1 0 ^

IV

PERSONAL ORNAMENTS

Passion for personal ation and

decoiation «»xist©d in ev»»ry society and the

Indians perhaps had greatest lov^ for it,

Thou/^h actual sprclraens th-. t have survived

are scarce the plcStic represent, at ions of

ornaments are Innumerable* i>o also are the

references in literature. The earliest knovm

examples are reported from Harappa wher#" a

lar^e hourd of jewellery was found in thr

course of excavations. All the objects in this

hofcrd arr of ?olci nd their discovery in

association with a few ch«arcoiil pieces is

indicative of the find-spot beln/? a jeweller’ s

1
workshop. Similarly at Lothal (Oujret),

another Harappan site, verf^ found over a

2
hundred thousand tiny beads of gold. Of the

1 , ARASI. 192^1-2*?, pp,76 ff,

2, Rao, S.R, »T1ie Kxcavations at Lothal*,
Lalit Kala^;^p*;?^7. fis;.30.
 109

Intrr period, t\m only site which d#»»ervf»8 speclsl

mfjntlon Is Taxlla whfr#> a good number of oma-

mpnta were found*

Literary r' fer-^cea to pi»rsonal omamrnts

are abound!ng. But only a fpw texta glvp

«dequat<? deacrlptlons. Of these,the -rost

laportant and vaiuabl«> la the iirthasastra which

not only deacrlbee a numb««r of omsmwits but also

the tfchnlcal procespes involved in their ntsnu-

facture, mich as soldering, gilding and setting

of Jewels etc. alon-; ^It the mate lals required.

The lore of Indians for ornanients can be

said to be almost proverbial,for the. for-^l/.-ners

have m^ue a special mention of it. Yuan Chwang

states that "Garlands and tiaras with pr^'cloiJi

stones are their head ornaments and their bodies

arf adorned with rin .s, bracelets and necklaces,

^fealthy, mercantile people have only bracelets.

They bore their #*ars • • • iiuch are they in their

2
outward appearance".
The wall-pelntinfs at AJanta ll'UStrat?* an

1. Ch. XI,
2, Watters, o:),cit. . Vol,I, P#151*
 1?0

«>nol(>8B variety of ornammts and the colours

/
glvr ' US &n Idea of precious matprials that

were used in their making. The orniiments ax?

follows *

ne&d^ornagir-nts fmaatak<»aobhanas)

Headoornanents are of r;.re occurrence in the

I

earlier group of paintin 8• Only in one esse we

find the Naga queon in Cave X wearing a jewelled

strip in the parting line of her hair.

In the later f;roup of paintings ornarw^nts

in the parting!: line of hair (simanta) are quite

co«f on. They usually consist of a string of

brads or pearls or even jewels {P1,XII ,19),

depending on the status of the wearer, l^je

string somf^tiBK's h a s a drop pendant iViavantara

Jat ka, XVii) or pearl tassels (P I ,X II, 6), In

some c a s e s a big jewel (FI,1IZ,4} somrtiffl'^s

crowned with a geo-set triangular cr^^st is se-'n

(Palace Scene, XVII),

The forohead ornaments are shown worn usually

by womon, but men k I so soibc' timers wear then

(P l ,i l l l ,1 2 ), They have a high antiquity in

 rn

India* The of a Harappan prleat Is shown

fig u rin t'
1
wf>arin, a foTf'heiid jewel Inset, in a silken bsnd.

Forehead jev^els ar^ to be found in the ikin^a, \^e.

f _
SStavahana anci the KushiZna art and are com. on

even In the Oupta-Vakitaka period, ihey are

variously r ~ferred to as the airnanta-chudamanl

or the chatula-tilc;kai>.onl which is possibly the

ft •

forehead jew«l. They are- also mentioned in

2
epif^aphs. The disc p^-ndants (Palace Scene,a 7 H ;

Chaapeya Jataka.I) apr;ear to be the ialatika

type of ornanK'nts. ;*’e learn from Bana that the

king Bhaakaravanaan presented r ’ ch forehead jpwrls

k
( chintanani) to Harsa« Such head orna'#^nts ar*'

in usp ev«n today in some parte of the country,

more particularly in the northern Indie wher

they ar<^ known as bind!.

1. Marshall. [Link] and the Indus Civiliza-

tion. [Link], [Link]\im ~

2, Cn, 1 1 1,(3 ^), p .1 6 % Text, p.l65.

3, [Link]. p,155.
Agraval , o .c it , , J I , Vol*X, I960, p.l02.
 72

Forehead aarks (Tilaka)

Of th« larp;<> number of wompn r«‘prP8f»nt<»d at

AJanta only a f«*w have put a forf^head mark

(tllaka). In th« earlier prriod also a fpw

ladies (Shaddanta Jataka, X) have tllaka which

looks aore like an ornamental raetal disc. Such

discs arf* more promln<»nt in early sculptures.

In the later group of paintings the disc Is

replaced by a rfd coloured m .rk (Zrandatl in the

Vldura Pandita Jataka, XI; some ladies in the

Mahajanaka Jiitaka, I ) .

The tllak.i ^thus ,1 s not comnion ev'^n in the

later group of paintings. From this it can be

inferred that it was not fm solute necessity.

It also shows that the tilbka had not as&umed thn

auspicious character that is attached to it today

in the Hindu society. This is amply borne out

by the religious texts as well. Dr, P,V, Kan'^,

aftpr exaralning many literary p^ssap#»s, concludes

thiit the tilaka mark on the forehe:nd was not an

absolute necessity, a sine quti^-ion in case of
 173

all marrird women husbands wer<^ living;

It was rather Intended to set off the chaims of

1
young ladies*

The tilaka appears to have become an absolute

necesi^ity of a married Hindu *wman whose husbnnd

was living, 8omf?time In trhe 7th-J?th Cent,

when the auspicious character was also possibly

attach<sd to it as is sugj'ested by epigraphical

2
f>vidence.

Ear OzTiHments ( Karn s-bhusanas)

Almost each and ©very individual in th?*

fBurals is S'^.own wearln“ ear ornaments, ^'■n

thou;:h the paintlno-s of the earlier period ^re

considerably damaged therp are still so^r.t^ types

of ar ornaments preserved in them. These, along

with thosf" represented in the later group of

paintint;8, offer a very govd opportunity to study

the changes in their shapes etc.

1. »Tliaka Merk». JHBKaS . (N .S .), Vol,21, 1945,

2, G a i,0 ,S ,, »A Hote on Tilaka and ftjsnkana*,

BDCHI. Vol,20, p,301.
 j?4

I# Ring

t
1. A simple ring, probably of >^ld; it occurs

in th^ •arll«r and the later p«rlod as well.

A big ring is warn by a la<iy in Caye

(P l .I V I .l ),
Sinil«r ear-rings of gold ar»
/ 1
reported fro« ancient sites, !Riey ar»^ used

presently in many parts of the country and

ar<p called ball. The nbmp is obviously

derived from the Sanskrit bSllka,

2. ^ ring %dth a pearl or pearls attached to

it^ On^* iwch ring having a clust«'i of three

pearls (P I,X V I,2 ), is worn by a king

(Kahajanak«» Jataka, I)* It is akin to that

from a hoard of jewellery found at Tor-Dher

{N,W*K,P.) wiiich is referrable to C, lst-2nd

2
Cent, A«0«

3. A ring with a cluster of pearls attached to

it (Palace Scene, 1 ).

