SPARKLING
PAST
Kerala
has always been unique in many ways. Be it the verdant landscapes, soothing
climate, blended cultures and tongue-teasing, spicy food. And,
of course, in its traditions too.
No
matter how far we go with the modern trends and concepts, certain things remain
the same; tradition surely is one of them.
Traditional
jewellery reflects the aesthetic sense and craftsmanship of the people of a
land. Along with the verdant beauty of the landscapes, Kerala’s traditional
jewellery, with its beautiful and elegant patterns, has gained worldwide
acceptance.
In
Kerala, right from the historical ages, gold has been considered an auspicious
metal and Keralites have an instinct fascination for gold ornaments.
'Mullamottu
maala', 'pichimottu maala', 'Paalakka maala', 'pavithrakkettu'…
Yes,
many more in the list, for a Malayalee to boast of the artistry of his land.
‘Pichimottu’
and ‘Mullamottu’ mean ‘jasmine buds’ in Malayalam and the designs, as the name
denotes, resemble the shape of the buds. Even at this modern era, these
ornaments have an eminent space in bridal collections.
'Palakkamaala'
– its green stones remind one of the lush greenery of the land and the graceful
design appears quite enchanting. 'Palakkamaala' gives a sort of elegance to the
costume when it is worn with the traditional Saree.
'Palakka
maala', with its elegance, is the queen among the traditional ornaments.
According
to the designs, this green-stoned ornament appears in three more versions.
‘Nagapadathali’-
the green stones look like the head of a ‘Naga’ (snake),
‘Manga
maala’, in which the stones resemble the shape of a ‘Manga’ (mango) and in
‘Pulinakham’ the stones are in the shape of the nails of a ‘puli’ (tiger).
‘Kaashu maala’, which looks like a garland of
gold coins, is an example of the fascination of the ancient Keralites for the
yellow metal.
Suresh
R, General Manager of Bheeema Jewellers,
Thiruvananthapuram, says, “Throughout
the 87 years of journey in jewellery business, Bheema has always given special
importance to our traditional jewellery. We have a unique collection of antique
jewellery.”
“Traditional
ornaments are always in vogue in spite of the changing generations and fashion
concepts. Nowadays girls are keen to include at least one item of our
traditional jewellery in their bridal collection. Many North Indians also come here to buy
these ornaments,” says Suresh.
There
was a one week exhibition in Bheema on antique jewellery from 4th to
11th of April.
“Among
the traditional jewellery, 'Palakka maala', 'Mullamottu maala' and 'Kaashu
maala' are the hot movers,” says Sajeesh, supervisor, Bheema Jewellery.
“Earlier,
'Palakka maala' was made of only green stones. But now, it’s adorned with
different colour stones to go with the costumes. 'Palakka bangle' and earring
are also in demand now,” adds Sajeesh.
'Jimki',
one of the traditional earrings, with its delicate designs, radiates the grace
of a rich heritage. The trend of 'jimkis' has come back again among the
youngsters. Nothing matches more with the traditional costume than 'jimkis'.
‘Pavithrakkettu
maala’, a traditional necklace, has a knot at its end instead of a pendant.
In
'Ashtalakshmi maala', eight idols of Goddess Lekshmi are carved in the chain
and in 'Dasavatharam', we can see the ten incarnations of God Vishnu.
'Sarapoli
maala', 'Thalikkoottam', 'Manonmani'maala'…the list goes on…
The
magnificence of history is interwoven in every design you come across.
“Earlier,
traditional ornaments were comparatively heavier but, nowadays people go for
lighter ornaments,” says Ajay Ghosh, a goldsmith in Thrissur, the hub of
jewellery in the state.
Ghosh
works on designs for gold jewellery. He says that the new generation is
tradition conscious.
“I’m
from a traditional goldsmith family and I started doing gold works when I was
ten years old. I remember during my childhood days we used to get many orders
for traditional ornaments. As time and generations changed, these traditional
designs have been modified to an extent without losing the conventional
beauty,” says 37-year-old Ghosh.
“Palakkamala,
'Kaashu maala' and 'Lekshmi mala' are the all-time favourites among chains.
Among bangles, 'Ashtalakshmi' and 'Dasavatharam' are moving quite well,” he
adds.
Kerala’s
traditional jewellery has worldwide market.
“Many
foreigners come to our showroom asking for the traditional ornaments. They buy
these ornaments as a gift for their friends and relatives back home,” says Roy,
salesman, Kairali Jewellers, Varkala, one of the main tourist destinations in
the state.
As
many significant ports in ancient India were situated in Kerala, the land was
the hub of many trades. People from different parts of the world used to come
here for trade purposes. No doubt, they had a wide impact on our tradition and
culture.
Arguably,
our traditional ornaments might have had influences from these different
cultures. However, there is no striking evidence.
Kerala
traditional jewellery offers an enchanting beauty coupled with a cultural
elegance.
Yes, nothing can replace tradition.
(Vibrant Keralam)
