They say necessity is the mother of invention. It was indeed necessity that birthed the Lehnga. Before 1000 AD, the Sari was the national dress of choice for Indian women.

Then, India faced invasions from may different directions and it became necessary for the women to have more of a covering than what the Sari provided.

The Lehnga, a large piece of cloth worn around the waist as a skirt, provided a more appropriate dress when worn with a head covering, called Orhini, and bodice cloth, called Choli. Initially, the Lehnga was narrow, tied around the waist and held in place with a metal girdle. As popularity increased, this garment went through many transitions to make it more convenient for the wearer.

The loose ends of the cloth were stitched. Its narrow width was increased to make walking easier. The metal girdle was replaced with a piece of cloth, called Nepha, that had tape running through it, called Nara. The Lehnga reached its peak of development under the Mughal kings, becoming a counterpart of the rich dress styles of the Muslim royal women. Today, the ensemble still consists of the traditional long skirt, the Choli and the Dupatta (the Hindu name for the Orhini).

The fabrics used are silk, brocade, linen or chiffon. The popularity of the Lehnga has steadily increased. In northern India, it has replaced the Sari as a wedding dress, being made in shades of red, orange or pink. The real beauty lies in the embroidery, or Zari. This art form is mostly passed on from father to son with utmost secrecy. First, the fabric is mounted on a wooden frame. Then, a pattern is traced on to the fabric with neel (chalk) powder. Finally, the actual embroidery is done, using many different types and colors of threads. The Lehnga may even be decorated with stones, pearls, gold and silver cords. The result is one very beautiful part of history which still lives on.

LEHNGA DESIGNS

We are living in modern age.A human being wants a change in his life,so we make an idea of change in our dresses Just like lehnga becomes a common dress in parties and other special occassions. Today lehnga's have a lot of desidning work and many more types of work like- Zari, Embroidery, Organza, Mirror work, Patch work, Sequence, Cut work, Kundan work, Jaipuri, Dhbka work etc are all different types of work,which beautify the lehnga's show and the lady who wears it.