The traditional dress of Uttarakhand ideally reflects the lifestyle of its residents as well as the distinctive culture of the ethnic community there. Pichora is a traditional dress of the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, which is worn on religious and special social occasions like Parinay, Yagyopaveet, Naming ceremony, and Teej-festival, etc. This garment has kept the tradition of Kumaon alive and is strongly associated with its cultural identity.
Wearing of colored Pichoda by women is very important in Kumaoni Parineotsav as it signifies the omen as well as the specific traditions there.
Colored Pichora, irrespective of their age, is worn by every woman of Kumaon on a special occasion. This garment has a special meaning in married women, and it personifies their prosperity, fertility, and family happiness.
Pichora dress is a perfect example of the rich traditional culture of Kurmanchal. Rangwali Pichoda is not only a symbolic form of the bride, but it is also a sign of a custom for married women to wear it on the occasion of various social and religious ceremonies.
In the customs of Kumaon, a beautiful traditional coloured Pichora is given to every young man on the auspicious occasion of his adoption. It is considered to be an invaluable treasure. In this tradition, the Rangwali Pichoda worn by every woman is an excellent priceless heritage because it is the reminder of many pleasant memories. This is the reason that Rangwali Pichora remains with a woman for life. Almost every young woman is given a colored Pichoda as a gift on her marriage from her maternal home. However, it is also given to the bride by her mother-in-law.
Rangwali Pichoda is prevalent mainly in Kumaon. However, this distinctive dress attracts and attracts a lot of outsiders. However, at present, the replica of Rangwali Pichoda has been created in the power loom. The duplicate has made its infiltration in the market. Nevertheless, the differences between the original Pichora of the hills and the other version are significant.
The pattern of this colored Pichoda works well, but it does not give the shine visible in the traditional ones.