Aiyangar Brahmin sari from Tamil Nadu

In past times, most drapes were "dhoti". Styles belonging to this family are still commonly worn by men. The cloth is tied around the waist in the middle of its length, and each side is wrapped around each leg separately. "Brahmin saris" have evolved from the dhoti. Here the cloth is passed between the legs before being wrapped around the body.

Short kaccha saris of Andhra Pradesh

The "modern" sari belongs to the "nivi" family. These drapes are wrapped around the body from bottom to the top, leaving a bunch of pleats in front. In the "kaccha", a sub-family of saris worn mostly in Maharashtra, and the "upper kaccha", a rare but very interesting (and practical) sub-family, the pleats are passed between the legs and tucked at the back.

Tamil "pinkosu" sari, from Bodhinayakkanur, Tamil Nadu

Dravidians and Eastern Indians wear saris which have evolved from the "veshti". We can distinguish 4 sub-families : "veshti", covering only the lower part of the body; "Tamil saris", "Santal saris" and "North-Eastern saris", where the upper part is simply thrown once or twice over the shoulder, and not wrapped around the body.

Coorg sari of Madikeri (Karnataka)

Some women prefer drapes firmly tied over the chest.
These styles belong to ethnic groups living in mountains like the Coorgs or to tribal groups found all over India. Some of these saris are a cross between purely tribal styles and styles from other families.

Sari worn by the women of Mul, Maharashtra

Many saris of Central India are inspired by Gond drapes. Surprisingly, Ceylonese saris belong to the same family, which starts by the drape of the cloth on the left shoulder.