The sari is the traditional Indian garment made from a long piece of cloth wrapped and draped around the body.
A sari is usually an unstitched length of woven fabric, commonly wrapped around the waist with the remaining cloth draped over one shoulder. It is often worn with a fitted blouse called a choli and a petticoat. Depending on the region and style, the garment may expose or cover part of the midriff.
Saris are worn throughout the Indian subcontinent, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan. Their fabrics, colors, borders, embroidery, and draping methods vary widely. The Nivi style is especially common, but historians and textile scholars have documented more than 80 regional ways to wear a sari.
The garment has ancient roots. Sari-like wrapped clothing can be traced to the northwestern Indian subcontinent around 2800–1800 BCE, while Sanskrit and Buddhist texts describe related garments by the 6th century BCE. A lehenga is a skirt-based outfit, while a salwar kameez uses trousers and a tunic, so neither is the same garment.