Originally jewellery around the world was conceptualized as beautiful ornamentation to adorn the bodies of human beings; be they male or female.
It is only in India that the Jewellery of the land along with being a spectacular adornment carries in its designs a vast abundance of cultural and religious heritable connotation of its civilization.
The LINGA PADAKKA MUTHU MALAI or GAURISHANKARAN is an ancient necklace from Tamil Nadu. It is not just an ornament to enhance the beauty of a woman but carries the auspices of Tamil culture within its design and construction.
Broadly "Linga Padakka Mutthu Malai" translates into the sacred ornament of Lord Shiva the forest dwelling God of the Tamil people.
The early Dravidian religion constituted a non-Vedic form of Hinduism . The Agamas worshiped sacred flora and fauna. Their Gods were represented as animals and flowers which later got infused into the Dravidian-Aryan form of Hinduism.
Shiva was a Dravidian God, a protective keeper of animals who was later absorbed into the amalgamation of Vedic Gods with Dravidian ethos.
This necklace has all the elements of nature and worship. Precious gems from the earth, pearls from the sea, flower motifs from flora, peacock imagery from fauna and a Godly icon from the religious scriptures.
In this unique necklace the central pendant is a huge lingam shaped precious emerald the symbol of Lord Shiva; set in an elaborately encrusted base of deep red rubies supported on either side by two bejewelled ruby peacocks with their ornate emerald encrusted plumes swinging upwards. A Peacock is considered sacred in South India because he is the mount of God Murugan the son of Lord Shiva. Below this huge pendant hangs a smaller bejewelled lotus pendant; the symbol of untouched purity in Hinduism. Rows of flawless pearls strung on either sides of this elaborate auspicious pendant complete the necklace.
It was believed in Ancient Southern India that flawless pearls warded off evil and hence these pristine white treasures of the sea were a favourite at the courts of medieval kingdoms like Vijayanagar and Thanjavur.
Sometimes this bejewelled pendant had a flat box at the back which held a talisman or a scroll of sacred words or mantras to keep the wearer protected by the power of God.
The Linga Padakka Mutthu Malai along with other ornaments crafted in the choicest of jewels, were first gifted by the King to the Temples of his kingdom to be worn by the Gods, while equally precious replicas were worn by the King himself and the Queen.
Because of this customary practice, these typical designs featuring Hindu gods, goddess and religious emblems came to be known as Temple Jewellery.
The main feature of Temple Jewellery is that it is resplendent in precious rubies and sparkling emeralds set in solid gold.
From the Temples to the King's treasury, this gorgeous unparalleled Temple Necklace has now come to be a favourite among all Indians.
The sparkle and dazzle of precious gems encrusted in the Linga Padakka Mutthu Malai off sets the beauty of a typical Indian Woman seeped in the traditions of her country.
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