FieldThe main body of the cloth, between the two borders.
BorderA woven band along each long edge of the saree.
Pallu (end piece)The decorated end piece. It is the end that falls over the shoulder.
PleatsEven folds made in the cloth by hand. They are tucked in at the waist.
Blouse (choli)A short, fitted blouse worn under the saree.
PetticoatA drawstring skirt from waist to ankle. It is worn under the saree.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 and kept only where two of these use it. (1) Wikipedia, Sari, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari : an unstitched stretch of woven cloth with one end at the waist and the other over one shoulder; also spelled saree; the Nivi style the most common today; worn with a fitted bodice called a choli and a petticoat; the loose end called the aanchal or pallu; pleats tucked in at the waist. (2) Uncut Cloth (1999), a book on saris, shawls and sashes, read as page text at https://archive.org/details/uncutcloth0000aska : a sari is considered in three parts, a field, an end-piece and borders along the length; the end-piece is the pallu. (3) C. E. Henderson, Culture and Customs of India (2002), read as page text at https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof0000hend : the field, between the borders, and the pallu, the endpiece; the pallu is the most elaborate section, and simpler versions of its motifs decorate the borders. (4) Costumes of India (1985), read as page text at https://archive.org/details/costumesofindia0000flyn : the ensemble of sari, petticoat and blouse; the blouse also called a choli. (5) K. Sheth, My Dadima Wears a Sari (2007), its note on how to wrap one, read as page text at https://archive.org/details/mydadimawearssar00kash : a matching blouse, or choli; a waist-to-ankle drawstring petticoat; make even pleats and hold them. Licence: own work
The drawing: Own drawing from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
A saree, also spelled sari, is one long unstitched cloth. One end is fixed at the waist and the other rests over a shoulder. The drawing shows it flat, then draped, with the blouse and petticoat.
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Three parts of the cloth
Laid flat, a saree is read in three parts: the field in the middle, a border along each long edge, and the pallu, the end piece. The pallu is the most decorated section, and it is the end that rests over the shoulder.
How it is worn
A saree goes on over a short blouse, the choli, and a drawstring petticoat. In the nivi style, the most common today, the cloth is wrapped round the waist, folded into pleats that are tucked in at the front, and carried across to one shoulder.
Pallu has other names by region, among them aanchal and pallav. Type any of them and the quiz accepts it.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a saree called?
The cloth has a field, the main body; borders along its two long edges; and a pallu, the decorated end piece. It is worn with a blouse, or choli, and a petticoat, and is folded into pleats at the front.
What is the pallu of a saree?
The end piece of the cloth, usually its most decorated part. When the saree is draped it is the loose end that rests over the shoulder. It is also called the aanchal.
What is worn under a saree?
A fitted blouse called a choli on top and a petticoat below. The petticoat is a long skirt, from waist to ankle, tied at the waist with a drawstring.
Is it spelled saree or sari?
Both. Sari, saree, sharee and sadi are spellings of one word, and they name the same garment.