Dhoti

The dhoti is an ankle-length breechcloth, wrapped around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape of trousers. The dhoti is a garment of ethnic wear for men in the Indian subcontinent. The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, of usually around 4 yards (3.7 m) in length.

The dhoti is the male counterpart of the sari, worn by females to religious and secular ceremonies (functions). A pitambar is a yellow silk dhoti worn on auspicious occasions. Dhotis must not be confused with "readymade panchakachams" or "dhoti pants", which are a new ready to wear trend, popular among women and typical of children. Although the terms mundu or veshti are used interchangeably with "dhoti", they are different from the dhoti, which is "looped" or wrapped around the legs, in the form of trousers or pants. The dhoti is better known as panchakacham in South India, which may even be worn while doing dances such as moonwalks. While the sari is still draped by many women as daily wear, only a few men know how to wrap the dhoti and use it every day. The dhoti has been displaced by the "English clothes" of the British, in urban areas like Bombay (Mumbai). Men in dhotis are looked down upon because they are perceived as poor, in places such as shopping malls. With the addition of kurta-pyjama sets from Central Asia, during the Moghal empire, pyjamas are worn instead of dhotis as ethnic menswear.