The first mention of sari or spelled as saree is in the Rig Veda dating to 3,000 B.C. The 10th chapter of the Rig Veda for example, asserts the feminine to be the supreme principle behind all of the cosmos in the hymn called Devi Sukta.

In the two Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, the role of women is mixed. The main female character in the Mahabharata, Draupadi, is married to all the five Pandavas, thus has five husbands. She is insulted by Duryodhana, one of the triggers for the great war, which has an important association with the Saree. In the Ramayana composed in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE, Sita is respected, honored, and seen as an inseparable beloved but presented as a homemaker, the ideal wife, and partner to Rama. 

The origins of the sari can be traced right back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which existed during 2800-1800 BC. Records of this time show priests wearing a similar kind of drape. Ancient Sanskrit poetry and literature describe the exquisite beauty and grace of an Indian woman draped in this flowing garment.

All-in-all, it is a known and acknowledged fact that this garment had been worn by women centuries ago and had evolved in drape and style over the past several hundreds of years.

Indian culture is not built on any superstition but based on science, which millions believe and continue to perform. In this culture, every facet of life such as Indian women has evolved as a spiritual process, including daily lifestyles like breathing, eating, sitting, and standing.

The word ‘Sari’ originated from the ‘Prakrit word ‘sattika’, which is mentioned in the earlier Buddhist literature. The word got shortened and was called sati, which got evolved into a sari.

The sari was first mentioned in the Vedas (Rig Veda), the oldest Hindu text dating back to 3000 B.C., although it is possible that in their original form, they were worn even earlier in the Indus Valley Civilization. Statues from between the 1st and 6th century A.D. depict female priests in a sari wrapped in the ancient style, draped in a way that created a trouser-like form (called an Odissi Fishtail), which allowed for free-flowing and easy movement, which was especially important for dancing.

The saree is one of the world’s oldest and perhaps the only surviving unstitched garment from the past. Over the millennia, it has not only become a sensuous, glamorous all-time-wear for women, but also the ‘canvas’ for weavers and printers to create artistic weaves, prints, and jeweled or gold-silver embellishments.

By and large, in the epic age or even until much later in the Puranic age, women did not cover their heads as a traditional or religious requirement. If they wore veils, it was only to enhance the beauty of their elaborate hairstyles or to show off the bejeweled ornamentation on the veils themselves. The Sanchi sculptures show women of all classes wearing the ‘neevi’ or the length of cloth around the waist just below their navels, and for the first time, with the pleats hanging in front and touching their toes in a graceful fall. This style of wearing the neevi did away with the passing of the cloth between the legs and the tucking of the central pleats behind. Instead, a short decorative piece of cloth was draped around the hips and knotted in front. This piece was called the Asana.

But soon, the next stage in the development of the saree was to come. With the influence of the Greeks and the Persians, the clothes of all classes of Indians were in for a major change. The Greeks had already discovered the belt or a cummerbund-like cloth to clinch their long flowing robes at the waist. 

Every subject in Hindu culture is based on the science of Spirituality. In our culture, there is a tradition of wearing a nine-yard saree. In the earlier times, women used to wear nine-yard sarees only; but today, women find it inconvenient to wear them. Therefore, they have started wearing six-yard sarees. Today too, women in villages and some urban women wear nine-yard sarees during various worship rituals. Depending on the different States to which a woman belongs, the ‘pallu’ of a six-yard saree is draped on the left or the right shoulder. As per the family tradition, some women either cover their heads with the ‘pallu’ or drape it over their shoulders.

In sculptures from the Maurya and Sunga periods (about 300 BC) - men and women wore rectangular pieces of fabric, on the lower part of the body and one on the upper part. Little else.

Images from the Gupta period - about the 7th or 8th Century - show stitched upper garments along with a breast band, as well as a lower garment.

The style of wearing clothes has a big impact on our mind, body, soul and the society also. We need to analyze the subject more deeply. First, why there was a need for clothing for human beings, the general answer is to cover up our body and maintain our dignity. But this is not complete, and there is a bigger reason behind it. The atmosphere of the earth contains both positive and negative energy. We all very well know that we need to protect our bodies from negative energies. The clothes work as a shield to protect our body from these unfriendly energies. Secondly, our body needs to be covered, to be protected from the dirty looks of the people. This kind of look contains a whole lot of bad energies. When someone stares at us in a lustful or in any negative way, there is a continuous flow of low-level energies coming into our body. It severely affects us in a very harmful way. Now if the proper clothing is there, quite a bit can be avoided. These clothes absorb these kinds of bad energies and protect our bodies from being harmed. This is the real purpose of clothing.

The attire we wear determines the vibrations, emotion, and bhav Spiritual emotion in us. A "Tama" predominant attire makes the person extroverted and fickle-minded. "Raja" predominant attire creates restlessness and agitation in the person. With a "Sattava" predominant attire the person gains stability of mind and peace.

Sattvik (Sattva predominant) attire such as Saree makes a woman virtuous and Dharma (Righteousness) abiding. Abiding by Dharma increases devotion and bhav unto God and the individual begins to move on the path of God-realization. Since Raja-Tama vibrations are on the rise in the Kaliyug, attire too has become such that various styles weaken moral values and are inclined towards exhibiting the body. Another disadvantage of wearing rajasic – tamasic attire is an increase in the possibility of distress due to negative energies for the wearer. In contrast, sattvic attire becomes an effective weapon in the battle against negative energies.

Most of the western style clothes which are popular today are tight-fitting jeans, tight shirts, or revealing upper wear. These types of clothing are considered modern but have more harmful effects than benefits. These tight clothes reveal the exact body structure in front of every person passing on the road. If the body is too attractive, it will attract lustful looks which have a far-reaching deep impact on our mind, body, and soul. If the body is out of shape, then they will be embarrassed and will have an inferiority complex and depression due to their body, but they still have to wear them due to the fashion trend in society. 

