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The significance of jewelry is proverbial
and primordial. Human's affinity towards adorning the body is innate and even
before man discovered metals, they used wooden and other naturally available
materials to embellish themselves. Jewelry has been with its distinctive place
as well as value in all the cultures and when it's in the Indian society, it's
something very precious in terms of its social, cultural, traditional and
economic magnitude.
These days, diverse form of jewelry - traditional, ethnic,
gold, silver, stones, gems etc - are in vogue throughout India but the
traditional jewelry of several regions always top the choice lists. Different
states in India produce some exclusive varieties of jewelry that represent the
legacies and cultures of the regions. For example, the south is famous for its
elaborate temple jewelry, the east always stands out for bedded jewelry, the
west is the hub of some best quality mirror and stone jewelry and the north
comes in when it's about marvelously carved and designed ornaments.
Imbibing from the rich heritage
Punjabi culture is among the most archaic
as well as richest one in even the history of the world and the Punjabi people
have preserved its distinguished heritage and customs with a deliberate care.
Even in this 21st century their style and go of life is pretty closely allied
with the Punjabi tradition. Perhaps, that has made the Punjabi culture flourish
greatly and the word "Punjabi" is now a brand name worldwide. Among all its
arts and crafts, jewelry holds a very special place in the Punjabi culture as
in Punjabi wedding traditions as well as in important ceremonies jewelry
receives a constant attention. At times, particularly in marriages, it stands
to be a symbol of the honor and status of the families.
The nuptials showcase the treasure trove
So it's the marriages that bring out the
full pool of ornament and jewelry of Punjabi culture. A Punjabi bride's wedding
ornaments would inevitably include golden jewelry and bangles. As part of the
bridal beautification, wonderful henna paintings are very common in all the
classes. But the most important jewelry piece in Punjabi wedding is the Churha
(wedding bangle). They have a separate ceremony with these bangles and in this
Churha ceremony the maternal uncle (mama) of the bride adorns her wrists with a
set of red and white bridal bangles; and from the ceremony these bangles have
got their name Mama Churha. To add more charm to the churhas, light ornaments
made of beaten silver and gold, called Kalira, are attached to these.
Besides, as part of the bridal decoration
on the day of the wedding, the bride wears traditional heavy gold jewelry and a
gleaming pendant called Tikka in the parting of the hair. A sweet, slim Nath
prettifies the nose. After adding all the visual beauties, a pair of Nupurs
round the ankles brings in the music that enlivens the beauty of the
jewelry-laden bride.
In addition to the barrage of wedding
jewelry, there are Punjabi bangles having great demand to woman of all ages.
These match great with both plain as well as embroidered salwar-kameez, and sharara
kurata (a popular Punjabi suit). These also go pretty trendy with the western attires
- skirts, jeans, pants. These Punjabi bangles are those beautiful Punjabi
ornaments that represent the rich, ingenious artifact of the Punjabi culture.
These have become a pick of the litter for wedding receptions, marriage
ceremonies and formal parties.
Social and economic wellbeing attached
Punjabi Jewelry is a very potent reflection
of the culture of the land of five rivers. All the households, irrespective of
social and economic status, preserve some collection of the traditional Punjabi
jewelry for special occasions like weddings, Punjabi festivals, birthdays and
so on. Even in the sacred books of many religions in India refers to the
deities wearing ornaments. In Rig-Veda, Rudra is described as dressed in
"adorable, uniform necklace" and "brilliant gold ornaments". Not just the
deities, the demons also possessed bulk of jewels and gold which even the
mythical kings and mystics wished for.
As in other parts of India and the
subcontinent, jewelry has significant social and economic implications in
Punjab. In one standpoint, it's a kind of investment and a saving for needs in
emergency. Besides, jewelry has always been something pretty precious and dear
to the women of Punjab. The jewelry given to the bride at the time of the
marriage becomes her exclusively her own asset called Stridhan (woman's
wealth). But in other respect, jewelry and precious stones have been a symbol
of and a scale to measure wealth, power and aristocracy. People in Punjab
attach high value to jewelry as specimens of their past heritage and domestic
security. This has earned their native jewelry a prominent place in the Punjabi
society and culture.
Tamjeed
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