Gold The Golden Smile of India
In India, references to gold have come down through an unbroken tradition from the Ramayana, Rig Veda, the Puranas and Mahabaratha
Gold is the oldest precious metal known to mankind and is universally the symbol of great treasure. Beyond being a symbol of wealth, status and purity, gold forms part of worship in Indian culture, a tradition that goes back thousands of years. Gold was the first metal to be used both for decorative purposes and personal adornment, which elevated the goldsmith’s art to its highest level.
The Romans were probably the first to organise gold mining in a systematic fashion. Archaeologists have discovered evidence in Sumerian tombs at Ur in Mesopotamia of the large-scale fabrication of art objects and jewellery made from gold dating to around 3000 bc
Gold and the Gods
In India, references to gold have come down through an unbroken tradition from the Ramayana, Rig Veda, the Puranas and Mahabaratha, but there is no record of where or when gold was mined.
Gold is associated with prosperity and the divine, specifically with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. Lakshmi is one of the most popular Hindu female deities. It is likely that, because of the underlying human desire for wealth, she encompasses a large number of folk elements. Her auspicious benedictions are invoked with the giving and receiving of gold. For that reason, gold plays an important
Gold nali, ring
South India
Nineteenth century
Gold, repoussé-work, V-shaped ring (nali) depicting a kirtimukha with a makara on either side. A gold bead is attached below by gold wire.
Kirtimukha, or face of glory, is the name of a fierce-looking monster face with huge fangs and a gaping mouth. Makara is a mythical sea creature, half terrestrial and half aquatic.
Gold vanki, bazuband, with nali, gold ring Tamil Nadu, Pondichery, 1883
Red leather casket with red velvet lining that holds a set of elaborate, rigid, gold jewellery: an upper arm V-shaped ornament known as a vanki or keyuram, and a V-shaped ring called a nali.
The gold vanki is worked in repoussé from sheet gold, and bears a detailed relief of Krishna in a dancing posture, playing the flute and leaning against a bull that is licking his front foot. On either side of Krishna is an apsara (celestial figure in flight), each of which is flanked by a bird and two mythical winged creatures, with two elephants below. Above Krishna is a kirtimukha (face of glory) motif flanked by parrots. The vanki is set with one cabochon ruby ‘holding’ a ring with a bunch of pearls. A single pearl is seen on top of Krishna’s head and another at the top of the armlet.
On the reverse, the vanki shows a kirtimukha (face of glory) surrounded by a rich floral and garland design.
The nali, also crafted entirely from sheet gold, depicts the goddess Lakshmi with two arms, wearing a large crown and sitting with folded legs. The goddess is flanked by two apsaras (celestial figures in flight). The top of the ring is decorated with a pearl, and in the centre, below, a bunch of pearls is suspended beneath a cabochon ruby.
This kind of repoussé workmanship is characteristic of South India. The sheet gold is worked from behind and the design is raised in high relief to the front, filled with resin (lac) to support the thin gold, and a plain gold sheet covers the back.
The V-shaped armlet consists of two parts hinged together and can be opened by unscrewing both parts. It is worn on the upper arm, above the elbow. This form of armlet is unique to South India and still popular today. It was believed that wearing a vanki would help relieve pain during labour.
Further information:
Stronge, The Jewels of India, p.121, Jewels that Enchanted the World, p.92, illustration 35, and p.93, illustration 36
Bala Krishnan and Kumar, Dance of the Peacock, p.93, illustration 128, and p.187, illustration 300
Gold tagri, belt
South India
Nineteenth century length: 84 cm weight: 315 g
Gold belt consisting of ninety-four circular plaques depicting the three most important characters from the great Hindu epic Ramayana.
In the centre is Rama, also known as Maryada Pursottam (the perfect man). On his left is his step-brother Lakshmana and on his right, his wife Sita. In his left hand Rama carries a giant dhanush (bow), which only he can lift, string and even break in two, according to legend. On his back he carries a quiver with four teer (arrows). Lakshmana carries a smaller bow on his left shoulder and a quiver with four arrows on his back. All three wear large crowns and are adorned with jewelled fineries. Rama and Lakshmana wear dhotis draped from their waists; Sita wears a sari.
