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MATERIAL CULTURE
Dress of the Jaina Nuns-Dress of the Jaina nuns was quite voluminous, and proper care was taken so that it covered all their limbs. The object of wearing the clothes was not to beautify the person, but to save the nuns from the lustful eyes of the society. In all, eleven clothes were worn by them of which six covered the lower half and five were for the upper half of the body.1
Clothes for the lower-half of the body: (i) Uggahaṇaṁtaga—It was a boat-shaped cloth (nauvat), wide at the centre and thin on the sides. It was meant to cover the privities and was made with soft (masina) and closely woven cloth (ghana).3 Each nun had one cloth of this type and its size varied according to the size of the body. It has also been called avagraha⭑ in other Jaina texts.
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(ii) Paṭṭa-Paṭṭa was like the strip of a dagger in its shape (ksurika pattikavat), and was tied with fasteners at the ends (biḍagabaddha)." It was four fingers in width, and its length differed according to the size of a nun's waist. It covered both the ends of the uggahanamtaga from the back and front, and looked like the shorts worn by the wrestler (mallakacchavat).®
(iii) Adḍhoruga-Adḍhoruga was worn over the uggahanamtaga and paṭṭa. Covering the waist it reached till half of the thighs." In shape it was like the shorts worn by the
1. NC. 2, pp. 190-91; Brh. Bhā. 4082-83. According to the Vinaya, nuns in the Buddhist order were allowed to wear five garments. These were sanghāti, uttarāsanga, antarvāsa, sankakṣikā and kusūlaka (a type of skirt ).-Takakusu, op. cit., p. 78.
2. उग्गहणंतगं, तच्च तनुपर्यन्ते मध्ये विशालं नौवत् - NC. 2, p. 190.
3. Ibid.
4. Brh. Bha. 4084.
5. क्षुरिकापट्टिकावत् पट्टो दठव्वो, अंते बीडगबद्धो – NC. 2, p. 190.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
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