Salwar or Shalwar is cloth worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately. It is the lower-garment of the Shalwar kameez suit which is widely-worn in South Asia. It is known for its lively hues, rich fabrics, and embroidery. It is also the national dress of Pakistan, and since the later 1960s with the salwar being used in government offices in Pakistan. The outfit has been a part of Punjabi tradition for centuries. Salwar can be distinguished from the Punjabi suthan which is shorter than the salwar. Salwar originated in Central Asia and its use spread to South Asia.
Types
Afghani shalwar – tends to be loose. Anarkali shalwar – slim fitted salwar. Peshawari shalwar – is very loose down to the ankles. Balochi shalwar – has a very roomy salwar using large lengths of cloth. Punjabi shalwar - is straight Patiala shalwar – is wide at the top but fits closely to the legs and is gathered at the ankles. Saraiki shalwar – is very wide and baggy with many voluminous folds. Sindhi shalwar – is plaited at the waist.
History
Early history
Shalwar is a lower garment, with different regions having different types. The earliest form of the shalwar originated in Central Asia and its use was spread to South Asia as well as the Arab world, Turkey and wherever the Turks established their empires in the 12th century. The Ottomans spread the use of the salwar throughout its empire. Salwar was brought in South Asia after the arrival of Muslims in the 13th century. It was first worn by Mughal nobles. The use of the salwar in the Punjab region has been the result of influences from the Middle East, Central Asian Turks and finally, the Afghans.
In Punjab, there is a similar but older dress similar to the salwar known as suthan. The Punjabi suthan suit which is made up of the head scarf, kurta/kurti and Punjabi suthan. Dogri pajama and the churidar. The term salwar kameez also includes the Kashmiri Phiran/suthan outfit.
In the Punjab region, the salwar was made using a large amount of material but had no pleats or folds. The large salwar eventually gave rise to the Punjabi salwar.
Punjabi salwar
In its strictest sense, the salwar is baggy and loose straight down the legs, and gathered loosely at the ankles. During the medieval period, people adopted the Iraqi style of salwar in Multan and neighbouring Sindh. This type of salwar is traditionally very baggy and gathered at the ankles. It is still worn by the Kurdish community in Iraq. The presence of the baggy salwar was noted by Alberuni in the 11th century A.D. and continued to be envogue between the 16th and 18th centuries C.E. in Multan
The Multani salwar is similar to the loose Punjabi suthan. Therefore, the distinction between the loose Punjabi suthan and the loose Multani salwar is fine and centres on the tight ankle band in the suthan, and on the suthan beginning to fit closer to the legs below the knees.
The original Punjabi loose salwar was not as baggy as the Multani style but was wide, with the gathering at the ankles being wide enough to cover the feet. Originally, up to ten yards of cloth was used to make Punjabi salwars. The original Punjabi salwar was also not as baggy as other forms of the salwar, such as the type worn in Afghanistan (partug), the Balochi salwar, or the loose Punjabi suthan, and gathers more quickly below the knees and ends in a tight band. Eventually the modern Punjabi salwar came into being which is slim fitting and does not have wide ends as before.
Another style of salwar is the Pothohari salwar of the Pothohar area of the Punjab region. The Pothohari salwar retains the wideness of the Punjabi suthan. The kameez is also wide. The chunni is a remnant of the large chadar popular in West Punjab known as salari and the large Phulkari worn in various areas of the Punjab region. However, the Pothohari salwar suit did not attain universal acceptance. The Bahawalpuri salwar is also wide and baggy with many folds. The material traditionally used for the Bahawalpuri shalwar and suthan is known as Sufi, which is a mixture of cotton warp mixed with silk weft and gold threads running down the material.