The Aatheru is as ancient as the Pandit Culture of the Valley of Kashmir.
This ear ornament is a vital presentation to a Kashmiri Pandit girl, in parts, by both parents and in-laws at the time of her nuptials. These earrings are ceremoniously given to the bride for a happily married union. Sometimes it is equated to the ‘mangalsutra, an ensigna of a married status, but unlike the mangalsutra which is removed when widowed the Aatheru is worn by most Kashmiris till their death because it is also the woman’s financial security in case of trying times.
This ceremoniously elaborate ear ornament is made of three ornamental elements. The Dejhoor, the Athoor and Atah.
The wedding ceremony is called the Lagan and one day before the Lagan, the Devgoan ceremony which is meant to invite the Gods to bless the bride is performed in the bridal home. During this ceremony the bride is given the Dejhoor for her ears by her mother.
The Kashmiri Pandits are Shavites and the Dejhoor is a Sri Yantra or auspicious talisman. Dejhoor, cast in gold, is always hexagonal (Shatkon) shaped with a dot (Chunne) in the center representing Shiv and Shakti. this yantra or Dejhoor, is dangled from piercings in the upper ear cartilage, always the left ear first (Shiv) and then the right (Shakti), and initially, on the day of Devgoan, only using red threads called nairwan.
The next day, which is the wedding day the Lagan ceremony is performed and the in- laws after taking the new bride to their home, perform another ceremony where they remove the red threads supporting the Dejhoor and replace it with Atah. The Atah are either gold chains or gold and silver silken threads called(Sulma/Tilla) replacing the red nairwan threads.
The in-laws also add Athoor which is either a small piece of golden ornament attached - to the lower end of the Dejhoor or a bunch of the Atah gold chains or silken threads tied in a bunch to the bottom of the Dejhoor; thus completing the yantra in a very symbolic way.
The next day, as part of another ritual, when the bride along with her husband visits her mother's place, she now sports a compete set of Dejhoor, Atah and Athoor which is collectively known as the Aatheru.
At the end of the gold chains are the two other elements of the earrings the Dejhoor and Athoor.
Earlier the Dejhoor and projecting Athoor was kept by the Pandit women inside their garment touching the skin yet there was no danger of any kind of infection as gold being a precious metal.
As time went by the Aatheru underwent changes. This elaborate gold earring was modified to suit contemporary sensibilities. Precious gems and seed pearls were add to make the Aatheru more glamorous and attractive. The gold chains of the Atah now had seed pearls in intervals and in some designs there were only chains of pearls strung in gold wire. The gold dot or Chunne many a times was replaced by a solitaire diamond instead of the traditional gold dot in the centre of the Shatkon.
The hexagonal Dejhoor was now crafted either in meenakari, or the gold yantra was embedded in precious gems like sapphires, emeralds and pheroza, making it more expensive and colourful. The attached Athoor too saw changes either as a meenakari or bejewelled pendant or dangling as a tight bunch of clusters of pearl strings.
To suit the modern Kashmiri Pandit woman the Atah chains were reduced in size so that the Dejhoor and attached Athoor just about touched her shoulders.
Today the Aatheru is an earring worn by many Indian women whether they by Kashmiri or not, as a preference for a beautiful piece of jewellery.
Worn with a chic chiffon sari, a western hair-cut, the bejewelled Aatheru dangling from the ears of an Indian woman makes a unique fashion statement found nowhere else in the World!
Earlier the Dejhoor and projecting Athoor was kept by the Pandit women inside their garment touching the skin yet there was no danger of any kind of infection as gold being a precious metal.
As time went by the Aatheru underwent changes. This elaborate gold earring was modified to suit contemporary sensibilities. Precious gems and seed pearls were add to make the Aatheru more glamorous and attractive. The gold chains of the Atah now had seed pearls in intervals and in some designs there were only chains of pearls strung in gold wire. The gold dot or Chunne many a times was replaced by a solitaire diamond instead of the traditional gold dot in the centre of the Shatkon.
The hexagonal Dejhoor was now crafted either in meenakari, or the gold yantra was embedded in precious gems like sapphires, emeralds and pheroza, making it more expensive and colourful. The attached Athoor too saw changes either as a meenakari or bejewelled pendant or dangling as a tight bunch of clusters of pearl strings.
To suit the modern Kashmiri Pandit woman the Atah chains were reduced in size so that the Dejhoor and attached Athoor just about touched her shoulders.
Today the Aatheru is an earring worn by many Indian women whether they by Kashmiri or not, as a preference for a beautiful piece of jewellery.
Worn with a chic chiffon sari, a western hair-cut, the bejewelled Aatheru dangling from the ears of an Indian woman makes a unique fashion statement found nowhere else in the World!
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