1. AfenSI. 1905-06, p .129, fls.3 c,

2. Marshall, •Buddhist Qold Jewellery*, AkASI.
1902-03, [Link].
4* A ring fjrinpwl v4th p#‘arls { 1*XVI,3) is

worn by a king (Court Scene, X?II) end by a

qu«fn in Cave I I , T.’iia Cot^a not appear to b«»

a coBTion typp but ae- ms to have continued for

a long tine till 10th Cant, a,D . it

occura in aoro^ Jain [Link]«» p*»i''tinca from

Weat«>m India,

5* A ring inar>t with either pearls or Jf'wela

(f>[Link],4) is worn by a Ne a qu« n (XVI),

6, A ring fringed with projecting .oopa rpsem-

bling th» 3un-pattei-n (P1#XVI,5),

Th<» ring-type ear omaTrrnta ar*' possi' ly

V

the kund^ilas which ar« so frequently r<"ferred to

• •

in liter tur* along w’th its jewelled variety

( retm. »kundal^).
• •

I I , ftinr, with pencant

1, An ear-rin^ wit tv/o taasels; it is worn by

aen and women aa well! Pi,XVI

1, l-'oti Chandra, Jain Miniature Fal.^tia s from

Aeatern India. p,1^7.
 1?6

2# A ring with a cluatf^r of pearls ^rom whteh ar«

susp^nced two tfidsels (P1#1VI,7); It is worn

by » kinnar& (II)*

3, A ring with two ball pendants (P I,X V I,3}; it

is worn by wofirn only (Mahajanaka Jatak^, I ;

Palace 3cen«>, I ) . This type uoes not ap^.ear

In the early/ period and it is,t erefore^

Inceroating to noto that striki gly simil r

ornaments wpre very muc^ in vogue in the

lm;jerial Hom^in provinces. It has been

identified with the erotalia of Pliny and is

found at Pompeii, Moreover, similar ornam<*nts

ar^ worn by some of he sculptured f^imale

n ur<s from Palmyra whcr* It is said to ^ave

come from the Parthian city of 'oura Europos

{Syria), The Parthians, alro had <»st bllsh^'d

their settle»nents on the Western co-st of

3
India might hi've [Link] intr^duceci this tyoe

1, Marshall ,F.H , , Catalo^?;ue of Jewellery in the

ritish f useum - Crre<^k. ^ti*uscen and Soman.
p:5T.',"[Link]'i', .[Link]??'.----------
2, Mackay, D ,, ’ Jewellery of Palmyra and Its
Si;3niflcance», Iraq. V ol,lI, 1 % 9 , pp,171-72,
fig ,2 c-d,
3, i>'oti Chandra, Qeogi aphlc..I and T^conornic Studi s
in t^se Wal’iSbMirata. llie Up*Sly^na Parva. p,16^.
 IV?

In India,

4* A ring with two pparl acroll pendants

(P I.X V I,9) is worn by a mi-.n in the »Nftlaglri

Story* (XVII). Another variety has thre#*

pftarl scrolls with drop pendants (Pl« XVI,10)«

It Is worn by a m«rch nt-prlric*^ bringing

offerings to Vajrapani ( I ) .

5« A ring with two curved pencanta (P1«XVI,11),

6« A ring with a smi-circular p^nda>.t from

»diich thr^*e tasrnls arr «uap»»nded, (PI,XV I,12),

7, A rlns with a rectangular p<»n ant studded with

gems or pearls {P1,X>^I,13),

A rini5 vdth a trefoil, gem-set pendant

(P 1 .X V I ,U ),

9, A ring with a pearl at the Laae to %ifhich is

attachrd a drop pendant flanked by diaiH .nds

([Link],15).
10, A minist»r (Hawsa Jataka, XVII) wrars a rin^

•rtith a pointed pendant (P I,X V I,16),

11* A ring frirv>pd vlth small jewf^ls and having a

oup*8h.’<ped p«ndant to ii^lch is attach«d a bi£

pearl at th#» base. (P 1,X ?I,17).

/
12• A man in tho Sankhapala Jataka (1) Wf^ars a

rln^- with a Taa« p4^nd nt surmount(»d by a hf'mi-

spherical top {P1.X?I,1^).

^ r omam^ntB with vase pendants have ber^n

1
found at Taxila* Xhejr are sale to be esse^ntial*

ly hav^wide distribution in the hellenistic

provinces during the Znd-lst Cent.S.C, The

Aj^nta specimen may, therefor*, be said to be a

simplified imitation >f the exquisite

Hellenistic proto-type*

13, A ring with a lotus>bud penuant (P1,IVI,19)

is worn by a child (Mahauiaag ^a Jetaka, XVI),

Another variety has a lotus flower pendant %[Link]

a Jew<»l in the centre (PI,X V I,20 and ?1), These

oz*na-nrfits can easily be identified &s the

1 , f^arshall, op»cit. . V o [Link], P I ,190, a 4 c.

2, Higfins, & ,A ,, Greek and Ronuin Jew liery.

p ,l ^ , 0,
 IM
1
kernotpfile which is frequently referred to by

ancl<»nt poets. The tyj>e, ;owover, occurs evon In

th«» early period as Is testified to by Its

2
representation in the iharhut reliefs* It

appears to be a survival of the prlnitive custom

of adorning the ears with fiov/rra. Even in the

sopMstleat'-d society of the Gupta afr,e people

wor<^ flowers In their ears »<d!lch are praised by

fincient poets* But the actual flowei s v<.lther

in no time nd hence their co|?lf'B in costly

materials. It may be incidentally raentloned that

many tribes even todey adorn their ears wi n

flowers,

H , Ihe *Black i'rincess* (I) wears an ear orna­

ment consisting of a ring and a pear«ahap<»d pendant

with ^rojectin, loops on its sides (F1,1V1,2?),

Alie ear ornaments described above presumably

consist of a ring-wtth-pendant as is discerned from

th^^lr out-line in the painted illustrations. As such

they constitute a n^“W type which c«rf' in vo<3;ue in the

Gupta-Vakataka period, Soirie of the rings RU'y actually

I , Agravalu, t^arsacharita. p .155*

2, Ganfuly,K,K,, ’ Jewel ery in Ancient India’ , J I ^ ,
Vol.^X, 1942, p,300.
 180

be disci. In this connection it Is Interostlng to

note thit the »dlac»with»pencant» type was vi»ry

cownon In the aon*&n world. It Is howpver cl H i cult.

In th» pr^^s^nt statp of our knowledge to infer any

tor^t zn influence on this type,

III. Use.

^*h« disc ty © is perhaps the coarnonpst not

only at Ajante but also elao elsewherf' in th# Gur'ta

aat. It was worn by p«'opl^‘ of all classes. The

discs werp plain and decorated as well.

1, A plain disc of medium thickness (Pl,vVl, 2 3 )*

8on«‘tinf‘8 two or three such discs aro also worn

by persona depicted in the early palntlnrs. In

the later period, we cone acroan « cluster of

three small dines worn horizontally (litippy Pair,I)

(F [Link] I,2 4 ).
X

2, A disc with a jpwpl in the centre (P I.X V I,25),

3, A disc bearing lotus-shaped decoration

tP l,iV I,26 ).

1, H l^an s, [Link], . p ,1 6 6 ,f i g . a Gj p .l«5 ,fi? .5 4

C and Q.
 1 8 ’

U* A disc with a ros<»tte-snapf'd df'coration,

probably in relief, (PI.X VI,27).

