Gagra choli garment, the "uttariya" veil worn over shoulder or head and "stanapatta" a chestband, which finds mentioned in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist Pali literature during the 6th century B.C. A "choli" (Hindi: चोली, ), ("ravike" in South India Telugu: రవికె, Kannada: ರವಿಕೆ) is a midriff-baring blouse commonly worn with the Indian sari costume (worn in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and other surrounding countries). It evolved from the ancient "Stanapatta" (also known as "Kanchuki") and is cut to fit tightly to the body with its short sleeves and low neck. The choli is usually cropped, allowing exposure of the navel;
Midriff rather than defining it, allowing for pregnancy and otherwise expanding girth. And in a culture where having enough to eat is not a given, rolls of fat around the midriff are a sign of prestige, rather than indulgence. Dr.Torsekar, a paediatrician from India who works in Toledo, Ohio, once told, ""It maybe hard for American women to imagine going to work with an exposed midriff, but for Indian women, the midriff is considered no more suggestive than the forearm."" Other Indian communities that take midriff in their stride include the women from Rajasthan who leave the midriff exposed while wearing