chādar

Persian chādar meant a large cloth, a sheet, a tent cloth, or a large shawl. The word appears in classical Persian literature referring to bed sheets, canopies, and, crucially, the large outer garment women wore for covering and modesty. The chādar (also spelled chador in the Iranian full-body version) varies by region: in Iran it is a semicircular length of cloth draped over the head and body; in South Asia it is a rectangular shawl worn more loosely.

The chādar entered South Asian languages through Persian's dominant role as the language of Mughal administration and culture in India from the 16th century onward. In Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi, chadar retains the Persian meaning: a large sheet-like garment used for covering, ceremonial wrapping, and outdoor modesty. The garment is worn by Muslim and Hindu women across South Asia in different styles.

In Iran, the full-length chādar became politically charged after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when it was promoted by the state as the appropriate Islamic covering for women. Before the Revolution, wearing the chādar had been suppressed during the modernization campaigns of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The garment oscillated between state-endorsed modesty and state-prohibited backwardness within 50 years.

In the Sufi tradition across South Asia and Iran, offering a chadar — a large embroidered cloth — at a saint's shrine is an act of devotion. The Shah Jalal shrine in Sylhet, Bangladesh, and the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore both receive chadars from pilgrims. The garment's meaning has expanded from clothing to ceremony.