Braj · Upper Indus–Gangetic Plain
The best-dressed figure in Braj is not a person. The deity is bathed, dressed and changed several times a day to a seasonal schedule — light muslin and sandal in summer, quilted velvet in winter — and an entire tailoring and embroidery trade in Vrindavan exists to make poshak at that scale. Human dress follows the Braj-Rajasthan transition: lehnga and odhni to the west, ghagra-choli and sari to the east.
What is worn
Full sets of stitched garments, jewellery and headwear made to the exact measurements of a particular image, with a separate wardrobe for each season and each major festival. A commercial craft in its own right along Vrindavan's Loi Bazaar.
Worn for: Daily, changed by season and festival
A gathered skirt with a long veil, in the Braj-Rajasthan style; the pattern and colour shift towards Mewati convention as you move west into Kaman and Hodal.
Worn for: Everyday and festive
A dhoti with a short jacket and a turban tied in the Braj manner — flatter and looser than the Rajasthani safa and usually white for temple service.
Worn for: Everyday and ritual
The costumed dress of the boy performers who play Krishna and the gopis — crown, peacock feather, dhoti and full skirt — made by specialist tailors in Vrindavan.
Worn for: Raslila performances
Weaves and textiles
Silk, velvet and brocade cut and embroidered with zari for temple images, worked to a seasonal calendar. Much of the base cloth arrives from Banaras and Surat; the making-up and embroidery are local.
A cotton block-printing tradition on the Rajasthan side, closer in palette to Bagru than to the finer Sanganeri work, and made mostly for local wear.
Jewellery
Traditional dress of Braj — garments, handloom weaves, GI-tagged textiles and jewellery. (6)