Sherwani

What it is

The sherwani is a coat with long sleeves that men wear over other clothes. It is close to the body, slightly drawn in at the waist, and it hangs below the knees. A row of buttons runs down the front. The neck can be left open, cut like a shirt collar, or raised in the stand-up Mandarin style. It has been compared to the Western frock coat because of the fit. A shorter relative, the achkan, is common in India. In most of India the sherwani or achkan is paired with a churidar as the lower garment.

Origins and history

It appeared in the nineteenth century in British India, first in Lucknow in the 1820s, as European-style court dress for Mughal nobles of the north. From there it spread among royalty and aristocrats across the subcontinent and later reached ordinary people as occasional dress. Writers trace its shape back through two earlier garments: the angarkha, an Indian form, and behind that a Persian cape called the balaba or chapkan. According to Emma Tarlo, buttons down the front were added along European lines. The name may come from Shirvan, a region in what is now Azerbaijan, where a similar folk dress is worn.

How it is worn

There is no set ceremony. A man puts it on for an occasion that calls for formality. Weddings are the most common, and it has long been chosen for formal events of other kinds. The cloth often carries detailed embroidery or a pattern. The lower half changes with the country: in India it is usually a churidar or pyjama, while in Pakistan and Bangladesh it is more often a shalwar. Compared with the achkan, a sherwani tends to flare more at the hips. Black sherwanis over a shalwar kameez are standard for state occasions in Pakistan.

Around South Asia

In India the achkan, a shorter coat, has been the usual choice, worn at formal winter events, above all in Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad. Upper-class Hindus took it from Muslim nobles, and the achkan is now linked with Hindus while the sherwani has stayed dear to Muslims. The Nehru jacket grew out of the achkan. In Bangladesh people wear the sherwani at weddings and on Eid. In Pakistan it is the national dress for men, and officials appear in it on state occasions and national holidays. In Sri Lanka, Mudaliyars and early Tamil legislators wore it as formal dress in colonial times.

Today and change

Today it is worn most in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Fine embroidery is a common feature of modern pieces. The Pakistani journalist, filmmaker and activist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy chose a sherwani for the Academy Awards in 2012 and again in 2015, years when her short documentaries took the Best Documentary Short Film prize. Muhammad Ali Jinnah wore one often, and many in Pakistan followed his example, among them presidents and prime ministers, who put on the formal black sherwani over a shalwar kameez on state days. It still carries a sense of dignity and occasion.

How Sherwani is kept

A man chooses a sherwani for a formal day. He wears it as an outer coat over a kurta or a shalwar kameez, buttoned at the front, with a churidar, pyjama or shalwar below. Nothing about the garment is ritual; it marks the occasion rather than a rite. At weddings the wearer is often the groom or a close relative. In Pakistan, office holders put on a black sherwani for state ceremonies and national holidays. In Bangladesh it is worn for weddings and for Eid. Detailed embroidery or a pattern is common on the newer pieces.

When and where

There is no fixed date. The sherwani belongs to occasions rather than to the calendar: weddings, Eid, formal gatherings, and in Pakistan state ceremonies and national holidays. It was first seen at Lucknow in the 1820s and took its present form over the nineteenth century.

It is worn across the Indian subcontinent. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are its main homes, and Sri Lanka is named in the sources as well. In India the shorter achkan is often the ordinary formal choice, while the sherwani is most visible in Pakistan, where it is the national dress for men.

What Sherwani means

The sherwani has long stood for dignity and good manners among the nobility. It was the court dress of nobles of Turkish and Persian origin, and wearers today describe it as carrying a regal feel. Choosing one signals that the day matters. In Pakistan it also carries a national meaning, as the formal dress of the country's men on state occasions.

Questions people ask about Sherwani

See also

JirgaA traditional consultative council of elders that settles disputes through consensusIkatA resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weavingKandyan danceThe sacred dance of Sri Lanka's hill country, kept in temple and on the stageKolhapuri chappalHandcrafted braided leather slip-on sandals from western India

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• Pakistan's Oscar triumph for acid attack film Saving FaceBBC, Article
• The case of Saba Qaiser and the film-maker determined to put an end toThe Guardian, Article
• Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy fights to end honour killings with her film A Girl in the RiverCBC, Article
• Pakistan's Oscar triumph for acid attack film Saving FaceBBC, Article
• The case of Saba Qaiser and the film-maker determined to put an end toThe Guardian, Article
• Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy fights to end honour killings with her film A Girl in the RiverCBC, Article

• Sherwani on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• 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 2026-10-05.