Being a convergence of varied cultures, India has captivated different styles of clothing, Accessory and fashion from across the globe. Indians have an exceptional benefit with respect to fashion jewellery. You do not have to concern yourself about whether your accessories go with your outfit or keep up with the recent trends in the fashion world. All you have to do is adapt your traditional Jewellery like Mangalsutra, necklace, earrings, etc to go with your outfit to be the one standing out of the crowd.
An Indian Wedding not only symbolises love and togetherness of two individuals but also their bond, commitment, oneness, understanding and spiritual growth. Wedding Ceremony in India is not just a celebration but a lot more. The real essence of wedding is also associated with rituals, customs, dedication, devotion, companionship and sacrifice from both the partners. Traditionally, according to Hindu Culture it is said that a married women should adorn herself with Kumkum, Toe Rings, Mangalsutra, Nose Ring and Bangles. I came up with one of these 5 auspicious accessory- Mangalsutra. When I talk about it only thing that may come to your mind first would be a black beaded chain with gold pendant. I know you are confused with what exactly do you mean by it and what does the name stand for. So here it is! Basically the name Mangalsutra is a combination of two Sanskrit words Mangal which stands for auspicious and Sutra for thread thus it means auspicious thread.
Significance of Mangalsutra in Indian culture
1. It is symbol of a successful marriage.
2. It is seen as a token of love and gratitude from the groom to the bride.
3. It stands for the union of the bride and the groom after auspicious wedding ceremony.
4. People in India believe that it has divine powers.
5. There a strong belief that it can save the life of the husband thus it stands for husband’s life.
6. Wearing Mangalsutra is restricted to those women whose husbands have died.
7. Women in India get very superstitious when the Mangalsutra thread breaks or it gets misplaced.
8. Tying it during wedding stands for the well-being and prosperity of groom’s family.
9. It helps in protecting the marriage from negative or evil eye.
10. It helps in overcoming the problems in married life.
11. It is also believed that it helps you boost self-confidence.
12. It symbolises god Shiva and goddess Shakti. Black Beads is believed to be shiv and gold pendant is Shakti.
13. It helps women gain power, energy for action, knowledge and desire.
14. It holds an important place in solah shringar of a married women.
15. It also stands for the commitment of the couple towards each other.
Types of Mangalsutra
1. Gold Mangalsutra
2. Diamond Mangalsutra
3. Maharashtrian Mangalsutra
4. South Indian Mangalsutra
5. Mangalsutra Bracelet
Mangalsutra designs in different indian cultures
1. Tamil – Thaali Kodi
2. Kashmiri – Dejhooor, Dijhor
3. Bihari – Taagpaag
4. Kerela – Minnu
5. Sindhi – Black Beaded
6. Karnataka – Karthamani Pathak
7. Telugu – Maangalyamu, Pustelu
8. Maharashtrian – Vati
9. Gujarati – Standard black bead
10. Marwadi – Black beads
Mangalsutra in Modern World
Time changes very quickly and so does tradition and culture. In this modern fashion world women don’t wear traditional jewellery because it’s auspicious but because it looks stylish or beautiful. The concept of wearing it has remarkably changed in this modern world. Nowadays it is not a sign of marriage but only a piece of fashion jewellery. Wearing Mangalsutra by the working women has been considerably reduced due to progressive and developing times in India. In olden time, Mangalsutra designs were very simple and had small pendants but nowadays pendant size has increased. In India, Design and the style of making it has changed a lot over years. Earlier women preferred long and two string Mangalsutra whereas now women prefer short and single string ones. Diamond Mangalsutra are trending leaving behind the traditional gold pendant one. Only thing that have managed to stay consistent is the black beads. Whatever may have change but no one can deny that it will always be the real essence of an Indian marriage.
