Navel - Navel Exposure in World Cultures - Indian Culture - Ancient Times

Ancient Times

While the West was relatively resistant to midriff-baring clothing until the 1980s, it has long been a fashion with Indian women. These women, especially those from Southern India, have traditionally worn saris that bare the midriff. Women from Rajasthan leave the midriff exposed while wearing Ghagra Cholis. However, these women often cover their heads with a Dupatta, and may even cover their faces in front of strangers with a Ghoonghat. This lends credence to the belief that navel-baring in India has a symbolic, almost mystical, association with birth and life, and that the display is meant to emphasize the centrality of nature in the nurture role. One of the reasons can be that in ancient Indian tradition, the navel of the God Vishnu the Protector is considered to be the center of the universe and the source of life. From his navel a new world of the future emerges. This has been depicted in many ancient Indian sculptures as a lotus emerging from the navel on which God Brahma the Creator is seated. Due to this the midriff & navel is set to be left bare in a sari.

In ancient India, although women wore saris that bared the midriff, the Dharmasastra writers stated that women should be dressed such that the navel would never become visible. By which for sometime the navel exposure became a taboo and the navel was concealed. The trend of exposing the navel was started by women who were dancers, acrobats, or entertainers, and who developed a technique of wearing the sari like a pair of trousers well below the navel to assist in the free movement of the legs. This trend slowly spread to become common among unmarried young women. Women in this type of attire are very common in many ancient Indian sculptures, and paintings. Indian sculpture emphasised the centrality and sexuality which emanated from the depiction of the woman's navel. One of the most stunning examples would be Didarganj Yakshi, a statue of a woman made during the Mauryan period. Carved out of sandstone which gives it a natural shine where the navel is deeply embedded within the centre of the torso, drawing the focus of the viewer. Before sculpting, the sculptors actually created an image and indicated the six structural centers as defined by Yoga principles, of which navel is also one. Technically, a typical women representation in ancient Indian art include an hourglass figure with large waist, breasts, buttocks and a deep navel. By the Indian Physiognomy of a women's body, if the navel of a woman is deep, then she is popular and is loved by her husband. Broad, fleshy and not very deep navel indicates that such a woman is quite lucky. A woman with deep navel with a whirl to the right side is considered auspicious and is expected to lead a queen like comfortable life. Famous Indian painter M. F. Husain once commented, "The belly button has always been in. It has been an intrinsic part of the Indian woman. It has been part of Indian sculptures that go back so many centuries. That is why so many years ago, even in the 50s, all my works had women show their belly buttons."