Asherwani is a long-sleeved outer coat worn by men in South Asia. Like the Westernfrock coat, it is fitted, with some waist suppression; it falls to below the knees and is buttoned down the front. It can be collarless, have a shirt-style collar, or a stand-up collar in the style of theMandarin collar.[1]It evolved in theIndian subcontinent in the 19th-century as a result of the outer garment of the lateMughal period, theangarkha—itself evolved from the Persian cape,balaba—being given a western style with a button-down front.[2]
The name of the attire is plausibly derived fromShirvan or Sherwan, a region of present-dayAzerbaijan, due to the folk dress of that area (Chokha) which resembles the sherwani. Therefore, the garment may also be aMughalized derivative of the Caucasian dress due to the ethnocultural linkages of Turco-Persian affinity during the Middle Ages.[3]
The sherwani originated in the early 19th century. It was originally associated with Muslimaristocracy during the period of British rule.[4] According to Emma Tarlo, the sherwani evolved from a Persian cape (balaba orchapkan), which was gradually given a more Indian form (angarkha), and finally developed into the sherwani, with buttons down the front, following European fashion.[5] It originated in 19th centuryBritish India as the European style court dress of regionalMughal nobles of northern India.[4] It appeared first atLucknow in the 1820s.[6] It was gradually adopted by the rest of the royalty andaristocracy of the Indian subcontinent, and later by the general population, as a more evolved form of occasional traditional attire.
The sherwani evolved from a Persian cape (balaba orchapkan) and was developed into the sherwani, with buttons down the front, following European fashion.[5][6]
The sherwani is now famous as awedding outfit, and it has always been popular as an outfit which can be worn on formal occasions.[7] The sherwani signified thedignity andetiquette of the nobility, and it used to be the court dress of the nobles ofTurkish andPersian origin. It is the national dress ofPakistan for men. A sherwani carries a regal feel.[8]
In India, theachkan has been generally worn, which is much shorter than the sherwani. The achkan was worn on formal occasions in winter, especially by those fromRajasthan,Punjab,Delhi,Jammu, Uttar Pradesh andHyderabad.[9] The achkan is generally associated with the Hindus while the sherwani was historically and is still favored by Muslims.[10] The two garments have significant similarities, though sherwanis typically are more flared at the hips and achkans are lengthier than simple sherwanis. The achkan later evolved into theNehru Jacket, which is now popular in India.[11] In India, the achkan or sherwani is generally worn in combination with thechuridar as the lower garment.[12]
![Jawaharlal Nehru (left) wearing an achkan with churidar.[13]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNehru_Roerich.jpg)
InBangladesh, the sherwani is worn by people on formal occasions such as weddings andEid.
After the independence ofPakistan,Muhammad Ali Jinnah frequently wore the sherwani.[14] Following him, most people and government officials in Pakistan such as the President and Prime Minister started to wear the formal black sherwani over theshalwar kameez on state occasions and national holidays.[15]
In Sri Lanka, Sherwani was generally worn as the formal uniform ofMudaliyars and earlyTamil legislators during theBritish colonial period.
Sherwanis are mostly worn in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.[16]: 571 These garments usually feature detailed embroidery or patterns. One major difference between sherwani-wearing habits is the choice of lower garment: while in India it is mainly worn withchuridars orpyjamas, in Pakistan and Bangladesh it is mainly worn with ashalwar.
Pakistani journalist, filmmaker and activist,Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy appeared in sherwani when she won theAcademy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 2012 and 2015.[17][18][19][20][21]
Glossary:Sherwani Men's long coat, usually collarless
The historian Abdul Halim Sharar ... shows how the Persian cape (balaba,chapkan) was gradually given a more Indian form (angarkha), and finally developed into thesherwani which had buttons down the front, following European fashion. In the early stages wealthy men's robes were made from the luxury fabrics of muslin and silk and often embroidered. But as they became more Europeanised, they became increasingly like the Englishman's frock coat, made from heavy dull material with less ornamentation and given tight sleeves. Some men added a white shirt collar to thesherwani to complete the look.
