THE TRADITIONS OF MAHARASHTRIAN JEWELRY.

                         TRADITIONS OF MAHARASHTRA

Maharashtra is popular in the jewelry culture since many years now. It has kept hold of the the ancient traditions and designs and has brought them forward to this day as well. The classic designs of their nose pins and mangalsutras are very well recognizable. One can easily make out from a single glance at the jewelry that it is from Maharashtra. Apart from their jewelry, the look of a marathi mulgi (Maharashtrian girl) is complete with the chandra bindi. Lets look at each and every piece of jewelry from the Maharashtrian culture and its significance.

NATH : The Maharashtrian nath is the most classic and popular piece of jewelry. The authentic ornament is worn by women on special and auspicious occasions. The nose pin is cashew shaped with pearls all around and a colored stone studded in the middle. It completes the look of every Maharashtrian woman and makes them look very different from others.

MOHAN MALA : Mohan mala is a simple neck chain having gold beads. What makes this piece of jewelry innovative is that it may have many layers of chains in a single necklace.

THUSHI : Thushi is the traditional choker style neck piece made with small gold beads woven very closely together. It has an adjustable dori with it to adjust the piece as per the neck size.

LAKSHMI HAAR : The Lakshmi haar is very unique in its design as it takes inspiration from the temple jewelry. It has coins attached to one another to form a necklace. The coins have intricate carving of goddess Lakshmi or lord Ganesha.

KOLHAPURI SAAJ : The Kolhapuri Saaj is a very famous neck piece among the Maharashtrian culture. It is made with golden beads and 21 leaf shaped pendants. Each pendant has its own meaning. 10 of these represent the 10 forms of lord Vishnu, 2 of them have the ruby stone and the emerald stone, 8 pendants are for eight good happenings (ashtamangal) and the last one is a taviz (protecting one from bad happenings) .

KAAN : This piece of jewelry is the normal ear cuffs that we see these days, but has the traditional design. It covers the whole of one's ear and may also sometimes have a drop pendant in the end.

TIKADA : Tikada is another type of choker but this one is made of pearls. It sometimes has pendants hanging for added attraction.

RAANI HAAR : Raani haar is a grand neck piece with 3 layers of pearl chains and also a huge pendant in the middle. It is often worn with sarees for a royal look.

VAAKI : Vaaki is the traditional armlet/baajubandh. The traditional design includes a simple curved surface with a heavy design in the middle.

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