In the winter months of India, the ‘Wedding Season’ coincides with the tourist season, bringing a windfall of unique cultural delights to international visitors from around the globe. Savvy outfitters have leveraged on this regional diversity by arranging for clients to play ‘guest’ during some of these ‘rites and rituals’ rich celebrations.
India has an over 5000-year-old unbroken tryst with jewellery. Ornamentation was never confined to royalty and the gods. Ancient sculptures reveal ordinary men and women embellished with jewellery for the ears, neck, chest, waist, hands and feet. In India jewellery is not simply a decorative accessory- it is deeply rooted in the social, religious and cultural ethos of ordinary life from antiquity.
Oppi Untracht in his long years of research of jewellery design in the Indian subcontinent observed that as social hierarchies evolved jewellery made in particular forms, especially in the highly valuable metals, became a means of differentiating the social status of individuals. The most extensive use of symbols in jewellery is evident in rural societies and tribal areas. Traditionally design vocabulary continues to vary from state to state, from community to community.
According to the ancient Hindu text, the Manusmriti part of the dowry the bride took to her new home was her stridhan, jewellery that was hers alone by legal right as a security against bad times.
She is commonly referred to as the ‘Mona Lisa of Bihar’ and is considered the ideal feminine beauty and physical delicacy of time. Excavated in 2017 from the muddy banks of the Ganga at Didarganj, she is a 1.57 m voluptuous female statue carved from a single slab of sandstone.
Just imagine unknowing villagers using her submerged back embedded in the muddy bank of the Ganga to wash clothes before its excavation! Presently housed in the Bihar Museum in Patna and believed to be around 2,300 years old the fabled Didarganj Yakshi, with an elaborate headdress, necklaces, pendants, girdle and anklets, was the epitome of feminine beauty then.
Ancient Indian tradition has it that at 16 a woman is supposed to be perfect and ready for marriage. Decking herself in the finest jewels for every part of her body is one of the most important parts of its rituals.
Here’s a quick look at the regional bridal jewellery traditions that add to the resplendence of multi-layered culture bonanza that is an Indian wedding.
The Kashmiri bride’s dejharoo (dangling gold earring pendants) is as important for her as is the thali for the South Indian bride. In Arunachal Pradesh the Abor and Gallong women wear the benyop (a disc girdle) cast-brass ornamental belt until the first child is born. In Ladakh, the turquoise-encrusted headdress, the perak, worn by brides is a family heirloom and a symbol of her wealth.
A new Hindu bride would aspire to have a navratan parure in her dowry for good luck. The navratan, a combination of nine gemstones (ruby, pearl, coral, emerald, topaz, diamond, sapphire, zircon, cat’s eye) representing the nine planets of the solar system and considered the most effective, is a much sought after talisman against misfortune.
The Kohlapur Saz, fashioned with gold beads interspersed with images of the auspicious deities, has a special place in the Maharashtrian bride’s jewellery. Adorning her forehead is a Mundavalya, a delicate string made of pearls or gold beads, tied with a knot, symbolizing her transition from childhood to womanhood and married life.
The Kashmiri Pandit bride’s earpiece, Aatheru, comprises three units – the Dejhoor, the Athoor, and the Atah, symbolic of marital commitment and divine blessings for a bountiful married life. The Rajasthani bride’s borla or maang tika, and her ivory white shell bangles, worn all the way up on her upper arms, are very distinctive.
The Punjabi bride is adorned with traditional kundan jewellery which includes a tika, jhumkas and heavy necklace. Her chuda (white ivory bangles interspersed with the red) signify her entry into marriage. The Saggi Phull, a flower-like head ornament she wears, can be made from silver or gold. The heavy hand-embroidered dupatta is anchored to the head by the central saggi phull.
For the Bengali bride the nowha bangle is highly symbolic despite its simple design and is slipped onto the wrist as she enters her new home. The nowha symbolises her marital status as do the pair of red (coral) and white (shell) bangles which are sometimes embellished with fine gold filigree work. Beautiful accompaniments are the paati haar (broad choker with intricate paisley design), Sita haar (a long, multi-layered necklace) and jhumko, bell-like earrings.
Uttarakhand’s brides adorn themselves with the traditional galobandh, a black thread necklace threaded with delicate silver embellishments. The black thread is a talisman against the evil eye.
The Goan bride cherishes her Poonchali, a gold bangle, symbolizing prosperity and marital bliss and the gajara, woven from fresh flowers, representing purity, and the start of a new life for her.
In South India married women wear variations of the Tali (pendant) necklace. This wedding ritual is said to have started around the 11th century. Another form of the tali neckpiece is the pullipal tali. The Tamil bride’s Oddiyanam (gold waist belt) and Vanki (armlet) are particularly significant for their deep-seated cultural tradition. The Kerala bride embellishes her looks with the traditional Mullamottu Mala, a choker necklace, with jasmine bud-like adornments.
The bride from Mizoram wears a highly detailed bead necklace and silver belt representing purity and tradition. The Naga bride stands out for her stunning red coral necklace, Taku earrings, and Peijangmet bracelets. The Manipuri bride looks resplendent in her very ornate Moirang Phee headpiece, traditional Thabrej bangles and Nupi Thaanbi necklace.
The turquoise embedded perak of Ladakhi brides is an heirloom piece, signalling her woman’s family’s wealth and status. It’s also her security net for her old age. Turquoises, sourced from the caravans coming into Leh are collected for a girl’s perak from her childhood. It flows down the shoulder like a cape, is shaped like a cobra head and can weigh up to 3 kgs. The biggest turquoise is positioned right in the front- then layers of the stone are positioned along the entire length of the headpiece.
It is believed that the nath found its way to India in the 7th century by the route of the nose rings worn by Assyrian slaves. By the 16th century it was worn extensively as an elaborate ornament by women in the country.
The Punjabi bride wears a bejewlled nath supported by a chain of pearls attached to the hair. The Maharashtran nath is very distinctive, as it’s quite large and studded with pearls, a diamond and some precious stones; the shape can be oval or round. The nathadi of the women of Kutch in Gujarat is embellished with gemstones, granulation and relief-stamps. In Uttrakhand the bride’s Nathuli, is a large and ornate nose ring, and holds a special place in the local culture as a symbol of prosperity and her family’s affluence.
There are so many beautiful bridal jewellery traditions in India still to cover. This is but a doorway to many new treasures to go explore on your own….