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The Kandyan osariya
The traditional dress of Sinhalese women from the Kandyan highlands, a sari-like garment with a frilled blouse, used today as a bridal and formal dress.
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The osariya, also called the Kandyan dress, is a traditional dress of Sinhalese women from the Kandyan kingdom of the central highlands. It is a sari-like cloth worn with a blouse that has a frill and puffed sleeves. It is now often seen at weddings and in formal and national settings.
Wrapped step by step
Each drawing shows the cloth so far, with the newest step outlined in gold. The figure is a front view; the wearer's left is on your right.
Step 1 Put on the frilled blouse and a petticoat. Step 2 Wrap the long cloth round the waist. Step 3 Gather part of the cloth into a fan of pleats at the front or side. Step 4 Tuck the pleats firmly at the waist. Step 5 Carry the free end over the shoulder and arrange it over the blouse. Step 6 Pin it in place, and add a belt at the waist if wearing the bridal version. Step 7 Let the cloth fall in folds and settle the frills. Finished The Kandyan osariya, seen from the front.
Where it comes from
The osariya originated among the Sinhalese of the Kandyan kingdom, where it was worn by upper class women of the Kandyan period, which ended in 1815 when the kingdom came under British rule. In later years it came to be treated as a national dress of Sri Lanka and was adopted widely for formal use. Its form took shape in the court and the households of the hill country, and it is related to Indian saris in how a long cloth is wrapped round the body, but it has its own cut and blouse.
How it looks
The wearer puts on a blouse with a stiff, frilled sleeve and often a high neck, and wraps a long cloth round the body in a way that gives a fan of pleats at the waist. Part of the cloth is arranged over one shoulder. White and cream are classic colours, and brides often wear red, pink or gold tones with embroidery and jewellery. A decorated belt and heavy necklaces are common with the bridal version. The exact folds differ from one dresser to another.
Who wears it and when
It is worn by brides at Sinhalese weddings, by dancers, at official functions and at cultural events. Many Sri Lankan women have it only for a few special days. Dressing in it is often done with help, since the frills and pleats take practice, and professional dressers handle bridal versions. Because it is tied to the Sinhalese highlands, it is not a general costume of all Sri Lankans, and Tamil and Muslim women have their own traditions. Some families keep jewellery and cloth for generations. This guide gives the general form, and a maker, dresser or family may do it a little differently.
Sarees worn this way
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryPallu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The drawings are simplified diagrams of the order of wrapping, not a lesson: how a drape is worn differs from family to family. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Osariya: Mr Anuradha Ratnaweera (අනුරාධ රත්නවීර මහතා), CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sari: Suyash.dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source