Thp disc-ahapFd ear ornaraenta, though coinnon

in tht later period, UKke their advent even in

the «flrly period, aa i» suggested by th^ir

1
illustretions in the Mathura art. It is

Idifficult to say anythin^i; rfgai-din - thf'ir aaterlal

from thp graphic r»rpr«»®pntstion8. But fron thp>

ercharological evidence it can be ssio that they

were made mostly of s'^mi-preclous stones such as

j88p»»r of dif^er^nt colours, crystal etc* On the

basis of stratij-raphic evi«-;ence they ^re assigned

to the early historic period. Further, learn

2
from Arrian that thry were of ivory as w ^ H ,

Such discs have been found in good nunbers in

many parts of the countly and till now they were

taken to be weifrhts, ut the r^c^nt discovery

of a Jasper disc with .TOld plate and decorated

with floral repousse pattern, at Prabhas Patan,

h..;s established beyohd doubt th.^t such die s

werf* used as ear-ornam<^^^nts. It is interesting;

1, Voiel, [Link].> PI,XVI, b.

2, ^>«ju«dar, [Link], . p.23l*

3, lAK. 1956-57, p .17.

 1

th -t the Prsbhas Patan «: eclrB#*n is strikingly

alrrilar to the on^ froaj Ajc^ta {[Link],27)*

Such discs soBetiwps decorated with

enamolled ornam«>nt as is ftviuent from some

sp-^cimf'ns of the Gupta period in th? Cleveland

luseum of Art and th© Victoria nnd Albert Niusc'um,

1
London*
An ear omam ntc called t&tanka»chakra is

frequently ®entionc»d in ancient literatur*'. Its

VAry name is Indicative of its sha. er'. It may,

ther«forf, be similar to the specimens described

above, Thf> disc «ust have been very heavy to

wear, but we find that somr tribal women wear

such heavy discs even today,

5, The e-dT ornament worn by Vajrapirni (I) is

perhai/B the finrst of its class. Its details

cannot be Bade out froa the painting, but it

sef'Bis vO be of the disc-\«lth-ppndant clasci. It

1 , Se«= Ooet*, o : .r lt «. Kasfc and Wost.

Vol.10, [Link]
 83

consiata of * thin .^old disc^ frlngrd with pearls

or jewels and is lavishly ornsmmted with prarl

tas0«la, v^ich, on th* sides^ ausp^nded

hook (Pi.X V I,4?).

iypoloc:icany, th«» appcimen is not far removed

from thosp found at Tsxila which, according to

1
M&rahall, ar«^ essentially Greek in design*

IV* Crescent

1. A crescentic ear omfiment (P I,X V I,2“*) is worn

by many people depicted in the early paintings*

Exactly similar gold ornarawits have bj^en unearth-

2
ed at T&xlla, i<^ile some terracotta speciai^’ ns of

this variety, datable to the ffstavahsna period

3
have been found at Tar,

ilie crescentic ear ornament can be identified

as th«> wystakundala and the same is veiy

flrequently depict«^d in the SStarahana art,

1, [Link]. . V o l,II,p .624; V o l,III,P l,l9 0 d a d f,

2, Marshall, [Link]«. V o l,III, Pl,191» g*

3, These are in the coll»=^ction of Sri R.K. Lamture

at Ter (Haharashtra),
 184

2* A crescent vith a p«arl pendant (Soyal Party,X)}

8om«tlnes it has a double prarl panuant

{P1,XVI,?9), Thla typ<* la very rar© in tbff

later periou and there is only one e araple of

thifi typ« in the later group of pointings

(VisVftntara Jatska, XVII).

3, A crescent vdth a double-disc pfiidant

(P I,A V I,30) i? worn by a nun (Vidura Pandlta

Jataka, I I ) ,

The crescontic kund^laa. thoue;h very much

in vogue in the early period, arr of r re

occurrence in the later period,

V, 3cmi«»circular

1 , A s€[Link] piece of wirr; it reaen'bles &

ring with a flattened base (P I,X V I,31), It is

worn by kinga (Court Scene, X n i and I I ) ,

2, Same a« Ij with a ameller but similar pendant

(P I,X V I,32), It ia worn by a king ( irth of

Buddha, I I ) ,

3, Same as 1; it haa a double-ring fendant,

(P I,X V I,33 ), It is worn by a man (31rth of

Buddha, I I ) ,
 185

4« A 8i»nl»ctrcular eiir-omarornt h<*ving thr««

drop pendants with pointed e^nds (Palace

Scpn©,XVli;. (P I.X V I,34). It can b** identi­

fied with the trik^mtako, ornsj??<?nt m<»iitlon«d

---p-1--
in the Harsfucharita.

Xhe»e 8<wi-circular ornanpnta do not occur

in the e**rli©r p^^rioc and can ther'^foro be

takrn to be tn in ovation o f th e la te r neriod,

V I. PearlB no Jewels

1, A big pearl or gfm (Votfiries, X ) ; sometimes

two such praxis ar^ worn ( P I , X V I , 3 5 ) , It is

cv
worn by^king (Eoyal Party,!), This type,

however , is co fined to the early period,

2« A p rincess ( I I ) wears a gadrooned be&d in

her ea rs ,

3, A big pp^arl or em, fr iig ^ d >^ith smwll pearls

( P I ,X V I ,3 6 ) , It is Korn by a king (Birth of

Bud h a , I I ) and a queen (Palace S c e n e ,I ) .

Tlie ornarjent is v*"ry similar to the kudi

which is presently used by Mahsrashtrinn

ladles, fhe latter coosists of pearls s«»t on

a i^old disc.
" ■ ■ ■ ^ —

1, Agravalr, op,cit., p,21.

 IRfi

4« A eluater of three pe&rle with two pearl tassels*

(P1,XVI,37), It Is worn by & prince (KSlaglri

Story, XVII), Thla type beara f ^ i l y reaemblance

to thsit in vogue in [Link] Imperial Honan provincte

and Syria in the 3rd Cent,A*D,

5, A cluster of fbur pearls ith thr^e tassels;

the central tas^'el has a bdll pendant (Vidura

?andita Jataka, I I ) . ( P l ,X n ,3 8 ) .
• •

71, Cylindrical

Ihere are only a few exa«; le-s of cylindrical

ear omainf'nts v^ich appear only in t h r earlier grmip

of paintings and do not occur at all in the lat^r

periofJ ,

1 , A cylindrical ear-ornai^ant which, in some cases,

is provided with a curved attachmrnt for

suspension (P1«XV1,39),

2, Similar to lio,l; it h s in ad^tion a disc-shaped

p-^nrfant sdorned ith a Jewel in the centre v*»ich is

1. Hig-ins, [Link].. pp,lf!5-<6, fig.30,

 187 .

frln§^ed by smaller Jewels ([Link],40), It is

worn by a nu«?m (Votarl<!»s, X)*

The type is very coamon in early Indian art.

It appears to have b«pn derived from the

primitive habit of edomin^ ear with a piece of

wood or tree lesves. A small strip of tinted

palm*leaf (tsla-pstra) was the simplest omapt«>nt

JL

in ancient times. It was probably copi<^d in

costly mrtterials in the lator p«^'riod nd used

as an ear*oni£un< nt trtiich would not have be?^n

veiy differ'tit from that described abovp.

