Eternal India Encyclopedia

ornament is made representing the first wife, which

the second wife wears.

Silwatta

: An amulet case shaped like a small gold

pillow or bolster with two rings attached to suspend it.

Suti

: A kind of neck ring especially popular in the North

Bihar (Tirhut) region..

Tawij

: Most of the Hindustani women wear round

their necks, strung upon black silk thread. Tawijes

are the silver cases enclosing either quotations from

the Koran or any Mantra (incantation), some mysti-

cal writings, or some animal or vegetable substance.

What ever be their contents, great reliance is placed

on their efficacy in repelling disease and averting the

influence of witchcraft (jadu), of which the people of

India, of every sect, entertain greatest apprehension.

Hence it is not uncommon to see half a dozen or more

of these charms strung upon the same thread; some-

times with the addition of Baghna (the teeth and the

nails of a tiger or tiger’s claws, which are hung round

the neck of a child).

Teota

: An ornament with one row of beads only.

Tilari or Panchlari:

A set of three or five chains of

various lengths.

Timania:

An ornament with three pieces or an orna-

ment with three gems studded on it (Ti or Tri means

three).

Tokhli

: A flat square plate engraved with figures.

Tonk or Hasli:

It is a solid collar of gold or silver,

weighing from four ounces to nearly a pound. Being

made of pure metal, they are easily bent, so as to be

put on and off. They are commonly square in front,

under the chin for several inches, and taper off gradu-

ally to not more than half their greatest diameter,

terminating at each end with a small knob, cut into po-

lygonal form. This ornament is sometimes carved in

the Oriental style, either through the whole length, or

only on the front.

Tulsi

: Nearly the same as the Do-lari, except that in-

stead of the gold-beads being round, they are of an

octogonal shape. Tulsi however, means “the sacred

basil” (Ocy mum sanctum), so rosaries used by wor-

shipper of Lord Vishnu are made of Tulsi wood.

Vajratik

: Literally thunderbolt spangle, a “lightning

guard”.

Vindivijora

: Literally a thumbscrew.

Zangiri

: A set of charms

Arm ornaments

Anant

(literal mean-

ing endless) : A

large thin but solid

ring of gold or silver

chiefly used by Hin-

dus; the same idea is

symbolised by a

snake

ring

which the serpent’s

tail is in its mouth.

Anant, Taar or Tciruja

: Arm ornaments or small arm-

lets worn principally by Hindu women. These are

quite similar to ‘babhunta’.

Baank

: An armlet made of one piece. It is worn by

Hindu women on the right arm, but by Muslim

women on both.

LIFESTYLES

Eternal India

encyclopedia

Babhunta

: A round armlet made of five pieces strung

together, and worn lowest on the arm.

Bajuband

: A broad belt-like ornament, generally

mounted on silk and tied on the upper arm.

Bajubandooloos

: A bajuband or an armlet worn by

men.

Baza or Bajuband

: A wide armlet.

Bazu Sada

: Bazu and Sad are the Persian words re-

spectively for arm and plain. An arm ring has long

been one of the special signs of kingly dignity in the

East, and perhaps especially so in Middle Asia and

the kingdoms of which Persia was the heir.

Bazu-Tawiz

: An armlet with an amulet.

Bazu-sar-Ghundika

: An armlet with a stud or button or

pendant.

Berekhi

: An arm ornament worn by women in the

western part of Bihar.

Bhawatta

: A square gold ornament, worn on the upper

arm.

Bhujband or Bajuband

: A trinklet adorned with semi-

circular ornaments made hollow, but filled with

melted resins. The ends are furnished with loops of

the same metal, generally silver, and secured by

silken skeins.

Bijawath, Bijeth and Bijanta :

These are five ornaments

strung together and worn below Baza or Bajuband.

Dhulai or Baota

: An ornamented gold ring for the arm.

Govamolatadoo :

A girdle worn by men and women.

Jausan, Pat

: Worn principally by Muslim women on the

upper arm immediately below the bazu.

