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West Bengal, the state of India, which is synonymous with rich culture and endearing tradition boasts of its world famous cuisine, vibrant festivals and traditional clothes. The traditional clothes of the state in particular, perfectly showcase the ethnicity of the people.

Known for sophistication and creativity, the traditional dress worn by the women of this state is a sari. Generally woven in fine silk and cotton, the saris are designed following the cultural customs.The Bengali women prefers to wear the sari in a typical bengali style which is, not pleating the sari and the ‘pallu’ is usually left loose over the left shoulder mainly, with a keys bunch attached to it. Cotton and silk saris are the most popular kind of saris of West Bengal.

The traditional weavers also known as ‘tantis’ of the state have a world wide reputation owing to the premium quality fabric used coupled with refined thread work. On the other hand, Bengali silk is renowned for its sophisticated and elegant texture and quality. Though cotton, Baluchari and Jamdani are the traditional saris of the women of West Bengal, silk saris are worn in plenty in formal events and occasions.

The Bengali men dress themselves in traditional ‘dhoti’ and ‘panjabi’, mainly during the festivals and other cultural events. Both the dhoti and panjabi can be made from cotton and silk. Panjabi, which is worn on the upper part of the body is similar to the North Indian wear, Kurta. However, in the present day Bengal, men are hardly seen wearing dhoti and panjabi as a regular wear.

West Bengal has seen the influence of different civilisations over the years, which however, have no impact over the traditional dress of this state.