Description

Coats with a band collar, fastened at the waist, have a Central Asian origin and are known by the Turkish term choga, meaning “long-sleeved garment.” During the mid-1800s, it was fashionable for Indian men of high social status to wear chogas as their outermost layer. The intricate ornamentation in the form of stylized unripe mangoes and flowering plants is the specialty of artisans in Kashmir, where they had access to the fine wool of Himalayan goats. The coats, however, were popular in many regions throughout India.