Jadai Nagam ...... The Braid Ornament

India is a country of unity in diversity. This is apparent in all its aspects of life. From food to clothing to traditions culture and even jewellery . Every part of the country has its own unique stamp on the Identification of India. 

Basically in India there always was a huge emphasis on the bridal jewellery. It was given as a security to the daughter and was, and is still called "Stree Dhan"

The bride was bejewelled from head to toe. Innovative pieces of jewellery were thought of and designed keeping culture, religion, good omens and primarily wealth in focus.

In the North the imprint of invading foreigners was found on the jewellery of the country. Whereas in the Southern peninsular the ethnicity, religion and culture of the original Indian people was obvious in the jewellery of the Dravidian people. 

The Southern Dravidian culture lays great emphasis on the tresses of a woman. It was in ancient times a sign of great beauty of a woman and a man who had a wife with these long tresses was considered extremely wealthy because he was blessed by the Gods. 

Young girls were carefully groomed by their mothers throughout their childhood to bear fruit of thick black long hair that touched either the knees or at least their waist; when they reached their youthful years and were ready for marriage; the long hair played an important role in the kind of groom and his family they would be married into. The longer the hair the more eligible the groom and wealthier the family he came from was secured by the girl's parents. 

The fact of the long hair holding a prime position for women in Dravidian culture is apparent at the Tirupati Temple of South India. This temple of Balaji or the "Kale Krishna" is the richest temple of India with the maximum devotees. The Temple Idols of Krishna and his consorts are encrusted with the most pristine and oversized emeralds and diamonds. The elaborate jewellery adorning the deities are all in diamonds interspersed with emeralds, rubies and sapphires and yet the greatest donation here is considered to be the hair of the women. When a wish was fulfilled, from time immemorial, women have gone to Tirupati to sacrifice their long tresses as thanksgiving. This ancient practice of the South of India has resulted in the most sought after and successful export of India; which is hair for wigs all over the world!

From this tradition of an ancient people it must be apparent how significant the Jadai nagam piece of jewellery must be. The  longer the hair the more elaborate and jewel encrusted would be the Jadai nagam!                

The Jadai nagam, of south India literally means the hair serpent. It is worn by brides to decorate the braided hair.

The rakkadi at the back of the head in the shape of the sun, symbolic of brilliance and power is followed by the crescent moon, evocative of calm and peace. The third piece is the fragrant thazhambu flower (screw pine)

Then comes the ruby and diamond-studded many headed divine cobra Ananta below whom are seen three rows of the cobra's coils. From here the jewellery for the braided hair starts. Designed in the form of flowers and buds; It consists of separate pieces interlaced to form a supple ornament. Towards the end of the braid it bursts out into 3 silk tassels held together by encrusted bells; the silk tassels too have undergone a change. Now they are done in pearls, gold chains or even diamond strings, depending on the expensive presentation of the Jadai nagam.

This unique bridal jewel was also adopted by the Devdasis or temple dancers who considered themselves the brides of the temple deity. This tradition has continued to this day when we see Bharat Natyam dancers wearing the Jadai nagam.                

Even today in the 21^st century many Modern Indian brides wear the Jadai nagam. Keeping with the trends of contemporary jewellery the Jadai nagam is made in white gold encrusted in sparkling diamonds! To be worn with an entire diamond bridal jewellery ensemble.

Nath ..... A Sensual Ornament

"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 21^st 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!

Nathori .....The Ancient Nose Ring

In Prehistoric India the nomadic tribes and forest people later called the Banjara and Adivasi made a statement of their fierceness and supremacy by the men piercing the septum of the nose with the bone of the animal they had hunted. With the passage of time, when the tribes were better organised and moved towards progress, it became the symbol of power and wealth and graduated to being cast in gold and silver and worn by both the men and women of the tribe. 

Much later the Nathori was absorbed into the female jewellery collection of the clans. 

The Nathori is a small ring with a movable bead; which is pierced into the soft cartilage at the bottom of the septum. It dangles daintily just above the upper lip of the woman adding a touch of provocative sauciness to her face. Because of the dangling effect of this small piece of jewellery it was sometimes also called a 'jhoolna'.

Nathori is visible in the Indian Iconography of Krishna and Radha. In the Raas Leela Pichwai paintings around India, Krishna along with Radha and the Gopis is also seen wearing the Nathori which goes to prove this dainty piece of jewellery's popular use in India since ancient times. 

 In Bengal it was a common practice for married women to wear the Nathori, but later women preferred the nose stud on the left side of the nose. But the Santhal tribes of Bengal and rural women of the state wear the Nathori to this day. 

The Nathori holds an important place in the ancient jewellery repertoire of an Indian woman. 

