#46 Piliya, is a over-garment worn over a normal saree on special occasions and festivals like Teej, Gangaur,Holi etc in Rajasthan. It is a rectangular cloth, 3-4 meters in length and 1.25-2 meters wide.There is not just the beauty in its fabric and ornamentation, but also due to the grace of it’s draping. It is symbolic of the arrival of a newborn in the family.

Piliya in its most basic form, has red border and a yellow/orange field with a quincunx pattern of a large red circle in the centre and four smaller ones surrounding it. This basic pattern is usually decorated with a design of tie-dyed within the medallions and border and the whole piece may be further embellished by Gota patti, Sitaare or Maal ka kaam ( embroidery in real thread of gold and silver).
This particular piliya is almost half a century old and belongs to my mother-in-law. These are one of those rare pieces of work which you don’t get to see in today’s time. It has sitaare and maal ka kaam done on Ojariya fabric.The intricate work talks volumes about the sheer hardwork of karigaar who has done kadhai (embroiderey) on it. It has more of sentimental value for me and is priceless.

Piliya remains a popular attire of Rajasthani women and still finds place in the expressions of culture and tradition in modern times.