Panchakacham and madisar

[Asirvadam]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

The PANCHAKACHAM and MADISAR used to be the most common informal costume of brahmins during erstwhile years.

It was a resplendant scene watching men with Panchakacham on and their wives sporting Madisar walking together as couples towards the temple on the streets of Srirangam especially during festival, brahmorchavam etc times when I was a kid.

In fact I fell in love with my wife seeing her on an unusual Madisar outfit. I had seen her until then only in a chudidaar cum duppatta.

After our marriage, when we visited Srirangam, my wife and I together took a stroll on the streets, I wearing a panchakacham and my wife a madisar.

I could hear our women in the neighbourhood whispering 'En kanne pattudum pola irukku. Aathukkararai eppadi mathitta paaru'.

But where went the Panchakacham and Madisar!!!

I hardly see brahmins, let alone others, wearing panchakacham and madisar.

Many of my brahmin colleagues do not even know how to wear a panchakacham. Nor do my brahmin lady colleagues know how to wear madisar.

Are those costumes extinct?

Could we expect a revival of those beautiful costumes?

 

[vijaya_1973]

normally in our brahmin family ladies are working womens and they don't have that much time as well as patios. But we do wear madisar in occasions only like brahmopadesham, nombu days

 

[wrongan]

Laziness has changed all good practices followed by Brahmins. One has to get up early in the morning Take a cold water bath Wear traditional dress chant some slokas .Those are practices of yester years.Today people including girls and boys go to bed very late night,sleep up to 8 or 9 in the morning,conveniently forgo breakfast drap in churidar or pant shirts not daily washed and go out.Will any one adopt brahmin practices nowadays.

 

[P.J.]

Ready made Madisar Dresses



Madisar Saree for Iyer & Iyengar - Video

 

[auh]

T

In fact I fell in love with my wife seeing her on an unusual Madisar outfit. I had seen her until then only in a chudidaar cum duppatta.

Madisar is worn only after marriage.

Perhaps, this is, like the anaconda version of saligrama stone, a fantastical twist in the tale inviting a joy ride of posts?

 

[Vaagmi]

Hello "Asir",

This is what you said in your post:

In fact I fell in love with my wife seeing her on an unusual Madisar outfit. I had seen her until then only in a chudidaar cum duppatta.

Brahmin girls wear madisar only after marriage. So how come you could see your girl in madisar before your marriage with her, fall in love with her and then marry her. Something is missing here.

 

[renuka]

Hello "Asir",

This is what you said in your post:


Brahmin girls wear madisar only after marriage. So how come you could see your girl in madisar before your marriage with her, fall in love with her and then marry her. Something is missing here.

May be he fell in love with her after marriage..after seeing her for the very 1st time in Madisar.

 

[auh]

May be he fell in love with her after marriage..after seeing her for the very 1st time in Madisar.

Looks like anaconda logic to me

 

[sarang]

A google search immediately took me to anaconda logic board game - baby gift.

Looks like anaconda logic to me

 

[vgane]

Madisar & Panchakacham creates a divine aura

But with divinity getting less & less in our lives we have fosekan these traditional dresses for modern outfits

It is being used only for functions such as Marriage, Poonool or Thithi wherein Vaadhyars insist for that

We have a family friend who wear the dress without fail for the daily pooja

 

[auh]

A google search immediately took me to anaconda logic board game - baby gift.

So something exists in that name !

 

[kunjuppu]

here is my take on this.

asirvadam, is a xtian, as he already has indicated in another post. he married a tambram girl.

many of our girls, when still single, dress up in madisar, for fun, drama or such. he may had a chance to view her in such an attire and fall in love.

being a today christian, he is not familiar with panchakacham. but a 100 years ago, panchakacham was a formal attire (along with a coat and turban) of all south india, particularly when they went to work in any office related to the british administration.

asir might have seen pix of the poet vedanayagam pillai, with panch turban & coat

it is now upto asirvadam to clarify the queries. i am quite sure he is enjoying all the fun generated by his rather simple observation.

 

[amala]

I really like how K sir has given the benefit of the doubt, when everyone else is maligning Asirvadam sir rightly or wrongly. I think such magnanimity is truly, truly rare.

 

[Raji Ram]

I am surprised to see that this thread which was lying idle for about 20 days first and

then for about 5 days after one reply has gained momentum after wrongan Sir's post!

P.S: We never get tired of discussing about 'panchu' and 'madisAr'!! :blah:

 

[Raji Ram]

I like Sri. Balamuralikrishna's concert dress!

Here is one photo:

Courtesy: Google images.

 

[Raji Ram]

Another artist who likes to wear 'panchu' is Sri. Santhanagopalan.

 

[vgane]

I watched this wiki instruction for panchakacham...It is explained in simple terms

How to Wear a Pancha Kachcham: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

 

[vgane]

Our T.N Governor is always in Panchakajam Veshti...Pl see the photo below




View attachment Governor Rosiah.bmp

 

[kunjuppu]

i would like to further clarify - panchakacham was the formal attire 100 years ago, of hindus and christians, all castes, south india. vedanayagam pillai was a catholic. the muslims had the tight pajama long coat (sherwani?). after independence, nehru adopted it, and it became nehru coat, across the world.

today even PC wears a suit when abroad. so do all the cabinet ministers - of india. and china

thank you amala

 

[vgane]

Tambrahms have discarded the outward symbols of brahminism..Is it because of Tech advancement in a globalised world or is it on account of anti brahmin sentiment in Tamil Nadu...

Even in Andhra & Karnataka I am not seeing the traditional dress worn by the Brahmins

If you look at Middle East the men and women still prefer the traditional dress...Men continue to wear the head gear with aplomb

I once met a Kuwaiti Sheikh in a Bank..He was resplendent in his traditional dishdisha (long sleeved floor length) with head dress...He had invited me for dinner

Went to the hotel at the pre fixed time...I was searching him..

Could not locate him..

Then I dialled him..

Hey, I am here was the response

My friend was just behind where I called ...But without the traditional dress..It was really difficult to figure him but for his voice..

 

[auh]

i would like to further clarify - panchakacham was the formal attire 100 years ago, of hindus and christians, all castes, south india.

Is this true? I have heard that there was a "cycle kattu" which was similar, but not exactly the kacham.

 

[Raji Ram]

I thought the 'panchu' and 'madisAr' are worn for the first time on the wedding day!

Now it has become a kid's fancy dress too! Look here:

Source: What to wear?

 

[Raji Ram]

MadisAr saree is the concert dress for two famous ladies!

Smt. Seethalakshmi Doraiswamy:

Source: And The Granny Goes To..

Smt. Visakha Hari:

Source: Enriching Harikatha - The Hindu

 

[DR.C.NARAYANI]

Hello RR Mam,Prompt example with relevant snaps as usual,:clap2: .

 

[renuka]

Don't get angry with me for saying this but doesn't the madisar add years to a woman's appearance?

It gives the "aunty" look.


Disclaimer: This post is just my observation as a person who does not know anything about a madisar and not to find fault with the madisar.
Those members who might get angry with me for saying this are most welcome to think "kazhuthaiku theriyuma karpoora vaasanai"