Jhabuja

: An arm ornament in shape like that of an in-

verted cup hanging from the arm, and to which bells

(bachwa) are attached; and ‘ghundi’ or little ball pen-

dants hanging from the Bazu or Anant.

Kammarpatta Molatador :

A zone worn round the

waist.

Kanakanaloo

: An ornament worn on the wrist by

women.

Mundali

: A clasp.

Nauratan:

It is the same as Bajuband. The ornament

consists of a band of nine gems set side by side and tied

by silk ties.

Paan-panawa or Balamtar

: An ornament worn on the

back, between the shoulder; Hindus call it ‘Pan-

panawa’ and Muslims ‘Balamtar’.

Sikri: A

long chain worn on the upper part of the arm.

Tad or Tar

: Tar means wire. A wire of precious metal

shaped like an arm ring.

Tawiz

: An amulet worn on the upper arm. It is same

like Nahar-ka-kara, only difference is in its being

more ‘charged’ to ward off any evil. Trying it on the

arm signifies providing more strength to the arm.

Wrist ornaments

Aak-ke-phula-ki-Pahunchi:

braclet

shaped

flower of Aak (Asciepias

gigantea).

Astur

: An ornament worn singly and next to the hand.

Athapahalu-kara

: Octagonal bracelets or bracelets

with octagonal or hexagonal heads.

Bain

: An armlet, broad and heavy.

Bangdis:

Gold bangles.

Bani: A

long sleeve or tube wom on both arms, like a lot

of churis fastened together.

Banka

: A thick gold bracelet, mostly wom by Hindus.

Chand; puths; todas or cords: A

rope-shaped orna-

ment.

Chhanni: A

bracelet.

Chur or Chura

: An ornament consisting of several

‘Paatris’ joined together.

Churis

Churis of sorts, as for example, Kan-

takhaarat Churas, Kanganidar; they are generally

made of a flat ribbon of gold or silver bent round.

Gajra: A

flexible bracelet made of square gold studs

mounted on a silk band.

Gokru : A

bracelet enriched with bells, also wom on the

ankles.

Got

: An ornament in circular shape (‘got’ means a

circle).

Gujri or Gujarni

: This ornament is wom on both the

hands and feet. The name is probably derived form

the Gujar tribe, who are mostly shepherds and herds-

men in Rajasthan. It has little balls or bells upon it.

Gunthua-kara

: A bracelet of strings or wires.

Himbalai

: An ornament wom alongwith Bangris, sin-

gly and next to the body.

Jadau Pahunchi: A

Pahunchi, or bracelet set with

gems.

Jhankangan : A

small hollow karas, with grains intro-

duced into the hollow to ratde.

Kangan or Kara Zanana

(bracelets made specially for

women): A delicate bracelet suiting feminine taste.

Kangan, kara or gokru

: A bracelet of stiff metal wom

bent round the arm; when the edges are serrated it is

called ‘gokru’.

Kangans, Ek-hara and Do-hara

: One-rowed or two-

rowed braclets.

Kara

: A ring wom on the wrist, ankle etc. These rings

are commonly hexagonal or octogonal, of equal

thickness throughout, and terminated by a knob at

each end, the same as in the Hansli or Hasli.

Lahsun-ke-phant-ki-Pahunchi

: A braclet designed like

garlic bud with a crevice in the middle. Both (49 & 50)

varieties of braclets are formed of small pointed

prisms of solid silver, or hollow of gold filled with

melted resin, each about the size of a very large

barley-corn, and having a ring soldered to its bottom.

These prisms are strung upon black silk as close as the

pointed or perhaps rounded ends will admit, in three

or four paralled rows, and then fastened.

Nahar-ka-kara : A

tiger-headed bracelet of Azhdaha,

a dragon-headed bracelet. These are the technical

names for bracelets or anklets, the heads of which

terminate in the forms of the heads of animals.

Nogri or Naugari: A

bracelet composed of balls or

clusters of grape like balls.