KSWDC

A bit of research on the net. Yeah.. that's on Onnara / Thaar. I could find some official reference of 'Onnaramundu' in the website of Kerala State Womens Development Corporation. Let me reproduce a paragraph therein. You may also visit the site at :

http://www.kswdc.org/costumes_ornaments.htm

Extract from the web page of KSWDC on the costumes and ornaments of Kerala women.

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In the earlier days, it was very easy to identify a women belonging to different caste/community with their dress codes. Well in that too there were close association in the sense that Hindu, Christian and Muslim women generally preferred white clothes. Christian women wore a long white garment which is folded with a number of fan-like fringes behind and a jacket is worn over the upper part of the body. While Muslim women wear a white garment from waist to ankles and a white jacket with long sleeves. Purdah and burqa-wearing Muslim women were a common scene. While the typical item in the dress of Nair, Kshatriya, Ambalavasi and some other communities of women was the onnaramundu. Over this was worn the upper garment, mundu, and the blouse. While going out, a longer cloth of finer texture, neriatu, is worn over the shoulders. Besides, the traditional outfit of malayali woman was Neriathu’ and ‘Mundu’. Among, young girls and teenagers it was full skirt and blouse’ and ‘half sari’ (full skirt, short blouse and a davani (shawl).

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