Flip through🔎 : सौवर्णपर्ण THE YELLOW METAL

सौवर्णपर्ण - THE YELLOW METAL

Hey! Guys, how you doing? Last time I promised you to come up with a new topic, then I thought why can't my new topic be for my lovely ladies. So today, I am up with something which is loved by all ladies which is my new subject "Sauvarṇaparṇa (gold)". I believe 80-90% of womens love precious metals and stones. Beyond that some love jewellery made of pearls. Every metals and gems have its own identity. In India there are two types of style, one is which sparkles in the homes of North India and the other one is which glitters in the lands of South India. So let's go to one of the land of glitters.

When I say Kerala, there are few things that will pop up in your mind - coconut, tourism and food. But above all else is Gold. This yellow metal is extremely linked into the culture and historical roots of Kerala. It forms an integral part of almost every keralite's life.

Why do Keralite brides wear so much gold on their wedding day? As far as you

understand, the traditional Kerala lifestyle is quite simple, Right? Then why do they wear so much of golddd...?? What do they get by wearing these golds? It is believed that gold ornaments acts as a fantastic conductor of subtle energy. Thus in olden days women were advised to wear lot of gold ornaments to receive this energy. But later people believed that holding gold was seen as a matter of pride and symbol of wealth. And beyond pride now it's a trend to wear all traditional ornaments in Kerala Wedding. It is hard to find a typical Malayali bride without atleast 50 sovereign gold ornaments with them during their marriage.

Gold and Saree are the main things which adds to the beauty of Malayali Manga.The tangled designs of ornaments display the unmatched craftsmanship passed on through generations. Many such classic designs, to date continue to influence modern designs. Some of such designs that find a place in every keralite bride’s jewellery collection are the Traditional palakka necklace, nagapadam necklace, poothali necklace, mullamottu mala, etc.Here I am giving a description about the jewellery worn by a typical Hindu bride in Kerala and I am going to use some words like 'Mala (necklace)', 'Thali (mangalsutra)' and I believe that using those typical words adds extra beauty to these jewellerys. Here it goes...

1. Mulla mottu mala (Jasmine Buds necklace) :

We can compare this design with jasmine buds so you can easily call it as Jasmine Buds necklace or Mulla mottu mala.It comes in two styles i.e Plain gold necklace and the combination of gold with gemstones. Both are quite pretty. This will give a special glow to the traditional bridal attire.

2. Manga mala (mango necklace):

Who doesn't love mango?? Manga Mala is having small mango shaped pendants. It is a kind of visual delight for Brides and it is the most common jewellery design coming in different forms, as shown below. The combination of bottle green coloured gems and gold gives the necklace an eye catching looks.

3. Kaasu Mala (Coin necklace):

The origin of Kaasu Mala can be traced back to Vedic period know as 'Nishka' and is also mentioned in Rig Veda.In this we can see the gold coins are strung together overlapping one another. Lakshmi Kaasu mala is another form of Kaasu mala in which Goddess Lakshmi is embossed on each coin. It is believed that Goddess Mahalakshmi blesses the wearer and her household with prosperity and wealth. And it is almost mandatory for the bride to wear Kaasu mala, who are considered as manifestation of Lakshmi herself. It is a kind of mala which comes among the trending necklaces. Mostly we see, not only the south Indian celebrity even bollywood celebrity wear this Kaasu mala along with Set Saree or Set Mundu. Now these days Kaasu mala comes in different styles like - with pendant, double layered, encrusted with precious stones and in choker style.

4. Palakka Mala (Leaf shaped necklace)

Palakka Mala derives it's name from the Paala tree (Alstonia tree). This necklace has been designed in a leaf shape . It was supposed to have been worn during Dwapara Yuga of Lord Shree Krishna. Traditionally Palakka Mala is having special emeralds i.e. rich green gemstones. However, today it is available in different colours including red and blue and it usually has a matching round pendant.

5. Karimani Mala (Black bead necklace)

Karimani Mala is a filament of little gold and black beads that often serves as 'Thali' or 'Mangalsutra'. Many latest designs of Mangalsutra in Kerala had taken away from the use of Karimani Mala. However, the Karimani Mala has made a come back as a fashion trend among the young brides aspiring to have a North Indian styled Wedding.

6. Nagapada Thali (Snake's hood necklace)

Nagapada Thali is a traditional jewel with its exquisite design of Snake's hood is a symbolic tribute to the age-old belief in serpent gods and is about 40 years old. It is made of coloured glass stones in a golden frame. Many small pendants with precious and semi-precious stones in them make the necklace an attractive neckpiece. Mostly this necklace is worn with 'Kasavu Mundu'(Kerala Saree). There are many variations of this design available now in both shorter and longer or just a giant version of the long green stone as the pendant.

7. Poothali (Flower necklace)

Poothali is the necklace which is broad in structure, which has leaf and flower patterns with beautiful danglers in between it's design. Nature is it's inspiration. The little elements of gold give the piece a beautiful tempo and flow that compliments the spectacular bride.

8. Elakkathali (Glittering necklace)

Elakkathali is a solitary style of choker necklace from kerala wedding jewellery sets. It is seen at the top of all the other necklaces festooned by the bride. It is made up of gold plates entwined together to form a thick chain. It glimmers and shimmers as the bride walks.

9. Pathakkam Mala (Pendant necklace)

Pathakkam Mala is a large round pendant attached to a chain. Traditionally pendant has an engraving of Goddess Lakshmi on it and it is studded with precious gemstones. Most notable designs either have engravings of Goddess or other Holy deities and are seen in plain gold and in coloured stones.

10. Pulinakham Mala (Necklace with Nails of Tiger)

At first you may be thinking, huh! Nails of Tiger. Hahaha actually I was not able to name this Pulinakham Mala properly. So I wrote the meaning directly. This necklace has been given the shape of Tiger's nail and due to this the necklace has got a glorious design and is loved by most of the women with traditional Saree.

These were all necklaces worn by a traditional Hindu bride in Kerala. But that doesn't end here. They also wear Bangles, Rings, Earings, Anklets, Waist belt and so on. And I will elucidate about all these ornaments on my next post.

At last I would like to show you two pictures. In which one is an early bride, which I found while hunting for few pics in Google and the other one is the present one.