Malnad · Deccan Inland Plateau
This is not a weaving region, and it is honest to say so — the rain, the terrain and the garden economy left no room for pit looms, and Malnad has always bought its cloth from the plain and the coast. What it has instead is a set of ways of wearing it that are unmistakable. The Kodava kupya-chele and the Kodava woman's reversed saree drape are among the most distinctive costumes in southern India, and neither depends on a special fabric — both are about cut, tying and what is worn at the waist.
What is worn
A long half-sleeved coat, black or dark, gathered at the waist by the chele — a red-and-gold sash wound several times — with a white or gold head cloth. Tucked into the sash at the small of the back is the peeche kathi, an ornamented dagger with a chain of silver ornaments hanging from it. The dagger is dress, not weapon, and its position at the back is the point of the whole silhouette.
Worn for: Weddings, Puttari, Kailpodh and formal occasions
The saree is pleated at the back rather than the front and the pallu is brought over the right shoulder and pinned, leaving the left free — the reverse of the standard drape. Worn with a full-sleeved blouse and a head scarf at ceremonies. A Kodava woman is identifiable across a hall by the direction of her pallu.
Worn for: Everyday among older women, formal for everyone
A white dhoti worn with an upper cloth over the shoulder and, in the Havyaka households, an unstitched upper garment for ritual. Practical in a climate where anything stitched stays wet.
Worn for: Everyday and temple
The nine-yard drape tucked at the back, still common in the areca villages and in temple service.
Worn for: Everyday and ritual
A saree hitched short, a cloth over the head against rain and leaf-drip, and a picking basket at the waist. It is the most-worn working costume in the region and the least documented.
Worn for: Picking season
Weaves and textiles
The red-and-gold waist sash worn with the kupya, historically bought in from weaving towns outside the region rather than made here. It is the one piece of cloth in the Kodava wardrobe that must be right, and it is the one piece Kodagu has never woven.
Jewellery
Traditional dress of Malnad — garments, handloom weaves, GI-tagged textiles and jewellery. (6)