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THE PEOPLE
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ORNAMENTS
Ornaments are widely hankered after among all communities particularly in the rural parts but more as means for the safekeeping of money than 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 the gold or silver ornament into cash. As a result it is found that except for the patronage of a few princes or rich people, 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. Such is the case with silver which is rarely cast.
Ornaments differ in type as used by men, women and children. They are worn on the head, in the ear, on the neck, across the shoulders, on the arms, wrists and fingers, round the waist, on the legs and on the toes. They differ according to the caste or community custom and also as used by men, women, boys and girls.
With the Hindus gold is a very sacred metal and gold ornaments, for this reason, must not be worn below the waist as to do so is considered an indignity to the holy, precious metal. Brahman and Maratha women will not have ornaments for the head except of gold. Other castes should, if they can afford it, wear only gold on the head. Gold and silver in ornaments is also considered to have a protective magical effect, like that ascribed to charms and amulets. In the making of ornaments, the recent tendency is to substitute gold, silver and precious stones by alloys, culture pearls and synthetic stones.
Male.
Men now rarely use any ornaments. However, a rich person
may display a bhikbali, a gold ring set with pearls and pendant emerald, hanging by the upper lobe of his ear. He may also use gold satkadis or a poci on the wrist and a goph or chainwork with a locket round the neck. If fairly off a Bania's every day
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 solid silver on the wrists or a dandakade of silver worn above the elbow. A silver chain work girdle known as Kargota is used round the waist by many.
Female.
Fashions in the ornaments of ladies have considerably changed during the last fifty years, the general tendency being to avoid gold ornaments of heavy weight.
Head ornaments of any kind used by the ladies are not much in evidence. Flowers are preferred to metal ornaments. However, some hair ornaments such as mud, agraphul, Ketki Kevda, veni, rakhadi, candrasurya, nag-gonde and gondephule, all made of gold are still to be found in old rich families. Bindi-Bijora and Bhang-tika, a decorative ornament for the whole head is to be found among Rajputs and Marvadis. Flower-shaped ornaments such as Gulabacephul, Caphekali etc. as braid-ornaments are current.
Ear ornaments such as Caukadi and Kudi preierably of pcaris and precious stones are in vogue. Bugdya, balya, kap are in the use of old women only. Ear-rings
of various types are now getting into fashion. Nose-rings such as nath and besar as ceremonial ornaments worn by married ladies in the left nostril are current. Nath of the rich is studded with pearls and gems, that of the poor is made of gold; besar is smaller in size. Other types
of nose-rings are murni, mugvat, phuli, Kanta, camki and bulak.
Necklaces such as mangalsutras of various types, the black beads being strung together by different patterns of gold chain work with gold heads and cups in the middle and used symbolically by married ladies are now a days worn by them as an ornament. Other types of necklaces in current use are: bakula-hara, bormal, candrahara, capalahara, ekdani, jondhalipota, Kolhapuri saj, mohanmal, putalyancimal and pohe-hara; sari, thusi, vajratik are getting rare. Petya, pota, laphpha, tanmani and pende are made of pearls and to be found current among the rich.
Hand ornaments such as Kankane (bangles), of patterns known as bilori, diamond, double-diamond, hodighat, panc-pailu tinpailu etc., are current. Patlya (wristlets) known as jalicya, minyacya, pailucya and todicya all made of gold are in common use. Costlier bangles studded with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones are in the use of the rich only.
Armlets such as bajubands or vakis of the types known as haricya, modvakya, rudragath, tulabandi made of gold or silver are still in wear. Foot or leg ornaments are usually made of silver and as worn by lower classes they are tode, tordya, sakhlya and vale. Masolya, jodvi, phirvi salle are silver toe rings and are used by women on marriage day and continue to be used always by the lower classes.
Child ornaments such as bindiya, mangatya, kaditode, which are wristlets, and goph, hasli, sakhali, taiti which are necklaces are made either or gold or silver, Sakhali and sarpoti are used round the waist and ghungurvale and vale are worn on the ankles.
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