Civara: Tailoring from the Past to the Present

บทคัดย่อ

In the Buddha’s time, the term ‘Civara’ w as not found. A person who
desired to ordain had to shave their head and changed their clothes. There were two
groups of ascetics: Samana and Bràhmana. Prince Siddhattha was identified as the
Samana, who shaved his head and wore the discarded cloth taken from the rubbish
heap or the charnel ground. Those fabrics were mostly contaminated with dust or
dirt; therefore, they were called Pansukula or the rag-robes. At one occasion, the
Buddha went through the field of Dakkhinagiri and recommended that the robe
design should be cut in the pattern of the Magadha paddy-fields. The earliest robes
were made of rectangular pieces of cloth and later become a traditional dress of the
Buddhist monks. The rules and discipline codes concerning the robes were laid down
when there were disciples became monks.
The robes of Buddhist monks have been continued for 2600 years.
Therefore, the robe is considered as the cultural dress of the Theravada Buddhist
monks indicating the art of design. The robe design was originally based on the
Magadhan paddy-fields and became a work of art for the clothing of Buddhist monks
with a specific sewing method and colors.