It cm,thereforp,be Idenwiried as the patrl*

nkura ri^ferred to by ancic'nt writers,

V II. S.^uare

Ear-ornamrnts, square in shape «nd with a wir'

for suspension,occur only in the f»orller group of

paintings. They are also ornamented wit a crntrel

j«wel ( P I . x n , u ) .

1, Some of the lower clashes in South India even

today we^^r actual palm-leaf scrolls in their
eari.
 RR

Thf» ty;>e in question occurs only In the «arly

period and is widely represented in the Kushans and\R«-

/
S&t&vahana sit. The ornament is sufficiently Isrrre

to covcr the ear-lobe completely and h noe it has

1
b«'n identified as -------
kaim--vr>8t:.na
5---------- ---------- by Sivaramamurti

while Dr. A^ravela takes them to be the mrnHe-

kuiidalas.

The e r ornaments described ao far wero worn

in the lower lobe of the ear, ThPre ar^, however,

a few illustrations of ornassents worn in the U|>|>e»^

lobe of thr e&r,

(1) A plain ring (P [Link] I,43 ).

(2) A ring fringed with pearls (P1*XVI,4/;),

(3) A ring f*ing*'>d with pearls in the upper half

and having three tas ®ls in the lower half

(P l ,m ,4 5 ).
(4) A se«nl«ci: cular orn«i«ent with three pearls

at the base ( P l , x n , l ) ,

1 , .4m/:>ravati Sculpture3 1 P* 109«

2, *Ki»Uiura Terracottas*. JUPHS, Vol* IX, No,2,
PP. 16 and 19; P I .I I , H g .6 , Fl.I7,fi^.l3.
 The fashion of wearing ornammts in tht*

up_er lobe of par is conspicuously abs'^nt In thi^

earli«>r perioo and a a such appeara to b^ an

inrovation of vhe Gupta age. However, it dO(»s not

appffiT to be coBPjon «ven in the later period,

idterary refer-nce» to such orni^u.f»nt8 ar

also r&re. The aVsvanavatarasa irtiich is areferred

to in the H&raacharita. was, accordir^ to i)r,A;*ravala,

meant to be worn in the upper lobe of the ear. Till

very lately the Karath^s also used to wear a ring

in the upper lobe of the ear. It w a known hb

ball, ti^lch name is obviously derived fToa! Sk,

ballka.

The study of e»r ornam#»nt8 thus aakes it clear

that the hea-ier types, such as tabular and rect­

angular, become outmoded in the later period when a

variety of new types such as rin s, discs etc,

comes into vogue. The latter are al? o adorned with

pend<^nts. Besides, the upper lobe of the e«r also

receives attention and begins to be adorned. Some

of the new typ a of the later period have close

1* [Link],. p.47*
 150

parallels In th« west and hehc© their Influwice on

the former Is difficult to deny, Howpvnr, it can

be said that some of thpm wistt have b# n «»vr)lvi?d

wit in th© country itsplf.

Neck Ornaments

There is an amazing variety of neck omarernts

not only in the later group of paintings,sut In the

earlier '<roup as well. This is all the more help,

ful for stuG^lng the changes in fashions of the two

periods. As the necklaces of the early pf^rlod differ

from those of the later period stylistically,it

would be conTenirnt to deal with the former first,

1, A single string of beads or pearls la wox*n by a

palace maid and a Temple musician (Sh&ddnnta

Jataka, X ), Somrtimrs it has e rosette prndant

{ 1 , XVI,46), Necklaces of twa or tnor«^ such

strlnr.s |Pl,XVI,/»7) with rosf'tte pendants srr

also rfprespnted (^hadoanta J taka, X),

2. A necklace consisting of a number of strings of

bea s rith two sqii^sh spacers ^is

is a very com- on type which ii w^li represented
 19! ■

In (fcfrly In» ic.n ax^i. Spacers of lapis la;:ull,

similar to t o • in this typfi^ar-- found in

i

thp SStavah:»n« l<»vels in'th^ recciin«

Th« nPCklvAC© in qu stion c;n bp 1 pntifird

as a phblika»hara because of its slab-:ik«»-

sp^cers.

3* A npcklc^ce of multiple strin:# with thrc«»‘

rosette-shaped spacers (P1,I\^1,49), This is

probably the trlphalaka typr which is r ferrec:

to by Kautilya,

4* Similar to 3, but vlth five gem-set rosette

[Link] rs* It may b« taken to bo the pancha-

phalaka ▼ari- ty, vAich, as fxplainod by

Xautilya has five geras, set with fivf* gold

2
Iravps forming their basei

5, gold plaited chain ( P l . x m , 1 )‘, it is worn

by a minister (3h danta Javaka,!), Similar

ch’ in assigned to 1st C^nt, A,D, has b^<~n

3
reported from Taxila,

1, ftrthaaaatra. p*77.
2, Ibid.
3, Marshall, op«cit, . Vol*Il, p»62$, P I,19’’ , g#
 192

A majority of the necklaces depicted in the

later group of pairtings ar^' elaborati?ly j^wj^llrd; yet

simple and modest speciraena ar'> also not wanting,

As will be se< n below they arp absolutely different

in character and orn&nentation from the earil«»r

varieties,

Thread H<^ckl->ces

1, Some people are i^own wei«rlng a thread necklace

like the present it has soraetlmea a

tubular bead woven into it ,

2, A simple thread necklace with a disc pend&nt

frln?;ed ith pearls (P I,X V II,2) Is worn by some

ladles (Vlsv^mtara Jataka, X ?II); In some

cases (Hansa Jataka, XVII} the pendant is

rossette shaped and Is Inlaid with Jewell.

Similar necklaces are worn by flgu rrs ^

I sculptured In the -Supta temple at i eogsrh,

«

llje propriety of wearing thread necklaces can

very well be understood I f we ar" told that they

2
were scented with perfumes. They m l^ t also be

1, Vats, [Link], . P I , m m . 39.

2, Jatakas, [Link], tio,S46, p,161
 193

having sorae auspicious or raystic characterf as is th«

case today.

Pearl Hpckloc^s - Sinfrle-.3trlng^d {Ekavall)

A majority of th« npck ornaments consist of

peaxl nrckl«ces,

1 , A single pearl string neckluc© is the coramonest

type in the Idter p€'rlod. It is obviously the

ekavflli which is frequently referred to In

lltrrature,

2, An ekavall haring pearls of gradually decreasing

9

sixe with one [Link] in the centrr, {[Link],3),

fhls is possibly the pr^..kai?<i<atka variety of the

Arthai/astrs,

3, An ekavall with a long cylindrical bead in the

centre vrfilch is"" usually blue. It is probably of

lapis lazuli or In some cases sapphire. This

central bead is appropriately rrferred to aa

the nayakamani ( P I,X V II,4 )• This type answers

well to the yssti variety of the <tf»thasaatra.

• •

1* P* 76,
2. P.77*
 19 4

It is api'ar«*nt that thi» ekovall «»njoyed

[Link] popularity during th<? 3upta«Vakstaka

p#rlod. Howeverj it has its befi;inning in the

early period (See M .X V I ,46).

Necklaces of iBultlple pearl etrin,?;s

Necklaces composed o f a number of prai'l strin.-^s

(h5€.usually se«"n worn by people belonging to the

higher de sse s,

!♦ A necklace of multiple p^arl-strin^js (?[Link],5)^

in many cases the pearl strings ar twisted Into

a rope pattern ([Link],6},

2. Similar to above but with an oblong pendant^ The

pearl strings e rr secured in a hook ([Link],?).

