The man in this painting is wearing a checked cotton lungi tied around his waist. The spread of checked lungi fashions is generally credited to the Arwi-speaking coastal Tamil Muslim trading communities that the British categorised as Labbai. Lungis are now worn widely in India as well as in Sri Lanka and wider Southeast Asia.
Observe: The lungi from the V&A Museum collections on the right is similar to the lungi worn by the male ascetic figure in the painting.
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