The Saree is now internationally famous and is being worn by women in some western countries too, thanks to the wide reach of Bollywood the Hindi film industry. Ghagras or chaniyas or lehengas are versatile and a favorite of women of all ages especially during weddings, festivals and parties.

1. The Difference between Lehenga Choli and Chaniya Choli
Lehenga choli, chaniya choli and Sarees are all traditional Indian wear. The Saree is now
internationally famous and is being worn by women in some western countries too, thanks to
the wide reach of Bollywood the Hindi film industry. There is a very thin line of difference
between the other types of dresses. Hence, you may also notice it being used interchangeably
by many people.
Both the lehenga and the chaniya are skirts and the choli refers to the blouse. There is also a
dupatta or an odhni. The lehenga choli can be of various styles such as A cut, fish tail, panel
style, straight cut etc. The chaniya choli or ghagra choli as it is also known is similar to the
straight cut of the lehenga.
There was a time in Indian culture where these two dresses were considered to be worn by
people of lower socio economic status. However over the past
few decades a lot of creativity has led to these dresses becoming
part of high fashion and belonging to the haute couture
collection of designers.
The primary difference between a lehenga choli and chaniya
choli is that the latter is also worn as a part of daily wear in
places such as Gujarat and Rajasthan. It may also be seen at
weddings where crepe and silk chaniya choli with brocade work
are more popular. The daily wear is made of cotton material. On the other hand lehenga choli
is practically never seen as part of daily wear but is worn only at weddings and functions. The
embroidery on them is elaborate, exquisite and very expensive.
The chaniya choli is a loose fitting skirt with a straight shape whereas the motive behind the
lehengas are to accentuate the woman’s body shape and is always tight fitting at the waist.
There is not much difference in the real sense if you look closely at the concept behind the
two dresses. Ghagras or chaniyas are often worn at festivals like Diwali and so are lehengas.
The designs of the lehengas are inspired more by the Mogul culture whereas the chaniyas
take their inspiration for Indian culture.

2. Ghagra or chaniyas can be traced as long back in history as the Vedic period. This was the
primary dress worn by Aryan women of that period. This attire is mentioned at many places
in Hindu mythology; especially in the stories of Lord Krishna.
Ghagras or chaniyas or lehengas are versatile and a favorite of women of all ages especially
during weddings, festivals and parties.