The bottom portion, draped from the waist downwards, is called the mekhela (). It is a wide cylindrical piece cloth that is folded into one or two pleats to fit around the waist and tucked in. The pleats are folded to the right and are typically fewer in number as opposed to the pleats of Saree, which are folded to the left and have multiple pleats. Strings are never used to tie the mekhela around the waist, though an underskirt with a string is often used.