Rama as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu is the most popular symbol of chivalry and virtue. He is the embodiment of truth and morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband and above all, the ideal king. He is seen as an archetype of righteousness and the most sought-after virtues in life. Unstitched clothing is a mark of high status and is considered pure among Hindus.
The three main characters from the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana in the Shantinath Mandir at Bamotar Village near Pratapgarh, Rajasthan. Rama is in the middle with Sita to his right and to his left his stepbrother Lakshmana. Hanuman, who participated in Rama’s war so he could rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana, is kneeling and with folded hands, at Sita’s side. Hanuman represents devotion, power, humanity and discipline.
Pandadi, two pairs of gold ear pendants
Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch
Early twentieth century
diameter: 6 cm
weight: 45 g each
Further information:
Ganguly, Earrings, Ornamental Identity and Beauty in India, p.83
Weihreter, Schatze der Menschen und Gotter, p.78, illustration 59
Traditional gold pandadi worn in the helix by women of the Harijan and Rabari community in Kutch.
Gold pendant
South India
Early twentieth century
This gold repoussé head ornament, adapted to be a pendant, is backed with two inscribed silver plates. The interior is filled with lac. The object depicts the goddess Lakshmi, smiling and standing under the protection of a five-headed cobra, her two upper arms holding a blooming lotus flower in each hand and her two lower hands are shown in a boon-giving gesture. The goddess is elegantly crowned, and wears large earrings, bangles on her four arms and a jewelled belt. There is a garland decoration on either side. Twenty-three gold discs soldered to eleven gold balls are attached to the centrepiece.
Gold head decoration
North India
Late nineteenth century
diameter: 6 cm weight: 15 g
Elaborate gold jewel worn by women on the left side of the head. The design shows a makara on either side and in the centre a pot with a flowering tree of life symbol. The two birds on top and the two below are surrounded by flowers. The jewel is bordered with small circular gold discs, connected by gold wire to a second row that encircles half the jewel from which are suspended irregular pearls with tiny blue glass beads as finials. The girl in the painting to the left is wearing a very similar head decoration.
A Nautch Girl with a Hookah painted by Mortimer Menpes (1855–1939), an Australian artist who travelled in 1880 and 1890 through Japan, India, Burma, Morocco, Cairo, Mexico and Venice. The artworks he made on these travels were exhibited in London on his return there.
Further information:
Spink, A Journey Through India: pictures of India by British artists
A Nautch Girl with a Hookah: Image courtesy of Spink & Son, London, and also Simon Ray, London
Gold tevta, wedding necklace
North India, Bikaner
Nineteenth century
height: 14 cm width, upper part: 20 cm width jhaler, lower part: 14.5 cm weight: 650 g
Gold tevta, elaborate traditional wedding necklace worn by brides. The rigid upper part is set with billore (rock crystal) on foil. On either side is a roundel with a square pendant. The lower flexible part (jhaler) is decorated with a flower in the centre and a bird on either side; all three are set with billore on foil, the bodies of the birds are blue glass. Five pendants (tansukh) set with billore on foil are suspended from the flexible jhaler. All decorations are bordered with tiny seed pearls. The tevta is supported with multiple strands of white chid (glass seed beads), adorned with a large gold rosette set with billore on foil.
The top part of the reverse shows a rigid tubular element alternated with four large hollow beads decorated with a granulation pattern.
A gold jhaler composed of interlocking rings, supports the gold network of small square gold plaques at the front. Triangle-shaped pendants and five oval-shaped pendants (tansukh) are attached to the lower part.
Rajasthan has long been the land of royalty, grandeur and heritage. The people are traditional at heart and swear by their culture and rituals, especially when it comes to weddings. There are many different forms of wedding jewellery, but tevta is an auspicious jewel. Timaniyaan is a smaller version. These gorgeous ornaments are worn in Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ajmer and Nagaur, the former princely states in Rajasthan, and belong to the traditional bridal trousseau.
