Community drapes
The Santhal parhan and panchi
The Santhal woman's dress: a white cotton cloth with a red border, wrapped in two parts, the parhan and the panchi.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for wearers, makers and the curious.
Santhal women of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar traditionally wear a two-part dress of white cotton with a coloured border: the parhan wrapped round the lower body, and the panchi over the upper. In many villages today a single saree is worn in a similar way, and the pattern differs from place to place.
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 Tuck one end of the lower cloth, the parhan, into the waist. Step 2 Wrap it round the waist and tuck it so that it falls to the calf or the knee. Step 3 Tuck the loose end in at the side so that it holds firmly. Step 4 Wrap the upper cloth, the panchi, across the chest. Step 5 Draw the end over the shoulder and secure it. Step 6 Arrange the red border so that it runs along the edge. Finished The Santhal parhan and panchi, seen from the front.
Where it comes from
The Santhal are one of the largest tribal communities of India. Their traditional cloth was handwoven cotton, often with a red border, and the colours still count: white with red is used in many ceremonies, and for dance. The names parhan and panchi are Santali words for the lower and the upper cloth.
How it looks
The lower cloth is wrapped round the waist and tucked, and falls to about the knee or calf, depending on the village and the age of the wearer. The upper cloth is wrapped across the chest. The border is placed so that it runs along the hem and the edge. Details differ, and the account here is general.
Who wears it and when
Santhal women wear it at the Sohrai harvest festival and the Baha spring festival, at weddings and in dance, often with flowers in the hair and silver jewellery. The cloth can be a handloom piece or a mill saree. The dance dress is more carefully arranged and uses white with a red border.
Sarees worn this way
Also part of it, and being written: Santal people (The community, for the background to the dress.).
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.