India's fight for Independent Kumkum - Same as bindi.

Kurta - A loose, stitched garment worn by men and women, most commonly described as a tunic (also known as a kameez) Kurta - Shirt or tunic worn by boys (over a pajama/pant) and girls (over a salwar/pant) Kurti - A short kurta usually worn by women a type of grass fiber) Kurti - A shorter form of kurta, usually upto the hips, worn by girls over a lehenga (skirt) or pants.

Lacha - An ankle-length skirt, tunic and scarf combination.

Lahariya - A pattern in which diagonal wavy stripes are formed by the fold-resist dyeing technique of the same name Lehenga - A long skirt which reaches up to the ankles.

Usually has embroidery or some other work on it.

Also spelled as Lehnga / Lehanga / Lengha.

Lehnga - A skirt Libaas - An ensemble or dress Lungi : A piece of garment worn by men on the lower half of the body.

Worn in various ways in different of India.

.

Maang Tika - An Indian accessory worn in the hair by girls.

It consists of a pendant and a chain with a hook at the end - the chain is worn along the hair-part using the hook to attach it to the hair so that the pendant is on the forehead just beyond the hairline.

Mashru - A medium weight wrap faced satin or twill fabric with silk wrap and cotton weft Minakari - Coloured enamel jewellery, borders or butis woven with different coloured silk to give the appearance of enamel Mothra - A criss-cross pattern obtained through fold-resist dyeing in woven fabrics the term Moti - A bead or pearl Mulmul - Cotton, usually in reference to Indian muslin, particularly the muslin woven in Bengal Odhini - A veil, usually 3m x 1m, worn by women with a ghaghra, kurti and kanchli, it covers the head and the right shoulder, is drawn across the body and either tucked into the waistband or left hanging in front Pagri - The common term for a turban Paijama - Drawstring trousers worn by men and women with many different styles Paithani - Cotton and silk sari produced in Paithan Pajama - Drawstring pants worn by boys under a kurta (tunic).

Also spelled as Paijama / Pyjama / Pejama.

Pallav - The decorative border at one or both ends of a length of fabric usually of a sari, odhani or patka Pashmina -The wool made from the fleece of the underbelly of the rare Tibetan wild mountain goat Patti - A border or edging Payal - Anklet generally made of silver.

Also commonly known as Pajeb and spelled as Paayal / Pazeb.

Peshwaz - A long high-waisted gown Phulkari - Folk embroidery typical of the Punjab Poncha - The ankle opening of a paijama, usually the salwar, which is often quilted or ornamented with decorative stitching Purdah - The practice of sequestering women, the flap of fabric in the angarkha that covers the chest, the pieces of fabric used to make up the cups of a choli Salwar Paijama - A baggy style of paijama tapered at the ankle worn mainly in the Punjab, Afghanistan and African garment Salwar - Pants worn by girls under a kurta / kameez (tunic).

Also commonly as spelled as Salwaar / Shalwar / Salvar.

Sari - An unstitched length of fabric up to 9 yds in length and 18 to 60 in width with a decorated end panel draped in a wide variety of styles Shal- A shawl Sharara - A kind of loose, trailing pant worn by girls under a kurta/tunic.

Shatoosh - The fleece of the tibetan chiru antelope that is spun and woven into fine shawls Shervani - A formal knee-length coat fitted to the waist Sherwani - A coat-like garment buttoned in the front which reaches down to the knees or lower.

Usually has embroidery or some other type of work on it.

Worn by men at weddings and other formal parties.

Sinjaf - The facing inside the hem of a garment Sitara - Tiny metal discs, often of gold or silver with a tiny hole at the centre Tanchoi - Figured silk with multiple supplementary weft threads, that create a heavy densly patterned fabric Teej - A festival celebrating conjugal love, held in Northern and western India in The month of Shravan Tikka - A forehead ornament also used to refer to a bindi Tikki - Metal discs used in zardozi embroidery Tikki / Tikki - Embroidery Metal discs used in zardozi embroidery Topi - A cap Tussar - A type of wild silk made in Eastern and Central India from hand spun yarns Vastra - Clothes Vastra - Hindi word for clothes.

Zardozi - Gold thread embroidery using metallic elements and threads, sometimes mirrors, precious or semi precious stones Zardozi - Intricate hand embroidery using gold, silver or colored wire.

Also spelled as Zardosi.

Zari - metal wrapped yarn used for zardozi embroidery Zari - Metallic thread used for brocading.