Ornaments of Rajasthan
Ladies jewellery is more complex than masculine jewellery.
Jewellery in India is worn as a complete ensemble, and not
as an accessory. It is thus quite acceptable to wear more
than one necklace around the neck, also in the ears, on the
arms and the ankles, rings on the toes and fingers, ornaments
on the forehead, in the hair, and so on, any number to be
worn at the same time.
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Rajasthan, men and women traditionally wore necklaces, armlets,
anklets, earrings and rings. With the advent of the Mughal
Empire, Rajasthan became a major centre for production of
the finest kind of jewellery. It was a true blend of the Mughal
with the Rajasthani craftsmanship. The Mughals brought sophisticated
design & technical know-how of the Persians with them.
The ladies of the royal family of Rajasthan wore atleast half
a dozen kinds of hair jewellery at one time, each with its
own name and specific function. The most common head jewel
is the bindi, which has a central pendant hanging from a string
of fine pearls and is worn down the parting of the hair with
the pendant resting in the middle of the forehead A variant
of this is called the borla in which the central pendant is
semi-spherical and set with precious stones and a fringe of
fine pearls. Chains of gold, shaped like the lotus and other
flowers are worn across the length of the plait. There are
flower-shaped hair pins and hair combs beautifully enamelled
and set with stones.
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