From the archive record
For any bride, her bridal attire is an important part of the wedding. A Manipuri Hindu bride wears a dress called potloi, which is usually red and consists of layers of heavily starched cotton cloth, embellished with mirrors, beads and sequins made of brass. With this, the bride wears an intricately embroidered blouse of dark green suede. The outfit is completed with a golden head dress called jhapa which is decorated with motifs of small butterflies. It is said that the jhapa was introduced by Rajkumari Bor Saheb Ongbi Sanatombi Devi. The groom’s attire consists of a white cotton dhoti or wrapped pants, kurta and a turban, locally known as kokyet. The turban is made of starched hand-woven cloth, decorated with silk lace in some cases. Earlier only noble men were allowed to wear the silk l