A Kerala set saree (set mundu, or mundum neriyathum) comes in two pieces. You wrap the mundu around your waist like a skirt, then tuck the neriyathu in at the waist, pleat it, and take it across your body to pin at the left shoulder. It takes about ten minutes. If you have a one-piece kasavu saree instead, you drape it like a standard (nivi) saree. Both methods are below.
What you need
- A set mundu (two pieces) or a kasavu saree (one piece)
- A fitted blouse. Gold, or the colour of the border stripe, is traditional.
- A petticoat for the one-piece saree. The set mundu does not need one, but a slim cotton underskirt helps if the fabric is sheer.
- Three or four safety pins
- The shoes you will wear, because length is set to your heel height
Method 1: two-piece set mundu (mundum neriyathum)
Step 1: Identify the pieces
The mundu is the longer, wider piece and has the border along one long edge. The neriyathu is narrower and is the piece that goes over your shoulder.
Step 2: Wrap the mundu
Hold the mundu with the border at the bottom and the inside facing you. Start at your right hip and wrap anticlockwise once around your waist so the border finishes at the front right. Adjust the hem so it just grazes your feet.
Step 3: Tuck the mundu securely
Fold the top edge over once or twice and tuck it firmly into itself at the right hip. If you are worried about it slipping, fix it with a safety pin on the inside.
Step 4: Tuck in the neriyathu
Take one end of the neriyathu and tuck about 10–15 cm of it into the mundu at your right hip, with the border facing down.
Step 5: Make the front pleats
Make five to seven pleats about a hand's width wide, keeping the borders lined up. Tuck them into the waist at the front centre, facing left.
Step 6: Take it over the shoulder
Bring the remaining length across the front of your body from right to left and up over your left shoulder, letting it fall at the back to around knee length. Pleat the shoulder section neatly and pin it to the blouse.
Step 7: Check the border line
Look in a mirror. The gold borders of the mundu and the neriyathu should form a clean V or diagonal line across the front. Adjust the shoulder pleats until they do.
Method 2: one-piece kasavu saree (nivi drape)
- Put on the blouse and petticoat.
- Tuck the plain end of the saree into the petticoat at your right hip and wrap it once around your waist anticlockwise, with the hem touching the floor.
- Make the pallu: gather the border end into pleats about 12 cm wide and drape it over your left shoulder so it reaches the back of your knee. Pin it to the blouse.
- Make the front pleats: gather the remaining fabric at the front into seven to nine pleats, line up the borders, and tuck them in at the centre facing left.
- Pin the pleats at the waist and smooth everything down.
Tips for Onam day
- Starch helps. Kerala cotton holds pleats much better when it is lightly starched and ironed. Soft mulcotton is easier for beginners.
- Pin more than you think. One pin at the shoulder and one at the pleats will keep you secure through a sadya, thiruvathira and photos.
- Layer for the weather. In an Irish or British September, or a Melbourne late winter, a fitted gold cardigan or a shawl over the neriyathu keeps you warm without hiding the border.
- Short on time? A ready-to-wear saree or a stitched dawani gives you the look in under five minutes.
Set mundu or kasavu saree: which is easier?
If you have never draped anything, the one-piece kasavu saree is usually easier, because it follows the same nivi method as any other saree and there are plenty of video tutorials for it. The two-piece set mundu takes one extra step, but it is more forgiving: if the neriyathu slips, you can re-pin it without undoing the whole drape. It is also the more traditional Kerala look, and the one you will see in older family photos. Many women abroad keep one of each, the set mundu for Onam morning and a kasavu saree for the evening programme.
Common mistakes
- Hem too long. Set the length wearing your shoes, not barefoot.
- Borders not aligned. Re-pleat until the zari lines run parallel.
- Loose tuck. Fold the waist edge twice before tucking.
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