Since it is not an easy ornament to be stolen; traditionally it was believed to be the security of a woman. If all else was lost she could pry out this ornament and sell it to survive. It was sanctioned as the woman's personal wealth; so much so that it was the single piece of jewellery that was not removed even when she was laid on the funeral pyre. 

When the hippie movement came to India in the mid 60's and up until mid 70's they revived the Nathori. Body piercing was a fashion statement for the hippies and in India they came upon the tradition of the Nathori prevalent in the tribes and forest clans here.

Adopting this fashion they took it back to the United States and Europe and there it was considered a sign of the Cult.

The Hippies faded out but the Nathori was then taken up by the fashionable Ramp Walks of Paris and America. Contemporary jewellery around the world showcased the Nathori in different and modern styles to add subtle glamour to the Fashion Elite.

The Nathori is still preferred by young people who are extremely fashion conscious and are looking to make statements with their personalities however shocking and bizarre it may seem to the rest of the world!

A Nathori in today's age and day; has undergone a metamorphosis from its humble beginnings in the forests and hinterlands of India to the glitzy fashion world of the West! 

Innovative ideas have taken the Nathori to be preferred by frequent wearers. It no more has to be a pierced ornament of the septum but can be worn as a 'mock' clip on. 

Today in Contemporary Indian jewellery the Nathori is studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls in precious metals like gold, platinum and white gold. It is worn not only with traditional attire but also with the savvy Black Cocktail Dress! 

Maang Tikka....... The Chakra Ornament

The Maang Tikka is another head ornament for women worn in many parts of India. 

When in Ancient India various kingdoms were at war, the victorious King returned home and as proof of his valour, victory and survival; he smeared the centre of the forehead of the queen spreading it to the middle parting in her hair with the blood of the enemy. 

Thus was born the tradition of sindoor the vermillion powder worn by Indian married women in the middle of their hair parting to bear witness to the fact that their husbands were alive.

From this tradition was born the ornament called Maang Tikka. 

The maang Tikka is a bejewelled slender bracelet hooked on to the back of the head and extended to the forehead with a round, flat, gem encrusted disc lying in the centre of the forehead. This piece of jewellery is a head ornament covering the 'maang' or central hair parting of a woman. 

During a traditional Indian Wedding; with the chanting of sacred mantras, the groom smears the bride's middle parting of hair with sindoor carrying on the ancient assurance giving practice of his existence. As long as the bride's 'maang' carries the vermillion powder; it is a sign that her husband is alive. 

The Maang Tikka is lifted for this ceremony when the groom fills the 'maang' and then placed back as a shield over the sindoor; symbolising the young bride's sindoor being protected from the evil eye. 

There is also a spiritual derivative to the Maang Tikka. 

This gorgeous piece of jewellery when worn is so designed that the point where the round disc rests flat on the centre of the forehead, a droplet of Ruby or Emerald or Pearl drops touching the area between the eyebrows This area between the eyebrows (or the sixth chakra known as the 'Agna') is the seat of concealed wisdom; And is believed to be the ajna chakra, which in Sanskrit means "to know or perceive". The chakra is represented by two petals signifying the holy union of male and female on a spiritual, physical and emotional level.

The activation of the energies of the Ajna chakra ensures that the woman will now be a complete Ardhangini to her husband. 

Ardha meaning half 

Anga meaning body

Put together the other half of a single union. 

In western terms "his better- half"

This makes it a symbol of perfect union, without imbalance or compromise. By extension, the Maang Tikka is a representation of this symbolism, where the ornament decorating the headpiece is a physical symbol of the ajna chakra, and the union that it represents.

A Maang Tikka is a piece of jewellery par excellence. Over the centuries it has changed its form in several ways to make it more beautiful and decorative. The side chains of the Bhorla have been sometimes added to enhance the Maang Tikka. When more than one or two chains on either sides of the Maang Tikka are attached, it is then called the Dauni; making it a more elaborate piece of jewellery. 

Most Maang Tikkas are part of the Bridal Jewellery ensemble. They can be in kundun, jarao, diamonds polkis, rubies, emeralds or any other precious gem to compliment the bridal set. 

 The Maang Tikka is intricately crafted with an array of jewels set in exotic ancient or modern designs. Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires and Diamonds are commonly used in the making of the Maang Tikka, while pearls are used as a peripheral border to complete the piece. 

The Maang Tikka in contemporary Indian Jewellery has travelled to the West. 

Many a times it is found to adorn the heads of famous models walking the ramps of Paris to showcase the collection of renowned Haute Couturier fashion houses.

Hollywood Actresses also have a penchant for this intriguing head ornament.  

The Maang Tikka is the Indian version of the magnificent glory of the Royal Crown worn by Queens of other cultures!