PHANEK: The traditional loin cloth of the Meitei women

Phanek is the most important traditional loin cloth (for female) of the Meitei. It typically measures 1.75m in length and 1.30m in breadth. It has two different style of wearing i.e. Khoidom Setpa and Phidol Chingkhatpa indicating the married and unmarried status of the wearer. The former is worn by unmarried girl and the later style is for the married women.

A girl wearing Phanek(Khoidom Shetpa style)
P.C:Internet

A woman wearing Mayek Naibi Phanek(Phidon Chingkhatpa style)
P.C: Internet

How it is worn?

In the Khoidom Shetpa style, the cloth is worn lengthwise, with one border around the waist, and in such way that the left breadth end is carried to the right, while the right counterpart, carried to the left, overlaps the inner end (i.e. the left end is now placed on the right side), and its corner end (termed as phirei) is then tightly tucked into this upper end of the cloth wrapped around the waist. The lower border of the cloth freely hangs in the circular form around the middle of the legs. In Phidon Chingkhatpa,the style of wearing is same as the former style, but in this case above the breasts.On the basis of design, there are different types of Phanek worn by a Meitei woman,namely Pumngou Phanek, Mayek Naibi etc.It is still the form of dominant clothing worn by the  Meitei womenfolk.