The wedding customs and rituals in
India vary from state to state. But did you know that women in different parts
of India wear particular ornaments to declare their marital status? Let's
look at the diversity in various cultures within the country. In most cultures
it is the Mangalsutra which signifies the married status of women in India but
the mangalsutra itself has a number of variations. It is an important
part of Hindu weddings and symbolizes a bond of love. The tying of
the mangalsutra is more of a social practice than a religious one which
originated in south India and later travelled to north India. The term
mangalsutra comprises of two words- Mangal which means sacred and Sutra means a
thread or a cord.
Thali South Indian Bridal Jewelry:- In south India, it is
known as Thaali. This is a thick gold cord with a gold pendant. The design of
the pendant varies from community to community. Most times the pendant would
have designs of goddesses or religious symbols with family crest or family monograms.
Telugu brides wear two Thaalis. One is plain gold chain with
a semi-circular pendant while the other is a chain with black beads. In Kerala
the pendant is in the shape of a banana leaf which is considered very
auspicious in the region. The Christians from Kerala have a cross embossed on
the banana leaf shaped pendant. The night before the wedding, the groom's aunt
extracts seven threads from the wedding saree and strings the pendant known as
Minnu on to it. This serves as the Mangalsutra on the wedding day for a
Christian Keralite bride and the silk threads are later replaced by a gold
chain.
Konkani women wear a gold chain
with coral beads and a Lakshmi pendant known as Kasithaali. The Lakshmi pendant
signifies the bringing home of a goddess. In Karnataka, the Bunt community
emphasize on the wedding ring. It is a v-shaped ring unique to the community
known as Vadungila.
In northern India, the most common
and mandatory custom followed by married women is wearing the sindoor. Women
from Bihar wear a black beaded chain with a gold pendant which is similar to
the mangalsutra but is known as Taagpaag and toe ring known as Bichwa.
In Maharashtrian community the
mangalsutra comprises of two gold semi-circular hollow spheres known as Vati
and the cord comprises of black beads interspersed with gold chain. The black
beads are supposed to protect the couple from evil and unfavourable influences.
Bengali women wear a set of three
bangles on each hand. Each set comprises of a red coral bangle, a white shell
bangle and an iron bangle. They also wear sindoor which signifies their
marital status.
Gujarati women wear a nose stud to
signify their married status while both Gujarat and Rajasthani women wear
mangalsutra with diamond pendant.
Women from Himachal Pradesh wear
special Suhagi jewellery gifted to them on their wedding day while Kashmiri
women wear ear ornaments known as Dejhoor as a symbol of wedded status.
Though each region has its own rituals and customs there is
some commonality and overlap between various cultures and even though the
wedlock status is symbolized by different ornaments its significance remains
the same.
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