Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 107

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the gardens attached to the mansions, full of all kinds of trees and creepers, there were swings (dolů) suspended from the branches of trees. The city-parks with pleasurehouses (panai-bhavana ) were provided for diversion. There were also monuments in commemoration of the past, illustrious kings ( Purāna-narendra-kārtana-sthāna ).
“The clothing, both of men and women, consisted of one piece of cloth wound about the loins, and taken up above one shoulder in the case of men and above both in that of women. The Uttariya or upper piece of cloth was used by both men and women some-times...... The difference between the great and the low consisted in the fineness of its texture and the whiteness of its colour. Hiuen Tsang speaks of different fine cloths of silk, wool and cotton as follows : “ Kaušeya being of silk, Ksauma, a kind of linen and Kambala, a texture of fine wool and Holala made from the wool of a wild animal.” The art of making fine cloth of silk, wool and cotton had then reached perfection... The white was the colour esteemed by men; but probably women liked different colours and different designs of patches of ornamentation such as pairs of swans”.
The simplicity of dress was, however, compensated by the ornaments which men and women, especially of the rich classes, wore. The kings had as their headornaments garlands and tiaras of precious stones and their bodies were adorned with rings, bracelets and necklaces, in addition to the keyūras and kundalas or ear-rings.
Women too wore necklaces and garlands ( prālamba ) round their necks reaching upto their breasts (.G. 833), over the bodice (kañcuka) fastened over the bosom by 50. C. V. Vaidya - History of Medieval Hindu India. "
P. 89.