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THE PEOPLE
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ORNAMENTS.
Ornaments are widely regarded, particularly in the rural parts, more as a means of safe-keeping of money than for decoration or aids to beauty. People do not like to spend much on the goldsmith's labour or skill which fetches no value on the reconversion of ornaments into cash. As a result, it is found, that except for the patronage of a few princes of old or rich persons ornaments are but specimens of clumsy form and workmanship. Gold ornaments are simply hammered or punched into shape or rudely engraved and are practically never cast or moulded. They are often made hollow from thin plate or leaf, the interior being filled with lac. Similar is the case with silver which is also rarely cast.
Ornaments differ in type as used by men and women and by boys and girls. They are worn on the head, in the ears, in the nose, across the shoulders, on the arms, wrists and fingers, round
the waist, on the legs and on the toes. They differ according to
caste and community.
With Hindus gold is a very sacred metal. Gold ornaments. on this account, must never he worn below the waist as to do so would he an indignity to the holy metal. Brahman and Maratha women will nor have ornaments for the head and arms of any baser metal than gold. Other castes should, if they can afford wear only gold on the head. Gold and silver in ornaments is also considered to have a protective magical effect, like that attributed to charms and amulets. In the making of ornaments, the recent tendency is to substitute gold, silver and precious stones by alloys, cultured pearls and synthetic stones.
Men rarely wear, now-a-days, any ornaments. However, a sawkar may display a Bhikbali, a gold ring set with pearls and a pendant-emerald hanging by the upper lobe of his ear. He may also use gold salkadis or a poci on the wrist and a goph or chain-work with a locket round the neck. If fairly off, a bania's everyday ornaments may be a silver girdle and a gold armlet worn above the elbow, a pearl ear-ring, a gold or pearl necklace and finger rings. Well-to-do cultivators have gold rings in the ear. kadas of silver on the wrists or a danda-kade of silver worn above the elbow. A silver chain work, known as kargota is used round the waist by many. Women in Candrapur wear a great variety of ornaments many of which are heirlooms. Nose-rings, studs for the nostrils, ear-rings, finger-rings, toe-rings of a great variety of conventional patterns are commonly worn. Silver and white metal anklets and bangles of gold, silver and white metal, lac or glass are practically universal and many castes have special rules about the kind of bangles that must be worn. The garsoli or mangalsutra, a necklace of black beads and gold pendant attached, is put round the neck of the bride at marriage and it is removed only if she becomes a widow. Women belonging to some castes adorn their hair with pretty gold ornaments but Kunbis and other cultivating castes forbid this to their women. Maratha ladies do their hair in a bun at the back of the head but Telugus arrange theirs differently. Telugu women also have ornaments in both nostrills while Maratha adorn only one. Women of the lower castes and most forest tribes frequently tattoo their faces and bodies in very elaborate patterns and even men are not always guiltless of this vanity.
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