‘The dresses of the single, and of the married, ladies, differ but little. The former never wear ornaments at the nose, ungeeas, or supporters to the breast, no black ointment[[11]] to fill up the interstices of the teeth, nor antimony to the eye-lids. It has been erroneously supposed, that a turban was peculiar to a spinster, from the similarity of the words cheerna and cheera; the latter meaning a colored turban, which would be disgraceful for any modest woman to wear. The word cheerna has a very different etymology, which will be sufficiently evident to any one acquainted with the Hindostanee.[[12]]
[11]. The missee, before described.
[12]. The hymen of anatomy.
‘The present fashionable dress of our fair country-women, having had for its object the imitation of the Hindostanee, might be supposed to preclude the necessity of a particular description, did not the same inconstancy equally pervade their taste. Within these few years, the shoes with the long-turned-up tops have been introduced and abolished, in consequence (as the story goes,) of a lady in Asoph ud Doulah’s haram being thrown down by the entanglement of the string of a kite round the curvature of her shoe. The n’hut, or large ring, worn at the nose, is also going out of fashion: indeed, considering the inconvenience that must have been experienced from this ornament, it is strange it should so long have continued in use. The disuse of it is accounted for in the following manner. On the death of a married woman, or of her husband, (for no widows wear it,) this ornament, according to long-established usage, becomes the property of the meeraseens, a particular kind of nautch women. A lady of Oude, of a delicate way of thinking, being in possession of a n’hut of great value and elegance, thought she observed the longing eye of the meeraseens continually fixed on this jewel; and, dreading the effects of their envy on her own life, or on that of her husband, took off the n’hut and threw it away; a circumstance that created much consternation in the family, and astonishment in the husband, as it had hitherto been deemed a necessary part of a married woman’s dress, and was guarded with as much superstitious care as the marriage-ring among us. However, the explanation of her motives set all to rights again; the husband applauded her prudence, and the neighbouring families, taking up the same idea, the long-established rights of the meeraseens in that part of the country suffered almost total abolishment.
‘The dress of the ladies of rank has become comparatively simple, and seems to evince a considerable improvement in the national taste. Instead of both ears being weighed down, as was formerly the case, they now only wear a slight ornamented ring in the left ear, in general. The having both ears ornamented they consider as the height of vulgarity. A pearl necklace, slight golden rings at the wrists and ancles, termed zewaree ichanjeeree, include all the ornaments worn by a lady of fashion. For the wrists they prefer silken bracelets, decorated with jewels. The hair, which was brought down over the brow in two semi-circles, so as almost to bear on the eye, is divided as before, but not permitted to conceal any part of the forehead.
‘The pyjama, or drawers, were formerly worn so tight, as to render it a work of some labor to get them on. Indeed, to such a length did this taste go at one time, that many of the famous courtezans had themselves painted in imitation of keemkab[[13]] from the waist downwards. In the upper provinces, they are now made to fit exactly above the knee, but from thence downwards quite loose, and so long as to press on the shoe. In the lower provinces, the exact reverse takes place. In Bengal, it is deemed immodest to wear the ungeeas, or supporters to the breast. In the upper provinces, a woman would be ashamed to be seen without them.
[13]. Keemkab is a sort of silken fabric, in which flowers, &c. are woven.