Spiritual Meaning Of Mangal Sutra, Bindi and Bangles,etc (Sola Shringar)

Sola Shringar: Much more than just beauty

The 16 adornments worn by a married Hindu lady, especially in north India, do not merely add to her beauty but have deep significance in her empowerment and well-being as she stands on the threshold of a new life...the bride first wears a red sari, or lehenga or salwar kameez, with variants in maroon or pink also allowed.

1. Keshapasharachana

Keshapasharachana means rachna or arrangement of kesh or hair. After an auspicious oil bath, the hair of the bride is adorned with flowers and jewelry. If the hair is long, it is pleated and adorned with jewellery for every pleat.

2. Maang-Tikka

Maang-Tikka is a jewellery especially designed for the maang, or the sacred parting of the hair, usually made of gold, silver and precious stones. The bridegroom puts sindoor over this maang tikka, therefore this becomes the cynosure of all eyes during a traditional wedding.

3. Sindoor

Sindoor is vermillion, a red coloured powder which is regarded as being an extremely auspicious symbol of what it means to be a bride - someone who from this day onwards will be married to a man who will take care of her, and in turn, she will take care of him. A sindoor is the symbol of suhaag because by wearing it, a woman ensures the longevity of her husband.

4. Bindi

While the sindoor is put in the parting in the hair, the bindi is placed in the middle of the forehead. This is just as much a symbol of marriage as the sindoor. A vacant forehead is a no-no in traditional families. It is also made of vemillion, but modern varieties are allowed.

5. Kajal

Kajal is a black eyeliner meant to accentuate the eyes of a woman. Traditionally, kajal was prepared from the soot of a diya or earthen lamp.

6. Nath

Nath is the nose ring, which is meant to bring focus to another crucial part of a woman's face. A nose ring consists of clusters of pearls or other gems, including diamonds, and usually worn on the left nostril.

7. Jhumka

Earrings for a bride come in the form of karnphool or jhoomars, which are heavier than normal earrings. In Kashmir, they have a tradition of wearing an ear jewellery called the dejaharu, where the earrings are on gold tassels strung on a sacred thread that passes through the middle ear cartilage.

8. Mangal Sutra

While many necklaces form part of weddings, the Mangal Sutra reigns supreme. It is made of gold and black beads and seal the union of a man and a woman in holy matrimony.

9. Baajuband

Armbands or baajuband are armlets worn on the upper arm, made of gold and set with pearls or diamonds, and a tradition of Rajasthani weddings.

10. Choodiyan

Choodiyan comprises bangles and bracelets. There are regions where bangles are such an important symbol of marriage that even glass bangles have to be necessarily worn if not gold ones. Bangles come in various material, more the fun for the lady in question, as she can have great fun picking and choosing. From the Bengali ivory-red-gold, called shaka-pola-loha, to the Punjabi chooras, from green and red glass bangles to the traditional gold, the variety is endless. There is a legend that says brides were asked to wear all these bangles because as newlyweds, they were not supposed to do household chores.

11. Mehndi

Mehndi or henna is used in intricate designs on the hands and feet of a bride, symbolising love. The redder the colour, the deeper the bond of love between the couple. In fact, a day is set aside for the application of mehendi for the bride and her friends.

12. Hathphool

Hathphool, literally meaning flowers of the hand, comprises eight rings on both hands, attached with a central flower or medallion that covers the upper part of the hand. In a hathphool, three chains pass to a bracelet and five to each of the fingers where they are secured by finger rings. In some cases, the left hand thumb ring may contain a mirror, known as aarsi.

13. Aarsi

Aarsi is a ring worn by a bride on her thumb. It has a mirror embedded in it and enables the bride to have a glimpse of herself as well as her life-partner because during wedding rituals, traditionally, the bride has a veil and cannot see face of her husband. Great strategy, do you not think? Also brings to mind the saying, haath kangan ko aarsi kya...

14. Kamarband

Kamarband or waistband is a beautifully designed gold or silver belt worn around the waist of the bride. The belt not only enhances the patli kamar of a bride but also helps hold th heavy wedding sari in place.

15. Payal or pajeb

Payal means the anklet, usually a chain of silver in clusters worn on both feet, which add beauty as well as create a pleasant sound as the bride walks around her new home.

16. Bichua

Bichua is the toe ring worn by a bride. It is usually worn on the second toe of the left feet. Being an important symbol of marriage, it is never taken off.

The beauty treatment and the bridal make-up is done with the purest forms of herbs, real gold, conch, silver, pearl powder etc. the brides must look very beautiful and gorgeous.