Further information: Babur’s Heritage
Flexible gold marathi or sankla, bracelets
Rajasthan, Gujarat and northern Maharashtra, Nineteenth century
outer diameter: 8.3 cm weight, pair: 156 g
Above
A pair of flexible gold bracelets, comprising a series of forty ingeniously entwined links, each decorated with a kundan-set flatcut diamond. An anti-clockwise screw clasp set with a diamond inserts into hinges fitted on both ends of the bracelet.
Opposite
A similar pair with each link slightly hammered.
Flexible chains were also worn as anklets. If made from gold they indicate that the wearer is a privileged person, silver anklets are worn by the rural class. A single anklet dastband almas in gold was awarded by a ruler as princely recognition in a custom known as ta’zim, and was worn on the right ankle.
Further information:
Untracht, Traditional jewelry of India, p.275, photo 657
Jaffer, Beyond Extravagance, p.178
Aitken, When Gold Blossoms, p.120 illustration 127 (silver)
For ta’zim anklets, see: Bala Krishnan and Kumar, Dance of the Peacock, p.205, photo 336
Ruby Ratna, Gem of Ravi
God first created rubies and then created man to posses them
Rubies have been loved for thousands of years in India, and legends circulate that God first created rubies and then created man to possess them. In Hindi, the ruby is referred to as manak or manikya; the name ruby is derived from the Latin rubeus meaning ‘red’. In Indian mythology, ruby was given the name ratna raj, meaning ‘king of jewels’ and Ratnanayaka, meaning ‘Lord of Precious Stones’. Padmaraga, or ‘red as the lotus’, was used to describe the beauty of the stone.
Designated as the king of gemstones because of its symbolic mythological and astrological association with Surya (the sun, the divine light, king of the planets, and centre of our solar system), the ruby is always placed in the centre of the nava ratna arrangement. It is believed that the ruby inspires creativity, wisdom and love, and those who donate rubies to honour Krishna are assured of being reborn as an emperor in a future life. In India light-coloured rubies are considered appropriate for women, whereas darker coloured and star rubies are most appropiate for men.
Gold hair ornament
South India, Tamil Nadu
Nineteenth century
Gold upper part of a jadanaagam (hair braid ornament), depicting the thousand-headed cobra Shesha (also named Ananta), surmounted by a figure of Krishna dancing on the coiled serpent and holding up his flute to play. Krishna’s face is carved from an emerald and his body is set with emeralds; the gold hair ornament, ‘crowned’ with five diamonds, is set with cabochon-cut Burmese rubies, diamonds and emeralds, and has five pearls suspended at the top.
The depiction of Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is considered to be the most important of the ten incarnations. He represents all aspects of human development from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. Young Krishna is shown standing on one leg with the other crossed in front, while holding his favourite instrument, the flute. The young Krishna depicted in this hair ornament is sheltered by the fiveheaded serpent King Shesha, who is the king of all nagas (serpent deities). In the Puranas (ancient Hindu text), Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe. Sometimes he is also shown as seven-headed, but more commonly as a thousand-headed serpent. His name means ‘that which remains’, because it is believed that when the world is destroyed at the end of Kalpa, a certain period of time, Shesha will remain as he is.
Gold necklace with pendants set with rubies, white sapphires and emeralds Tamil Nadu, probably Chennai
Nineteenth century
Necklace consisting of gold, stylised, mango-shaped ornaments, with nine different shaped gold pendants on either side (each with a different Vaishnavite symbolic meaning), and one crescentshaped central pendant, all set with cabochon-cut rubies, emeralds and white sapphires. From the half-moon shaped central pendant hangs a circular pendant depicting a hamsa (mythical swan or goose). The nine pendants represent symbols of Lord Vishnu; the hamsa in the central pendant represents the mythical swan or goose, the mount of Lord Brahma.
