Nadiri
A sleeveless coat made for Mughal Emperor Jahangir and the courtiers he chose
The nadiri was a sleeveless coat that reached the thighs and buttoned at the front, worn over a longer sleeved coat called the qaba. The Mughal emperor Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627, invented it, named it for rarity, and allowed only chosen courtiers to wear it.
The nadiri was a coat without sleeves that hung to the thighs, fastened with buttons at the front, and worn over a longer sleeved coat called the qaba. The Mughal emperor Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627, designed it himself. He gave it a name that means rarity, and he allowed only the courtiers he chose to wear it.
What it was
The nadiri was a coat without sleeves. It reached down to the thighs and fastened at the front with buttons. Men wore it over a longer sleeved coat called the qaba, which also had buttons. People in Persia knew the same garment as a kurdi. The word nadiri carried the sense of rarity, and the coat was set aside for the Mughal emperor Jahangir and the courtiers he chose. It was his own invention, and he gave it its name.
The emperor's invention
Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627, took a close interest in clothes and ornament. Records describe his turbans and jewels as more elaborate than the fashion of his father Akbar's day. He issued a decree setting aside certain fabrics and garments for his own use, and he brought in new items of dress. The nadiri was one of them, and it was his own design. Clothing and jewellery, including the nadiri, were handed to courtiers as rewards for loyalty and service, and the court watched and copied what he wore.
A royal wardrobe
Jahangir wrote about his reign in his own memoir, the Jahangirnama, and painters at his court, among them Ustad Mansur, made detailed pictures for it. In the memoir he set down one outfit he kept for himself: the nadiri, a tus shawl, a batugiriban, a qaba of Gujarati satin, a chera, and a waist-belt woven from silk and gold thread. He dressed in fine silks and brocades, and he took a strong interest in art and building.
In Mughal painting
Mughal painting ran from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century and drew on styles from Central Asia, Europe, Persia and India. Its subjects included legendary tales, war, court life, gardens, hunting and wildlife. In one such picture Jahangir wears court dress, among it a patterned sleeveless jacket that he called the nadiri. Around his waist he has two patkas, or sashes. The longer sash is embroidered with gold floral designs. The shorter one is made of tie-dye cloth from Rajasthan.
How Nadiri is kept
The nadiri was not worn by everyone. It was held back for the Mughal emperor Jahangir and for the courtiers he decided to favour, and it went over the sleeved qaba rather than being worn alone, fastened with buttons at the front. Because he issued a decree reserving particular fabrics and garments for himself, the same cloth and cut were not open to others at court. Courtiers watched how he dressed and copied him, and a nadiri given as a reward for loyalty and service marked its wearer out.
When and where
The nadiri belongs to the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, from 1605 to 1627. He invented it, so it appeared during those years. No season, month or fixed day is attached to it: it was court dress, worn when the emperor and his chosen courtiers dressed for court.
It belongs to the Mughal court in India, where Jahangir ruled. The sources describe it as dress for the emperor and his chosen courtiers, not for the wider population. One item worn with it, the qaba, was made of satin from Gujarat, which points to the cloth trade that supplied the court.
What Nadiri means
The name mattered. Nadiri is said to mean rarity, and the word marked the garment as something few could wear. It carried the emperor's favour: to receive one was to be singled out for loyalty and service. Courtiers copied Jahangir's dress, so what he wore set the standard at court. The coat also stood for a reign known for silks, brocades and ornament.
Questions people ask about Nadiri
What is a nadiri?
It is a sleeveless coat that reaches to the thighs and buttons at the front. The Mughal emperor Jahangir invented it in the early seventeenth century and named it for rarity. Men wore it over a longer sleeved coat, the qaba, and only the emperor and the courtiers he chose could have one.
Who was allowed to wear it?
Jahangir kept the nadiri for himself and for the courtiers he wished to honour. He issued a decree that reserved certain textiles and garments for his own use, and he gave clothing and jewellery, the nadiri among them, as rewards for loyalty and service.
When and where did it belong?
It belongs to the Mughal court in India during the reign of Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627. It was not tied to a festival or a fixed day. It was court dress, kept for the emperor and the courtiers around him.
Why is it called nadiri?
The word is said to mean rarity. Jahangir chose the name himself when he created the garment, and the sense of the word fitted its purpose: a coat that few people were allowed to wear. In Persia the same kind of coat was known as a kurdi.
What is the qaba?
The qaba is a long coat with sleeves and buttons. The nadiri was worn over it, which is why the nadiri has no sleeves of its own. Jahangir's memoir lists a qaba of Gujarati satin among the items in one outfit he kept for himself.
See also
PashminaUltra-fine wool of Himalayan goats, hand-woven in Kashmir into shawls of rank
SherwaniA long buttoned coat for men, worn at weddings and state occasions in South Asia
TurbanCloth wound around the head, worn for faith, rank, shade and identity
Dhaka topiA patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressGood reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Nadiri", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
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 2026-10-09.
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