The ears being on either sides of the face played a very important role in the erstwhile ornaments cache of Human civilizations, so as to lend beauty and verve to the female persona. These ornaments frame the face and thus the kind of ear rings worn by a woman is vital to the enhancement of her beauty.
The ear as an organ has evolved in the human being over the millennia. In animals they are like antennae used to detect sound signals of danger in order to safe guard their survival. The ears of animals are able to move in the direction of the external sound to get a sharper audible sound passage piercing the inner ear which sends signals to the brain. On the scale of the evolutionary advancement of the Human, who is also an animal, as the brain developed the movement of the outer ear muscles positioning it in the direction of sound went extinct.
Thus the brilliant concept to use this organ as a canvas for jewellery evolved.
In ancient civilizations ear rings were worn by both men and women. Usually men of power or prowess, like kings and warriors wore ear rings to symbolise their status.
Ear rings were worn from Biblical times. It is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible as a piece of precious jewellery worn by the Egyptians as well as the Hebrews. On display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo are various pieces of exquisite gold ear rings that form a part of the collectibles of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen.
In ancient China, earrings developed for health purposes rather than female embellishment purposes, stemming from the result of acupuncture of the ear. The father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, wrote about ear piercing and earring wearing around 470 B.C. as a remedy and treatment for menstrual problems. Ancient people treated diseases of feminine Yin organs via earrings in the left ear and diseases of the male Yang organs via the right ear.
The excavation sites at Machu-Pichu in South America and Mohenjo-Daro in India, the cradle of ancient civilizations of these continents unearthed many specimens of ear ornaments worn by the ancient people.
In India the earring has a special spiritual significance. One finds it mentioned in the Rig Veda. A ritual called the Karnavedha was performed on both males and females at the time of piercing the ear lobe and the ear cartilage. Karnavedha is a Vedic rite of passage to open the inner ears of the child receiving the sacred sounds of 'AUM'. This rite has a deep mystical and symbolic significance. It is believed that merely hearing sacred sounds has merit in that it cleanses sin and nurtures the spirit.
The Vedic development of the personality of Lord Ganesha with elephant ears is a silent lesson conveyed that with these gigantic listening organs he has mastered the Vedas by absorbing them constantly.
It was believed that nerves running from the outer ear to the inner ear connected directly with the brain and hence a constant pressure maintained by ear ornaments kept a keen hold on perception and learning.
In India from ancient times there are various ear ornaments worn. With the passage of time many of these ancient jewellery pieces were worked and developed into modern concepts of an ancient art. Earrings are worn along the ear cartilage and the lobe. To name some there is the Goshwara or tiny balis worn along the ear cartilage. Karanphools, Balas, Balis and Jhumka are worn on the ear lobe.
Also worn on the ear lobe are jhalars, danglers and chandeliers that nearly touch the shoulders
In Kashmiri Pandit Hindu culture, a woman needs to have her inner ears pierced before she can get married, this is one of the prerequisites; so as to be able to wear the traditional Dejhor, a must for Kashmiri married women.
A pair of earrings is an integral part of Indian Shringar or jewellery adornment of the woman.
No comments:
Post a Comment