Eternal India Encyclopedia

LIFESTYLES

Eternal India

encyclopedia

Forehead

Ornaments

Aarh

: Literally a screen or a

horizontal line drawn on the

forehead.

The

ornament

is,

therefore, in the form of a flat-

tened plate. It may be of plain gold or gold set with

jewels.

Barwaali

: Tinsel stars worn over the eye brows.

Bindi

: A small tinsel forehead ornaments.

BucchiMarwarid

: A cluster of pearls.

Chaand Bina

: A moon shaped pendant.

Daamini

: A fringe worn over the forehead on either

side of the face; some of these are richly jewelled.

Jhumar:

A tassel-shaped ornament or pendant, mostly

worn towards Delhi and Kashmir.

Kutabi and Sosain

: Both are lighter varieties of Daam-

inL

Taawit

: A small amulet (or amulets) worn on the head.

Tika

: A small ornament on the forehead. A kind of

pendant.

Tikli

: They mean a forehead ornament or mark for

women.

Tilak :

A sectarian mark for men, or an ornament

which takes its shape.

Ear Ornaments

Aloolak

: Stone earrings.

Baata

: An earring of lighter variety.

Bala

: Very large thin rings worn by Kha-

tris, Sikhs and Dogras; they have a pearl

or so strung on the gold wire of which

they are made.

Bala

: Small rings usually of gold.

Bala-katori-wala-Saada

: An earring with a central

boss like ornament.

Bali Bahaduri

: It has a large pointed stud in the centre.

Bali

: A set of rings worn round the edge of the ear.

Bali-Ghungri-dar

: A heavy fringed earring.

Bhadaarians or dandiaans

: These, which consist of a

number of small rings of pure gold (or, for the poorer

sections of society, of silver or even tin) are affixed all

along the border of ear, which is pierced for that pur-

pose. The number worn is from four to eleven, gen-

erally the latter, that is to say, in one ear, the left in-

variably having one less.

Birbali

: A broad earring with three studs.

Bugarai

: Basically a Hindu ornament, a chain with

pendant, worn in the hair.

Bugudis, Balis, Kudis

: Different kinds of thin earrings.

Chhelkari

: Rings : The last four kinds of the rings are

worn on the upper part of the ear.

Dur

(gold): A small earring with three gold studs on one

side.

Durichal

: An earring with pendant tassel.

JEWELLERY : GLOSSARY

Halka

(perhaps from Dar meaning a pearl in Arabic):

A ring worn on the little ear.

Jhumka

: Bell-shaped drops.

Jhumka

: Jhumka of this variety is slightly different than

its Kashmiri or Punjab counterpart. This variety is

more rich in contents as it belonged to Delhi & Agra,

the seats of Mughal authority, who were known to

like everything not only ornate but superbly rich. This

jhumka is always of solid gold, each furnished with

one or more small pearls, garnets etc., sometimes a

dozen or two pendants being attached to the circum-

ference of each jhumka, sometimes suspending a

hundred pearls. In the upper part is a small perfo-

rated stud, sometimes ornamented, through which a

ring about the thickness of fine knitting needle, and not

less than half an inch in diameter, is inserted, it previ-

ously passing through the ear in the part usually

pierced. This ring, like every other fastening made to

pass through the ear or nose, is of the purest gold. It

is so pliant that the little hook made at one end, by

bending the wire to fix it into a minute loop or formed

at the other end by twisting it, may be straightened at

pleasure by means of the nails only. In general, how-

ever, the Jhumka is fixed to the lower edge of the

Kamaphul. Sankhali, or gold chains (sometimes or-

namented with pearls), which support the ears and its

appendage.

Kalas : A

pinnacle or pointed ornament at the top of the

head.

Kan-ki-laung : A

clove shaped ring.

Kantala

: A similar ornament like described above, but

having a stud besides pendant.

Karanphul: A

star shaped earring.

Kamaphul: A

gold ornament having a star on the radi-

ated centre of about an inch and half in diameter,

sometimes richly ornamented by precious stones. It

is fixed into the lobe of the ear, both by the usual mode

of piercing, and by a chain (sankhali) of gold passing

over the ear, so as to bear the weight of Kamaphul.

Jhumka, which would else cause the lobe to the

greatly extended downwards.

Kamphul Dhedu and Jhumka

: These are forms of tas-

sel like ornaments, made with silver chains and little

balls, fringe of silver chain work, etc.

Khaleel

: A small earring.

Kundal

: This is a large ring in which gems are fastened.

It is also used to signify a ring with fish-shaped pen-

dant.

Kurdu: A

sacred grass of gold and pearls.

Latakan

: Any hanging drop usually in the form of a

grape.

Laung

: A small needle like ornament shaped as a clove

to wear in the lobe of the ear or the nostril.

Macchali

: An ear ornament shaped like a fish.

MorPhunwaar

: A pendant of jewels, being rude imita-

tion of a peacock.,

Moti

: Pearl rings, or more properly, an ear ornament of

three pearls.

Murki

: A small Jhumka worn in the little ear.

Paatan

(literal meaning leaves): It is so named because

of the designs resembling leaves. It is worn in any part

of the ear, except in the lobe and the little ears.

Pankha

: An ear ornament shaped like a fan.

Patri

: Leaf-shaped rings.

Phulijhumka

: A flower and bell shaped earring.

Phwrmi

: Silkand tinsel tassels.

Pipal Pata

: It is like Murki but has a drop or pendant

ending in a fringe of little gold pipal leaves.

Pipalpathi:

Having drops shaped like the leaf of the

Pipal tree (Ficus religiosa)

Sankal-kan-ki

: Chain-like ear ornaments, sometimes

called Jhala.

Taudara Ded'i: A

huge star-shaped jewelled stud.

Tid-patang : A

locust-shaped jewelled pendant; along

the lower edge of the crescent hangs a row of gold

pipal leaves.

Toti: A

parrot shaped ring which is worn in the lobe of

the ear.

Zangiri

: A chain worn with the Bala to keep it up.

Nose Ornaments

Baisar or Morin

: It is worn on the

right nostril. Those who wear

this ornament and the Phulli are

nicknamed

‘Baisarwali’

‘Phoolwali’.

Bhaurraiya

: A nose ring.

Bohr

: A jingling pendant of gold pipal leaves.

Bulak

: A small pendant, either worn hung to the carti-

lage of the nose or else strung on a ‘nath’.

Bulak

: These are of two varieties, viz., Bulak and

Chand-ka-bulak. The Bulak is basically a nasal trin-

klet, flat in form not unlike that article of furniture

called a footman and has at its narrowest part a

couple of eyes. It is appended to the middle of the

septum or central cartilage of the nose, by means of a

gold screw passed through an orifice in it. The orna-

ment lies flat upon the upper lip, having its broad end

furnished with pendants of pearls, and its surface set

with precious stones.

Latakan

: A pearl pendant hung from the central carti-

lage of the nose.

Latkan

: A sort of ornament of pendants put on to the

thin gold ring called a ‘nath’, and hanging from it.

Laung : A

small stud let into the flesh of the nostrils on

one side; generally of gold, with a pearl or turquoi.se in

Machhalian-be-sir

: A pendant shaped headless fishes.

Momi

: A small pendant for the above, shaped like the

spread-out tail of a peacock.

Nath : A

large nose ring, one side of the ring being

ornamented with a belt of jewels' or a few pearls, and

gold spangle ornaments etc. hung to it.

Nathini: A

small ring worn on the left nostril by girls.

Phulee

: A small ring with single emerald or other stone

of an oval shape as pendant.