It is worn by a palace maid in the Ch's' peye

Jataka ( I ) .

3, A hire consistln«r of a large number of pearl

si/rin^s; It covers the ii^iole c h e s t * ( P I ,X V I I ,,

It is probably the Indrachch^anda type of the

Arthas^ftstxa which is said to have bem composed

1. P. 76,
 ' 1S5

of 100^ strings. It Is also significant that

this hara is represented only once and that it

is worn by Indra (Birth of Buddha, I I ) ,

4, A pearl necklace with a rosette pendant and

similar spacers; it is also adorned with pearl

festoons and tassels (P I,X V II,9)*

5, A pearl necklace with a lozenge-shaped, gfjn-set,

pendant from which are suspp^nded pearl festoons

and tassels. (P1,X V II,10),

6, A pparl necklace vith an oval, g«B-set pendant

and having p^arl festoons and tassels (PI.X V II,11),

7* Similar to the preceding specimen; it has a

beautiful, heart-shaped^gem-studded pendant

(P l ,i V II,l 2 ), It is worn by a king (Palace Scene,I),

Vajrapani (I) wears a peai1 necklace having a

rectangular, grm-set pendant with pf^arl festoons

and tassels. He also weais a long hara composed •

of a nunber of pparl strings twisted into a

rope pattern. It is ioentlfied with the

^eSahara worn by Harsa^ PL,x v h /5 ) .

1, Agravala, [Link],, p,/f6.

 1<]6

Chains

There ar«» only two gODd llluatrations of

chains, probably of ^ I d * On« is «act« of

r<*’Ctangul»r pieces ( P I •X V I I ,H ) , It is worn by

the merchant prince near Vajrapanl ( I ) , The

oth«r chain ismsde of circul;;r pipces

(P I,X V II,1 5), It is worn by a king (Paluce

Scene,I),

Oold chains are referred to as hemasutias

by Kalidasa, However, they also huve a pr clous

stone in the centre.

String of beacs (tnaqimala)

Some ladies shown wearing strinrs of

2
beads, sphei leal and gadrooned alternately,

(Votaries,II), A king (Palace Scene,I) wears a

string of rectangular beaos (P1,X V II,16), A

number of such gold heads have been found in a

3
megalith at Brahma»^l;i,

1, Upadhyaya, [Link], . p,203«

2, A necklace of godrooned beads of gold h«s be*»n
found at Taxi la. See Warshiill, op,clt, , Vo1,111,
P I ,192,a,
3 , Aherler, Ho,4, P1,CXX, B,
 97

Anotlicr variety of consists f

strings of br>ac8 or {x^arls (muktavail) with lorg,

barrel beacis, usually of lapis lazuli or aapphlrft.

It is a Ions?: necklace r«echir.g th<p na?f‘l . It is

worn by Maya (.irch of Buddha, I I ) , (Pl«X\ril,23)*

It is a new typ(> which comes into vogue in the

Gupta period, rowevpr it mak^s its appearftnce

ftVGW in the early period as the sp«>cimen worn b

the ft-nous DidarganJ yaksl would show,

0

Krcklets (kan^hi)

There are good ma y illustrations of

lavishly jewelled necklets. Usually the memberiof

royal familirs, people of higher clas es and

palace attencants ar^ shown wearing them,

1, A npcklet containing beaded ornamentation

(P I,X V II,17) is worn by a king {Kriga

Jataka, XVII), !RiOiigh very cooison in thp

Oupta period the type appears to have come

in vogue in the Kushaija period as^its r<*Fresenta.

tions found in the Mathura art,

1. VOfc»*l, [Link].. PI,XVIII, third slab.

 I

2, Th«» king VlsVyntara {vlsventarfi Jataks, XVII)

wears a jrwel«>8tudcied collar having p*'arl

tassels and f stoons ( P1«1V11,1^}«

3« A king (^bassy-,!) w'ara e kanthi inlaid with

••
goms in flox&l bosses (P I,X V II,I 9 ),

U» Similar to No*3i addition it has pfarl

tassels and f(tstaon§ (P1,X¥I1,20), It is

worn by a palace m#iid (i^ing Princf'a8,XVl),

The jf-welled necklets des ribpd above ar«=>

somewhat closte fitting and hence thry can be

1
identified as the graivcyaka variety, Very

similar gold necklacfs have be-?n found at

Taxila, A c c o r d ! t o Marsh^il' , th<*y resemble

2
the Graeco-Roman 8p<=”cimen8,

Jewtllfd Npcklacps (RaUiahara)

1, A king {Oudd!^ Preaching, IVII) wears a

racnahara composed of jewels set in exquisite

fili.c^ree work; it has a big roa»^tte shaped

pendant and is adorned with pearl festoons and

tassels ( P l . x m , 2 l ) .

1 , Grivaya alatikaro, Amara, p,156,

2. [Link]. . Vo1,1I.p,626>^8 V o l .I II,P i . 1 0 3 ,56-57-58.
 19f!

2# Hn apsara wears a very rich n*'Cklac« studded with

jeWFls vnhich ar#’ fringed with smaller Jewels, It

Is profusely omartmted with pearl festoons and

[Link] having bell-shaped pencantsi [Link]^ 2 2 .)

Necklaces worn in the upaylta fashion

Some monks bt' shown wearing strings of beads

in thf" gpavlta fashion, A monk W¥'ars a string of

beads which appear to be dried seeds probably

rudraksa (King distributing? Alms, IV II),(P 1,X V X I,2 4 ).

^ c o r S

Another monk in the s^Me pfln«>[Link] string of long

tubular beads (P 1 ,IV II,2 5 ).

Pedmspsnl (I) w<-srs a hara corr^posed of a

number of pearl strines In the up^iVlta fashion

(Pl,l\nlj26), This is probably the wukta-

[Link]- vita r-^ferred to by Kalidasa,

The haras, in the upavita fashion, are worn

by a peofle only. They resemble the [Link]-

pavite or the sacred thread which Is worn even

today by the brahmtoas and the ksatriyas as well,

1, Kumara, VI, 6.
■
■■ ‘ lllAm - Td S K Z ’ d PUI naaiiiuw ^na»ao
- Aa»xTJW«f JO eni>'oxB^l90 T
*sj89TJJ<> aoTXOd puB Xiaxs Xq uaoM A^pori udA9 .■an
J® *spu‘^q esoao r?XT«CT®
(IX paonpoj^ux 9XP“ I Ujr®'jSwM'"Mi-iON ^x s tossdjons
s»j©puex»X’' Xx»’fTT«^ ^ou‘djoj ^jt«i4:j^3X P«e
dov^ojo uo^moa jjhk « p u ^ eojo
jb XT>^T® *Moq9 pxnoA', -?QU«:pv suoxiH J^snxXT
«H |M*s p o x j»d X x J 9 » ux uoa«oo Ajlqa ’0' 9x Qi
*sjXAwueimo aiosu «q^i «aij snoxAqo *x ®® sptraq
^AX^otf^ojtd &JLV Sbui (^ ‘ ilA’ Id) uo spireq
«soao SuiJsaM umc e a«ie (H A T ‘ ^uepeAy 9X»ti*ffS)
.IBM rj* Udi{rt ‘ s^lix^f BJ^oXiJO m2 xh
( » iXABUUeqiio) B, ueg jbojo
•poX^tad Sux^P
XBAXA^a x^oxunaqBaH •qu oa i»np Xxqxesod ax P“»
pox^dd »4uno '>M1 Suxjrtp -Jal^OA ux »<soo aarm q%
______________________ 4
«a»«dd» uoxqsej bxmi Xaqri asn^oaq
iX 3 u xa «»M twoi}B aoB B^ux^i »q!> axxq«5inr|8iqBaq
XxqBqojd ‘j jB ^x * u x ^ » « u «c q « » j b oq« »qi
‘1 ''i ?
• I U .6
 201