The Saree is the winner here, it covers fine details of the out of shape body and makes the person looks decent. And if the person is attractive, then also it neutralizes that which avoids the dirty looks. The best part is Sari can be worn in any way, it can make you look attractive and beautiful, and it can also give you a traditional look. The "Pallu" part is used to cover the upper body. which saves the women from the unwelcome negative looks. The styles of sari can be changed according to taste and need. Any look can be given with Saree which is unique, compare to the other women's dresses. 

As a result, one can easily feel more confident and good whilst wearing a saree. In other words, the concept of changing into something more comfortable and beautiful in a simple way has made Indian women more and more aligned to wearing a saree.

Scientific reason to wear saree:

The healthy energy movement in the Universe, Earth, in our body is all in the same way, it moves in circles. To remain healthy, energies in our body should keep moving in a circular motion. When any energy coming towards us, it first touches our clothes then it enters our body and its energy channels, and then to internal organs. So, when energy touches the sari, it travels in circles around the body and helping the energy to move correctly. It keeps our soul, body, and mind healthy. A cloth with a lot of stitches confuses the energy and it is harmful to health.

But what is the real scientific reason to wear a saree over western outfits?

We all human beings are broadly made of two kinds of elements, Energy, and Consciousness. The first one is female in nature and the second is considered male. A woman has predominantly female energy and the man has male elements. The healthy energy movement in our body, and Earth, and the Universe is all in the same way, it moves in circles. That is why a woman's body is curvier. As explained above, to remain healthy, energies in our body should keep moving in a circular motion. Any energy coming towards our body first touches our clothes and then it enters the body and its energy channels and then to the internal organs. Sari is worn in a circular motion around the body. It keeps circling until almost the end. So, it is easy to understand that when energy touches the sari, it travels in circles around the body, helping the energy move in the correct way, which makes the saree a winner in clothing. It helps to keep our mind, body, and soul healthy. 

Another good part is that, while energy travels in 5-6 yards of cloth, the negative energies coming inside get stuck in the cloth and it then cleans up with washing. These kinds of heavy energies are lazy and cannot move a lot. In the atmosphere, it travels by air. However, a cloth with a lot of stitches confuses the energy and is harmful to health. There is one important thing to remember that the clothing should be made with natural fabrics like cotton. Synthetics are big energy blockers and quite harmful for overall health. Understand all the fitness apparel, made of lycra and synthetic fibers are doing you a lot of harm.

The Sari originated within the Hindu culture. Hindus believe that stitched clothing is impure.

The mid part of the body is left uncovered in Sari, for which some feel that it exposes the skin. There is a big reason behind that too. The stomach area, which is left uncovered, is the "Brahmasthan" of the body. The body receives a lot of life force energy from this area. This should be left open always. Even in Vaastu Science, the center part of the house is called "Brahmasthan" and is left open to the sky. 

The midriff is left bare because it is believed to be the source of life and creativity; the Hindu thesis of creation states that when the cycle began, Lord Brahma, the creator, was born from a lotus flower that came out of the navel of Lord Vishnu.

Another reason for the bare stomach is the Ancient Indian ideals of beauty. They value, like many other cultures, the juxtaposition of a small waist with larger hips and bust line. The Sari exposes the waist but also adds width to the hips and bust, emphasizing, and even exaggerating the female figure. The sari still maintains a woman’s modesty, as she is covered from head to toe with fabric, and it is only a small portion of her waist exposed. 

If it is draped well, you carry yourself well and you have a reasonably agreeable persona. A Saree just happens to be one of those things that bring out the beauty in a woman.

Saree also adapts to the figure. Women are very conscious about their attire matching or suiting their figures. Well, the Saree is just the right thing for such a purpose. One can adjust one’s style of draping a Saree to one’s figure. Tall and slim? Wrap it closely with an unpleated, long ‘pallu’. It will enhance your height without making you look too thin or bony. For a stout figure, on the other hand, wear it a little loosely with a well pleated and pinned ‘pallu’ so that it does not make you look bulky and gives you a touch of elegance.

The sari highlights the traditional Indian concept of a beautiful body type: a slim waist with a large bust and hips, which is perfectly highlighted by the style of the sari. 

Indian women live according to the Hindu culture. One of the crucial aspects of the tradition is wearing a saree. Indian women wear sarees to show that they take pride in Dharma. That is why the market is full of sarees that are specifically designed for traditional festivals. Some women wear sarees during special days according to the Hindu lunar calendar.

An interesting new study by Riyadh based, Indian origin, researcher turns the idea on its head showing that the Indian saree scores over western wear on at least one aspect of convenience- insulation. He says much like a thermos flask, the saree can keep its wearer warm or cool, depending on the weather around her. It is all in the ‘pallu’, the study shows, depending on whether you pleat the ‘pallu’ or drape it across your shoulders, you can alternate between the warmth of a sweater and trousers or the breeziness of a summer skirt and blouse.

Though centuries have passed since the saree was conceived as the Indian woman's hereditary costume, the charm of this beautiful and extraordinary feminine garment, suited to the youngest of girls or the most elderly among women, has not waned. Even with each new decade of technological progress, it has been well accepted by even the most modern women of the subcontinent.

Even in the modern age, women continue to buy sarees with great enthusiasm, especially during festivals and wedding seasons.

Another interesting point recent time is that a traditional design was chosen from a popular Indian ‘Paithani Saree’ is painted on the tails of British Airways Aircraft which fly over 175 countries in the world.

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