How to Wear a Pancha Kachcham

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Position your material.

   There are different ways of wrapping and tying a dhoti, and Brahmins have a special variation of their own.
   
   To tie a Brahmin style dhoti, you make two folds in the back and one in the front.To start, hold the fabric horizontally behind you.
   
   Make sure the colored bands are at the top (at your waist) and facing outward.
2. 2

   Step 2: Wrap the cloth around your waist.

   Wrap the fabric from the back to the front so that you're holding the material in front of your body.
   
   Arrange the cloth so that you have equal amounts of fabric on the right and left sides.
   
   With the material from the left side, pull the cloth taut and wrap it around your waist.
   
   Hold the cloth at your right hip, letting the excess drape down your side to the ground.
   
   Wrap the material from the right side around your waist and hold it at your left hip.
   
   Pull the material so it’s snug around your waist.
   
   At the waist, fold the material down by about an inch (2.5 cm).
   
   Then fold it again by another inch to hold it in place., A defining characteristic of the dhoti is the accordion-style pleats, called kosuval, that you create by folding and tucking the cloth.
   
   To make the first fold:
   Pick up the top layer of material that’s hanging from your left hip.
   
   Hold the material straight out in front of you.
   
   Make a two- to four-inch (five- to 10-cm) vertical fold in the end of the material to fold the fabric back on itself toward your body.
   
   Make a second accordion-style fold in the material in the same way.
   
   Continue making folds like this until you’ve made about six accordion folds in the fabric.
   
   Tuck the top three or four inches (7.5 to 10 cm) of the folded material into the waistband of the cloth., Lean down and pick up the bottom corner of the material you just folded in to your waistband.
   
   Smooth out the fabric so it isn't twisted.
   
   Orient the fabric so the decorative band running at the very edge of the horizontal border of the material is vertical in front of you.Make six vertical accordion folds in the end of the material, folding the fabric back toward your body as before.
   
   Tuck the top three or four inches (7.5 to 10 cm) of the folded material into the waistband of the cloth, on top of the first fold., Lift up the layers of material that you just folded and tucked in to your waistband, so you can access the loose material at the right side of your body.
   
   Pull the material out in front of you.
   
   Let go of the material that you already folded and tucked in.
   
   Hold the material from the right side of your body in front of you.
   
   Smooth it out so it isn't twisted or bunched up.
   
   Hold the corner of the fabric and orient it so the decorative band on the horizontal edge is vertical in front of you.
   
   Make about 10 accordion folds in the fabric, until you have folded the entire vertical panel of fabric.
   
   Flatten and smooth out the material so the folds are neat and straight., The final fold gets tucked into the back of the waistband.
   
   Bring the folded material through your legs, making sure to go underneath the rest of the cloth.
   
   Grab the folded material from the back and pull it out so it’s over the top of the cloth wrapped around your waist.
   
   Make sure the material hasn’t become twisted.
   
   Bring the top of the folds to your waist and tuck the top three or four inches (7.5 to 10 cm) of the fold into the waistband of the cloth.The fabric going between your legs should be snug, but not tight or painful.
3. 3

   Step 3: Make the first folds.

4. 4

   Step 4: Make the second fold.

5. 5

   Step 5: Make the third fold.

6. 6

   Step 6: Tuck the final fold.

Detailed Guide

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