yalkaks/akft

Some ladita are shov n wear ing strinns of bpads

or p«arl8 (nuktf->-velkaksyaka) crossln,^ each other

on the chest (P1.1V1I,27)* Children also somptliae

wear It*

hBMLKTo

A majority of men and women at AJanta arr

hown wearing analeta. Their variety is indeed

bewildering and many of th*'m defy doacription,

1* A simple . rmlet In one coil; it is ornanF»nted

with a big pnarl on the up er ed’^e and two small

p«arls in the low'^r edge {P I,X V III,1 ), It ia

worn by a king (Votaries, IX ),

2, Padnapani (I) weare an srtalet of three coils;

a fillet is tied to it in a looped knot

(P1.X VI1I,2).

3, An armlet in three coils nith trefoil tem^inals

(P 1.X V III,3 ).

Hn armlet with 8nakf>»houd terTalnals(Pl,X/III,4) J

it can be identified as the sarpangada.

 211'’

5* An annl«»t In four colls; It Is ma « of twisti^d

wires and Is adorned with tnssels (P1.X7ITI,5),

It occurs In an ^arly pan«l (Votaries, IX ),

6, An arali^t in tv^o coils; it Is decorated with

besded ornatn^'ntation (P1.1VIII,6}«

7« An amlet decorated with beaded omarnrntstion

and h&Ting a triangular, gnn~set pi^J«ction;

it also has tassels ( P l . m i l , ? ) .

80 amlet having a big, round gera In the

centre) it is fi-lng«*d with small<^r pearls and

Is «domed with ptai'l tasuels ([Link],!^}.

9* A dic«mond studaed anslet having pearl tassels

( P l ,x n i l ,9 ) ,

10. An annlpt inlaid with jewels set in exouisite

filigree pattern. {P1,X V III,10).

11. An armlet adorned with round gems set In square

bases { P l,x y iII,ll).

12. An armlfrt divided into square panels contalnlnj;

four Jewels each {P1.X V III,12)•

 203

13* An aralet stud<^:«d with Jev.®l» and havlnp; an

almond-Bha:^'d projection containing a central

Jpw«l (P l,x n il,l3).

14* A king (Sha^oanta Jataka, X) w«>.i ■ an sml<»t

having 8 curvrd projection irtald with a big

round or oval gem ( P I,X V III,14).

15* Similc.r to '<o,l4; but is lavishly jewelled

(P ia V IX I,1 5 ).

16, An armlet containing a bia; ccntral g«n set in

a dainty fili:;ree pattern; it is &lso adorned

with pearl festoc^ns end taeaels (P1,XVIIX,16),

17, An anBlet consisting of hooked p«tteins; it has<^

big rrctangular .zwi-si^ib in the centre. It is

orna entad with pearl festoons and tsasels

( P l .X V m ,1 7 ) .

1??, A gem-studded armlet with pearl ta»:iels and

festoons {P 1.X V III,1«).

19, Sln:ilar to J5o,16| but is lavishly omaEsrmted

(P I,X V III,1 9).

 20 4

20* An artaXet having; « roctengular gem-slab in

fche c«ntrp> and round &nd squarr* gems

alternately ( P l . x m i , 2 0 ) .
\

21, An armlet 1th a rectan^alar gpm-slab In the

centre above which rises an arched, ?*er!-8<?t,

projection (P1.X V III,21),

22. tin arrlet omaaifnt^d with jewels aet in

filigree patterns; it is also fringed with

pearls in the upper ssrgin and pearl tassels

and festoons in the lower margin ( P l .i n i l ,2 2 ) .

23« An armlet adorned with prarl strings crossing

•ach other; it ^Iso h^is pearl taseels and

festoons (P I .X V III,23) .

24 k 25. Thssc are slabor teljr jewelled spocimr^ns;

they are aleo lavishly adorned with pearl

festoons and tassels. One (?[Link],24)

is worn by the Black Princes^' (I) and the

other ([Link],25) by Vajrapani ( I ) .

26. An armlet decorated with beaded o m a mentation;

it also has a lion head in the centr<» (P I.X V II,26)

It is worn by a palace attendant (Simhsla

Avadana, X H I ) .
 205

Ars:let8 aro frequently r ferr«d to as

keyura or an/r^ nda In llteratiu*e. They wer«~ quite

common In the early and tie late period aa well.

cx>e
naj se-^n used both by men tnd women,

•WRIST ORNAr'^ITS

Bangle is the cownonest type of wrist

ornament in India since antiquity, while bracelets

appear to be cominif' in vo^ue in the early historic

period. At AJanta every person is shown wearing

fine wrist orn^r ennts.

As the bangl<?s nd bracelets in the earlier

group of paintings ar#^ diffar nt from those of the

latter period, so far as the shapes are concerned,

they ere described first,

1, The coamonest type is a plain, tubular bangle

vAiich may either be solid or hollow, A number

of such bangl«^8 wcc§ worn in each hand,

(P I,X IX ,1 ,2 ) ,

2 , A ban^^le «sde of wires twisted into a rope

pattern (P I,X IX ,3 ),

3, A bangle decorated with beaded pattern,

(P1,X IX ,4).
 2Hfi

Urn A heavy bangl«> with clusters of beads attached

to It , These clusters may al:3o be winiatur**

rattles as some feroale tnusicifins (Shaddantc;

Jatak&fX) arp also shown wearing them

(P 1 ,X II,5 ).

5. A brae let comprising strings of beads(Pl,XIX,6),

There are many varieties of wriet orriKrients

I d th» later group of paintings ranging from plain,

simple iMinKlea to richly jewelled bracelets,

Thc^ are as follows :

1, Simple, plain bangles either one or many, are

worn by many persons, including kings and

Que ns. Those belonging: to the* up?>er strait a

of the society 'night have used biaiglf's made of

gold pnd silver while the others might have

used those of coj^er and bronze. Bangles of

copper awJ bronze have be n found even In the

Harappan levels, Sxcellent copper bangles

of the Gupts period have be^-n found at R‘WvVa.

