Hindu Goddesses and the Significance of their Jewellery
In Hindu scriptures, jewellery has always been more than just adornments. The reflection of a goddess's personality and her form, jewellery does it all.
Enter any Hindu temple and you’ll find gods and goddesses alike bedecked in jewellery. On the surface level, the adornments depict the prosperity of the community, but each piece of jewellery with scriptural relevance has a much deeper meaning. From showcasing the personality of the goddess to signifying Shringara, done to make everyone feel happy and hopeful, symbolic of the deity’s love and dedication towards their devotees, to signifying utmost purity and the establishment of god as the centre of the temple- which is symbolic to the universe.
Each metal from gold to silver, and each gem has a specific meaning from heavy jewellery to simple adornments; everything says something about the incarnation of the goddess.
The Image Of Life
If one stands for a moment or two in front of the Ambe Mata’s idol in Surat’s Ambaji Mandir, the sheer strength of the lifelike eyes, the spiritual connection, and the light smile of the Goddess might bring tears to your eyes. It could be the balance of delicate and powerful jewellery the goddess is adorned with. With light face jewellery that doesn’t take attention away from the eyes, a heavy necklace, crown, and bangles, and a different symbolic element in each of her eight hands the goddess personifies balance and serenity, much like a mother, in line with her name Amba or Jagadamba. The jewellery also symbolises power. Ambe mata reincarnated to kill Mahisasura and restore peace in the world, much like a mother’s strength to put everything in order, and her adornments reflect that.
Image Source: Twitter
New Beginnings And Creativity With Pearls
Associated with arts, creativity, and music Goddess Saraswati signifies creation and peace. Much in tune with her persona, her jewellery is also subtle and calming. She is adorned with pearl earrings, necklaces, bangles, and a pearl string in her hand. As the goddess isn’t much involved in worldly things her simple jewellery reflects that. Pearls are also a symbol of faith, innocence, and inner wisdom much like the goddess. Apart from pearls, another essential element associated with the goddess is emeralds, symbolic of wisdom and intellect. So much so that students in India are advised to wear emeralds to improve memory and concentration.
Goddess Shailputri, the goddess worshipped on the first day of Navratri, also dons all-white clothes, white flowers, and minimalistic jewellery. The combination of white clothes and minimalistic jewellery can also be considered as a symbol of new beginnings, much like the goddess Shailputri who is worshipped for being auspicious and a giver of good fortune. She also dons a crescent moon on her forehead, which is a symbol of powerful feminine energy. This is in tune with the fact that the consort of the moon or Goddess Rohini also dons minimal jewellery and white clothes. This in turn also reflects how minimalist jewellery has been associated with elegance and femininity for ages.
Image Source: Healing In The Willows and India.com
On the other hand, the image of goddesses who are known to have lived in human forms like Radha and Sita (especially during the time goddess Sita accompanied lord Rama on his exile) were mostly decked in flower jewellery alongside simple gold bangles and golden jhumkas. Flowers are known to be a popular form of jewellery among goddesses, as they add an instant touch of beauty. This is in sync with the popularity of modern floral jewellery known for its elaborate yet simplistic touch.
Image Source: VedicFeed and Wikipedia
The Golden Representation Of Abundance
Now, if one looks further into goddesses and their jewellery, versatility has always been the norm. For every representation of minimalism, there’s also one for maximalism. The goddess of abundance or goddess Lakshmi is adorned with delicate but stacked gold ornaments from head to toe. A glorious crown, multiple necklaces, golden earrings, a Kamar bandh and golden bangles are her most prominent adornments. She is seen surrounded by gold in a red attire in most of her imagery, marking gold and bright red clothes as a symbol of prosperity and decoration. As goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of material fulfilment and contentment and is worshipped for power, prosperity, and beauty, adornments like long flowing necklaces and gold kadas are seen as a sign of power and prosperity.
Image Source: TemplePurohit
Now, elaborate jewellery creates an entirely different effect on Skandamata or the mother goddess. She dons a choker necklace made of gold and red gemstones, kadas in a similar set, delicate jhumkas, and multiple delicate gold rings. A picture of beauty Skandamata worshipped on the fifth day of Navratri has a gentle loving aura.
Image Source: Odisha Bhaskar English
Jewellery has been associated with femininity and beauty for ages, and if we take a cue from Hindu goddesses and their jewellery we can also understand how jewellery can form personas, draw attention to the face, and change the look of a similar attire entirely. It is also symbolic that jewellery has deep emotional meaning, and can be used to depict everything from kindness to unmatched power.
Ad
