Handwoven Designer Pat Silk Mekhela Sador With Heavy Work

Mekhela chadar is a Traditional Assamese dress worn by the women of Assam. There are two main pieces of cloth that are draped around the body. The bottom portion, draped from the waist downwards is called the mekhela. It is in the form of a sarong, a very wide cylinder of cloth that is folded into pleats to fit around the waist and tucked in. The folds are to the right, as opposed to the pleats in the Nivi style of the saree, which are folded to the left. Strings are never used to tie the mekhela around the waist, though an underskirt with a string is often used. The top portion of the two-piece dress, called the chador, is a long length of cloth that has one end tucked into the upper portion of the mekhela and the rest draped over and around the rest of the body. Unlike the pavadai dhavani, the chador is tucked in triangular folds. A fitted blouse is often worn, though in the past another garment called a riha was worn. A riha is still worn as part of the Assamese bridal trousseau, but over a fitted blouse.