"My face is my fortune" is a statement attached to the beauty and value of a woman.
The most striking feature of the visage is the nose; around which all other features are set to bring out the character of the face.
To enhance this feature or to downplay it depending on its perfect or imperfect chisel the art of jewellery design has played an important role down the annals of Indian Jewellery for century.
Indian Jewellery designers from the ancient tribes to the opulent studios of the 21st century; have down the centuries meticulously and painstakingly conjured delicate, breathtakingly beautiful pieces of this ornament in gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls and sapphires.
Ornaments for the nose take on a variety of shapes ranging from tiny jewelled studs resting on the curve of the nostril, to large gold hoops that encircle the cheek with graceful pendant pearls dangling provocatively just above the upper lip. A nath has traversed the road of gems and precious metals to create the perfect piece of jewellery that does justice to the beauty of an Indian woman.
In India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, this nose jewel called the Nath has been found in various shapes sizes and designs to suit a particular face.
It holds a place of immense value in the bridal jewellery of the country. Brides from Maharashtra wear an "Ambi Nath" made of gold and pearls in a paisley design; that hangs till the chin! Tamil brides wear various types of nose rings called "Mookuthi" "Besari" and "Bullakku" In some states it is known as the "Phula" while Punjabi, Guajarati, Marwari and Rajput brides simple refer to it as a "Nath"
Even today, the Adivasis are wearing a Nath weighing to the size of 5 to 10 grams.
The Nath is worn usually on the pierced left nostril of the nose. The nose is an organ which has a network of very fine nerves that are connected to the entire body. Ayurveda avers that the Nose is linked with the female reproductive organs. This school of thought believed that the left nostril nerves are connected to the uterine mesh of nerves and piercing at a certain point of the left cartilage is beneficial for child birth. In ancient India this practice was purely of medical value and a black thread was generally passed through the nostril.
Gradually after the Mughal Invasion of India, this black thread was replaced by the ornamental Nath. The Nath varies from the elaborate, to the austere gold ring. In Ancient India the nose ornament worn was the Nathori which pierced the septum.
The elaborate Nath was brought to the Indian Sub-Continent by the Mughal Rulers from the Middle East. It was soon added to the bridal jewellery collection of India.
A Nath is a very personal and sacred piece of jewellery in the Indian Culture. It is significant because it not only enhances the facial beauty; but is also subtly connected to the marital bed of the Indian woman. As the Nose was deemed a special organ not only for breathing but also for its sensitivity to sensual aromas, and its direct connection with the walls of the uterus; this ornament hanging from the nostril was considered the exclusive path to the woman's heart by her husband.
An age old tradition of an Indian marriage was; on the wedding night the groom removed the Nath from his bride's nose before asserting his rights.
On the other side of the spectrum there ran another tradition simultaneous to marriage; that of the Nautch girls. These paid dancing girls of northern India trace their origins back to the Muslim Invasion of India. These Nautch girls conducted the "Nath Utarna" ceremony.
The Temple prostitutes of India known as the Devdasis; too followed this tradition.
At the crux of these diametrically opposed traditions of respectability and notoriety lay the fact that the nose held a prominent place in the sexual activities of the woman.
The royal kingdom of every known state of India had a variety of collections on this particular jewel, ranging from the single stud to a maximum of 17 studded stones that adorned their Nose - Nath! And from an ordinary plain white pearl to the costliest Diamond were studded into this one piece ornament.
In contemporary jewellery the Nath still holds a prominent position. It can be seen featured in the glossiest fashion magazines of the Western World and also flaunted on the Indian Cocktail circuits!
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