Even thoxigh it is difficult to say anyt^^ing

regarding the matetial of the which the bangles

were made, it can be said that many of them could

1
 20V

po^'slbljr b#* of shf^ll. Such shell bangles

reported in large numbers from early hlatorlc levels

all over the country and even in our own times w©

fine, that some of the tribf>8 in India still wear

ehell biu^gles,

2m A bangle decoratrd with incised lines across

its width (P 1.X IX ,7), A similar bangle of

copper, asrignable to the Satavahana period

ia reported "rom Brahmefiri,

3* A bangle with thickened terminals ( P I , XIX,

An p«xactly similar gold bangle, hollow within,

2
was found .-t Taxi la,

A bangle with a sharp, friU ed outer edp;e

*

([Link],9),
5, A bangle made of twisted wires (Nalaglri
VPiyix,io)
Story, occurs in the earlier

period as well, (Se*- PI,X IX ,3 ),

1 , teh«eler,R,E.M., *arahmagiri and Chandravalll,

1V47», AI# ‘0*4, P.279, F i g ,a ,^ .
2, Karshall, [Link]». V o l,II, p«63^» [Link]
P1.195, No8.I1c^19.
 208

The bancrles htve bepn shown fcs vrorn by mpn

anc: women ae Sv*^ tod«y they er uspd, but

excluatvrly by Thr> Inecriptional pvldence

shows that banglra asrun^ th^ auspicious

character som^tima about the 10th Cent.A.D, when

they bt'came absolutely necesaary for married

women \iriiode huab-nds werr alive, Ban,^le is

variously refeir<pd to o k^nkana or valaya

and was made of various [Link] i ials, including

2
Sleas avm ii* the (turly historic period*
»

5rt:celets

1, A bracelet inspt with a round jewel (P l.X Ii,ll)

I

2* A bracelet inset with a rectangular jewel

(PI.X IX ,12).

5* A bracelf-t with a j<?wel ins^t in exquisite

filigrer work (P 1 ,IIX ,1 3 ). Shell ben^l^s

with siRllar, but carved decoration have

[Link] the early historic levels at Prak-^sh

^ 3
(Maharashtra}.

1. Oal, [Link]. . BliCai. Vol.20, pp.301-02.

2. Sankelia, »The Antiquity of (Jlass 3an»l^s
in ItisiiJ , BDCRI. Vol. V III, llkshit Vol.
p*259» f • n. .
3. lAH, 1954-55, [Link], b.
 200

4. A bangle with a frillpd outer ed<-e; it Is

Ine^t with a jewel ([Link],ll»)•

5. A king (Halagiri Story, XVI) Is shown wearing

a bracelet inset with a jewel and decorat

with incisfd lines across its width (P1,XIX,15)*

6* A bracelet with an out-size jewel in dainty

filigree pattern, it is probably sunounded by

mini::ture jewels, (P1«2IX,16) •

7, A bracelet (P1,XIX,17) adorned with a cluster

of three jewels is worn by some ladies

(Palace Scene, 1)«

Simil>ir to 1 ; the jewels are set in filijTT^e

work (PI,X IX ,1?^),

9 , A lady (Palace Scene,I) wears a simple bangle

adorned with pearl festoons and tassels

(P I,X IX ,1 9).

10, A bracelet ornamented with small jewels

(Pl,XiX,20),
11, A briicelet adorned with diamonds ( l,XIXy2l)

is worn by some ladies, ( rmba.8sy, I ) ,

 - _ 210 ,

12* A brac«l«»t studded bith round gems all over

(P1,X1X,22)« This type 1b very common

among th«* royalty but conron people aro

Glao s^tovcn using it , the latter pronably

used beads of cheaper materiels*

13* A jewel«studded bracelet ^.ith big Jpwele at

regultir interrals (P1«XI1,23)»

14, A bracelet of beads, probably of smi-

prrcious stones (Vajrapsnl,I) ([Link],24)«

The jewelled bracelets [Link] above arr

probably the mani^Vblciyas or the rcitna-Yfil.iya8

which ar«? frequently referred to in ancirnt

literature,

15, A bracelet having a rectangular platform in

the cf'ntTP inset vdth an out-sl«e jewel; the

platform is flanked by smaller jewels

([Link][,25), This is probably the phal^ka-

vai -ya of literature,

16, Similar to 15; the rectangular platform

is surzounded by small jewels (P1«XIX,26),

 2 11 •

17* ^ brac<’lrt having a big round set in en

oval bf'tel [Link] is fJenked two smaller

jewels (P I,X IX ,27 • It Is worn by a prince

{r«8cent of Buddha, XVl).

If!, A bracelet ^dormd with J pwpI s strung In thi»

terminals ( P I ,X U ,2^).

19« A ratn^^va] aya layishly atudd<pd with g^ms

(P1«XI£,2Q)^ It is worn by an apsara

(XVII),

Thf* Jpwelled bracelets d«*3cribed above

wer(? imrensely popular during the Gupta«7^jtaJ(a

period, Bvrn though they ar^* conspicuous by

their absence in the earlle. K^oup of painti iga

at AJanta, they besin to occur in the Satavahana

perioc as is obvious from their representations

tn: 2
at Aaaravati, It mny also be stat*»d incidentally

thiit airailjjr bracelets we re very com-on in the

Imperial 8o»T}an provincps in thr 2nd-3rd Century

A ,L Howfver this ty*.ologicsl airilitude n-ed not

1 , Similar bracelets ar- warn by

L'eogarh ?nd Bagh, See Vats, op»cit, , FI,XXIX,
2t,25 k 27 and Marshall and otnFrs, 0 £i£lt,,
Pl.B, D It E,
2, Sivarawamurti, op,cit,> P I ,V I I I ,15*
3, Higgins, o, .e it . . p,l«?^, P1,61,D,
 _ 2:i2

be Btretchrd further, for, the type could also have

evolved independently in India,

Panellau jx'itceletis

There tre a f»w ©xcellent illxiatretiom of

pane'll(>d bracelets with tapering sides, T^ie one

(P I,X IX ,30) is pl&in and has transverse bands,

(Vlsvfintarii Jataka, XV^II}, The oth-^r, worn by

« maid (Toilet Sc^’ne, 1VII)^13 similar to the

prrci'dln'?: example but Is atud «d »[Link] beads or

>we\s {P I,X IX , 3 1

These panelled bracelets wre rather intri-

©ling becnu8i» th«*y srr abaoiutoly unknowrs in

the earlier period. Similar brscplets firp,

however, found 8culptur»d in Syria, Some of the

few^le busts carved on towb stones from

1
Paliriyre arc sho>.n wearing similar bracelets.

The Palmyran reliefs are referrable to thR

siid ile of the 3rd Cent, Their identity

%.ith the Ajfmta specimens ap, ears to be

sisnifleant. It is just possible that th

Indi«»n merchsnts settled in Syria imitat-d this

type and introduced it in India,

1, rackay, D , , ’ The Jewellery of Palmyra and

Its Signiflcf^nce*, Iraq. V o l ,X I ,l % 9 , P*l?6*
 _ 213

The rich v a rie ty of wrist omamf'nt« Is

helpful in noting the c ang«?s In their shape. The

stuiiy shows that, in the earlier perlo> , the

b-ngl s wrrr- very thick and heavy and a number of

them were worn at a time by each person. n the

l&ter period the bangles and the bracelets as; ume

veiy slen er proportions* In the earlier period

they were tight-fitting; but in the later period

they become considerably lo-jse and h«i. e we come

I

across the descriptions of manl->valayas which are

said t.o be dan>ling (dolar«*»rana) charmingly.

Finger .Hina'S {ahf<:ullyaka)

Finger rim^s ar<^ worn by veiy few persons.

The only type, thst is clearly seBr^, consists of

a ring with a round gem in a bezel-setting

(r l,X IX ,3 2). Slrllar rings have be^Ti found at

Taxila, According to Marshall they ar<’ the

2
imitations of the Graeco-Hoasan specime ns.

