Title
Choga
Year/Period
c.1855-1875
Region
Kashmir, India
Object Type
robes (main garments)
Material
wool (textile), silver (metal)
Technique
sewing (needleworking technique), hand spinning, embroidering
Dimension
Object size: 148.5 x 182.5 x 5.0 cm
Accession No.
2020-00025
Collection of
NLB Type
Costume
The choga was worn as an outer garment, over thinner articles of clothing like the angarkha, jama, or kurta, to achieve a layered effect fashionable in 19th-century India. Woollen chogas were popular in northern regions like Kashmir, which was famed for the quality of its hand-spun wools, as well as the shawls made from it. In fact, Kashmir shawls were often paired with chogas.The stylised mango forms, known locally as ambi, embroidered with silver and gilded silver threads (zardozi technique) at the shoulders and down the front, emphasise the garment’s structure.
