The kachhera is a drawstring undergarment cut to allow free movement. It replaced the dhoti, which had to be rewound and could not be fought or ridden in without adjustment.
It is a practical military garment made a religious requirement, which is characteristic of the whole set. Four of the five kakars are usable objects.
It is also given a moral reading, as a reminder of sexual restraint, and both explanations are standard.
The rehat requires that it be kept on at all times, with a specific method for changing it so that one leg is always covered, which is observed strictly by initiated Sikhs.
It is the least visible of the five and the one that most clearly marks the difference between a keshdhari Sikh and an initiated one.
It is one of the five kakaars required of an amritdhari Sikh, with the kes, the kangha, the kara and the kirpan. The rehat treats the five as a single requirement rather than as five separate ones.
The practice of putting one leg into a fresh kachhera before taking the old one off, so that the body is never uncovered, is followed strictly by many and is the detail most often given when the article is explained.
It was cut loose at the thigh and gathered at the knee, made of cotton, and stitched at home or by the village tailor. It is bought ready made now and the cut has been standardised by the shops that supply it.