The Mughal Empire's New Clothes
The Mughal Empire lasted from the early 1500s to the mid 1900s. The Mughals were a Muslim dynasty who ruled over Central and Northern India, where the Rajput, a predominantly Hindu population, lived. With the Mughals in power, religious and class tensions grew between the Rajput, the oppressed majority, and the Mughals, the privileged minority. The Mughal empire had taken over many different territories, but its resources had been spread thin. A revolution felt eminent.
When Akbar, the son of Humayun, the previous ruler, came into power in 1556, he strengthened the empire’s military and economy. Beyond this, Akbar helped to stabilize the Mughal Empire’s tense political climate. He planned to bring Muslims and Hindus together, and to work to have both groups be treated as equals. Akbar held regular, open discussions about religion and religious tolerance. He appointed Hindu people as officers and advocated for marriage between Mughals and the Rajput. In fact, Akbar himself married two Rajput princesses.
All these tactics worked well to diminish religious tensions, and Akbar is thought to have been well-liked by Mughals and Rajput alike. But Akbar wanted to do even more. Akbar believed that removing distinctions between Mughals and Rapjut would decrease tensions and would bring the two groups together. The most obvious way to do this was through dress. Uniformity between the two groups, Akbar believed, would create a sense of unity. Akbar began to dress in a way that took elements of both Iranian and Indian dress. He wore a turban, but a smaller one than what the Rajput wore, and without a kula (cap) attached to it. Akbar then encouraged his citizens to begin dressing in the same way. Men began to replicate what Akbar wore. Women, on the other hand, had to find their own way to incorporate both cultures into their outfits. Mughal women traditionally wore a jama (coat) with a slit down the front and trousers underneath, but Rajput women were worried about the shape of their legs being visible. They wore ghagra (a long skirt) instead of trousers as a compromise, but Akbar soon ordered for all jama to be made with a skirt, and without a slit.
Soon, dressing in this multi-cultural-inspired style was incredibly popular. It became a symbol of wealth and taste. Just as Mughals had begun to dress in more Rajput styles, many Rajput took on elements of Iranian dress in their own outfits. The Mughal empire became strong and united, lasting for another four hundred years.
In 1605, Akbar passed away. The wealthy feared that without a person in control, the poor would revolt. The upper class, fearing chaos, locked their doors and hid their jewelry. They began to dress in plain clothes, replacing finely made shawls with rough blankets. They hoped that by appearing poor, revolting citizens would not target them in their uprising. Interestingly, the clothing they wore was not considered “poor” because the fabrics had inferior thread counts or fibers, but because they were rough and uncomfortable. Banarasidas, a cloth merchant, happened to be visiting the Mughal capital during this time of unrest. While he did not mention the fabrics that the rich wore when emulating the poor, he did use the word motā repeatedly throughout his recollections. Motā can mean expensive or plump, but also implies that the fabric was thick, rough, and uncomfortable. The uncomfortable nature of these clothes seemed more important to Banarasidas than the actual material that the fabrics were made from. Banarasidas also mentioned that the fabric he had come to the Mughal capital to sell was fine, smooth cotton. Today, cotton is not considered to be a particularly expensive fabric. However, in the Mughal Empire, because cotton is so comfortable, it was a fine and likely costly material.
Resources:
https://world4.eu/indian-mughal-empire-costumes/
https://www.fabricoz.com/blogs/fabricoz/how-indian-dresses-have-evolved-throughout-the-centuries
https://www.fabricoz.com/blogs/indian-fashion/history-of-indian-clothing-through-the-decades
https://www.dishafashioninstitute.com/history-of-clothing-and-fashion-in-india
