Kurti

What it is

Source descriptions put the kurti with waistcoats, jackets and blouses. It sits above the waist, has no side slits, and leaves the middle of the body covered. This is the detail that separates it from the choli, which does not cover the midriff. Accounts also say the kurti can be worn by anyone, just as the kurta can. Where the two are compared, length is the usual marker: the kurti is described as longer, the kurta shorter, and some kurtis reach below the knee.

Origins and history

The word carries two senses. In modern use it means a short kurta, and it is mostly women who wear it. The older sense covers waistcoats, jackets and blouses that stop above the waist and have no side slits. One account traces these to the tunic of the Shunga period, in the 2nd century BC, and presents this as a belief rather than a settled fact. Writers connect the style with northern India, and describe it as a familiar way of dressing among Indians, above all in the northern regions.

Styles by region

Forms vary from place to place. In Punjab the kurti is a short cotton waistcoat, fastened at the front down to the waist. Women there once wore a chain of gold or silver, called the zanjiri, around its buttons; men wore the same chain on the kurta. Punjabi men give their kurti the names phatui and wastkot. South Punjab in Pakistan has the Saraiki kurti. In Bihar the term means a bodice that combines the choli with a jacket. Uttar Pradesh and the adjoining Himalayan region have a short blouse, and in Gujarat and Kathiawar the coat falls just below the waist.

Men and length

For men in Rajasthan the kurt is a tightly fitting vest, buttonless, with sleeves to the wrist. A Punjabi style is a shortened form of the anga, a robe. Sleeves may be half or full, and the garment may end at the hip with no opening at front or back. Length, one account says, can be left to the wish of the buyer. Today the kurti is worn in many parts of India, but it remains mainly a women's garment in the north, while the south is said to prefer the saree.

How Kurti is kept

A kurti is put on as a top. It stops above the waist, has no side slits and leaves the midriff covered, which is what sets it apart from the choli. The same garment can be worn by men and women, as the kurta can. The cut is chosen by region and by taste: a short cotton waistcoat buttoned at the front in Punjab, a bodice in Bihar, a short blouse in Uttar Pradesh, a coat in Gujarat that reaches just below the waist, a fitted vest for men in Rajasthan. Length is often left to the wearer.

When and where

The kurti belongs to the Indian subcontinent. Accounts place its development in the north of India, and it is worn most strongly there, especially by women, while the south is said to favour the saree. Pakistan also has its own form, the Saraiki kurti of South Punjab. Regional names and cuts are recorded in Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and the adjoining Himalayan region, Gujarat, Kathiawar and Rajasthan.

What Kurti means

Dress here carries a sense of place. Writers treat the kurti as a familiar Indian garment, one worn by anyone in its older, broader sense, and now mainly associated with women. Its coverage of the midriff is the detail that marks it off from the choli, and its length is the detail that sets it apart from the kurta. In the north it is everyday wear; in the south, the same accounts say, the saree holds that place.

Questions people ask about Kurti

See also

PaithaniA handwoven silk sari from Maharashtra, with a squared border and a peacock palluChuraA set of bridal bangles worn across South Asia at weddings and in early marriageJambiyaA short curved dagger worn at the waist by Yemeni men, its handle a sign of statusSherwaniA long buttoned coat for men, worn at weddings and state occasions in South Asia

Good reading and sources

• Kurti top on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-11.