The fin.<5er-rings ar< frequently r»“ferred

to as aii:nillya or a r’ gullyakam. They are said

to be Imprinted with owners numes and th- re fore

1. Marshall, [Link]. . V o [Link], p .6 U i Vol. I l l , P I . 197,6.

2. Ibid. V o [Link], p .639.
 2i4

1
somc'tirni^s ua d aa passvrords of £Otthority,

Ornament.8 for waist «■

» QlriXta

A majority of wom«n at Ajanta bt^ shown

wearing ^,irdl@8 « Of the men, only kln^a and

princas; w‘«r them. The girdles occur In bot

the e^xller uttd latf>r group of paintings,

! • VaJrapSni (I) has s^curacJ his antarly^

by means of a doable silken chord tied

in a looped knot. It has a rectanguloi

gen slab in the centre, ( P I ,X U , 3 3 ),

King ^ibi (Sibi Jataka, I) has Also

tied a similar chord.

This is probably the aro-iisutrc of

literature, which is identified as

, ___ I 3
rasanadggi.* by 3ivar »i<rRurti,

2, A g«m-studcied mekhala with a rectangular

clasp in the centre ( P I,111,34),

3, A mekhala co isisting of strin?r,s of

and having a roaf*tte-shap#»d clasp, (PI,XIX,3*>) •

1, Upadhyaya,B.S,, Incia In Kalida_sa. p ,2 3 *

2, fcamijyana. ?, 9*47*
3 , I'^lrrors of Indian CultuiP, p,61.
 215

A aff^hola studded with round g#n;s and having

« circular cl««p. ( P l .x n ,3 7 ) .

5, A agkhgllT inaet with r«ctangul^ g«?-"T8Labs

and having a round claa^;, {[Link],3?<),

69 A nekholX oxnaoientad with round gema and

diaQonda a l f r r u ^ f l y ; it has a clua&fur of

peail taa&«la suapom^ed from th« claS; •

(P1«XXX,39}# Ifc la worn by th«^ i^ing Viavantar?!

CVlov&ttf^Ara Jataka, XVII),

^ afttthali atudd<>d with round gams and having

a rf*rtangular clasp »4ilch la fringed v*lth

small Jawfrls (F1.X1X,40), It is worn by a
Yaksa ( m i ) .

A que n (Mahujanaka Jrtaka, if, shown

W'^arlng a i^irdl^ in s istin g of thre« rows

of sirin s of aiuhar pearla or Ji»w#ls;

it has a round clasp in th? centrr

(P l .l U .U ).

9 , A pulses aaid (P&l«ice 3c?'.ne,I) w«ara a girdle

uad0 Of threa atrln<sa of paarla or j'-wels;

it is further adomad with paarl tasaels and

festoons ( n « X H ,4 2 ) *
 216

10. A girdle consisting of threr rows of bip; and

amall jew«l» or pe arls alternately ( 1 . XIX,43).

11, A dancing girl (Paluc© Serene, II) w^'ars a girdle

coriprising thr«^ strings of large, rectangul-r

f'fn slabs and pearls or rx)und j#»wels alternately

(P l .X U .U ).

I2m Thou=:h last to be dealt raflth, this sppcimpn

is depicted in th« earlier group of paintings.

It is a very broad girdle consisting of a

[Link] cf strings of beads (P1#XIX,36). Similar

girdles ar^- fre u^^ntly represented in

early Indi-n art,

Girdlr'S are usually referi'ed to as mekhala ^

Ran chi, saptaki. raianSi etc. r:owever^ they .re not

ac':»ni, anied by adequate descriptions. It is

therefore difficult to identify the spocimens

rrpreemted with those described in literaturr,

B-arata informs us that thp k ^c h l is (a girdle)

of one strln?:.aekh lie of eie^ht strlnf?s, the rasana

'• ^
of sixteen, and he kalapa of tvr<'nty five strinr'-s,

!• Katyasastra. Vol.I, Xiilll, 32, p»UlU,

 Ta« studjr shows that broader and heavlar

girtil«e were conmon in t.h« earlier per iod whiXs

lighter ^irdlrs came into vo’^ c in the Ia&«r

period. KoreoTer ;,he gem-atudded girdles, so co«ron

in the Qupt»-\rSkit£ka age do not appear in the

earljr paintings* Broad girdlrs are, no doubt,

in usp; but they are comperatively lighter end

are of finer ubrkmanship. In this connection it

» »

is interesting to note that Peripluo. records,

among importsd fr:>B Rome in Western India, brii^t

girdlps, one cubit v>ide, ^iiich'Were very costly.

Ankl*-ts ( nupura

Tb^ri* are net nany repres«itati<>n8 of [Link].

Th«y are, however, of a pl<asin>' variety *

1* A heavy anklet, tubular in section, and possibly

hollotf froB within (Pl»ii:£X,45)« This type is

vory coBron in the early period whr-n even thre<»

or four such anklets w r e worn on e-ch lej^. Such

snklets are even today usp^ by women in villages,

2* An sinklet (P I.X IX , 4 6 ) made of a number of strings

of Biniature rattles; it is eovcnon only in the

 2' i 8

early period. It i« probably th^ kgudraghagtika

variety. Similar anklets can b« notlc-^d In the

Satavafvana, the Kushana and the Gandhara art.

This type, however, is very rare in the later

period ( P I .X U , 5 2 ),

3, A thin, plain nupttra (Fl,[Link],47),

k* A nuoura with ho ked fcermlnala

5. anklet with its terminals soldered in a floral

boas which is inset with a j'^wel (P l,ilA , 4 0 ),

6, An anklet (P1,XIJC,50 with knobbed tenainals

joined by a sphei ical ornament. It is probably

of ^he tullikotl vari<?ty as its tips re«jHnblfi

6
those of a balanced beam,

1, “Wara, p.l57.

2, Sivaratnamurt i , Aaaravati Seulptu; fs in the

Madras Gove n:-^ni i*asettn. p ,li4:
3, Ar,ravsliJ- A Short Gylde-book to the Aiehaao*
lof;ical Section of ProV;nci>l rvuseum. iucknow.
-----------------------------------------------------

U* J^arshall, [Link], . Fig,93,

5* Am&ra. p,l56,
6, i>ivaramaniurt.i, ■i n ors of Indian CuUurff.
P.63,
 210

7# An anklet studded vdth gems all over (P I,1 1 1 ,51),

It Is undoubtedly a maninupura which la

fr^»qupntly mentioned In the literature',

Anklet$ ar<? sonetlm « r«^ferred to aa

[Link] wilch la due to their quality of producing

awe t, pleasing sound. This appellation (iPaHJira)

would point to the tube being hollow V'dthin snd

filled with few stones which, at the tl e of

walking; produced avreftt sound,

Toe»rln>j;a

Kini^s and princes are not shown wer^ring

m anklet. One king, how«rer, is shown wearlt^

a ring on t e toe of his rig^it footj^ The ring

la a coll in two rounds and resembles the boywl

*
worn by Maharashtrian wonjen, particularly In

Tillages,

The study of the personal ornamrnt shovs

that the heavier varieties which were In v o ^e in

the eeriier period ar- replaced by lighter erd

finer ones in the Qupta-Vakataka period, Thp chanfte
 220

in th« faahions may aJso po8.~<lbly be du« to

foTPli^n lnflu"nc« which begins to be felt ©v»n

in thf» eerlipr p«rlod, Th^ n«w pattexns, however,

arc pprfoctod only In thp lat#»r period.

It Is notewrot y that ther^ is no consider­

able differ nee in the ahapra of omftfT’enta worn

by the m®abeie o^ roy>1 family and th^ir servants.

It is [Link] that the royal mployeea used

ornament8 of cheaper m»tei'iuls, but the possibility

of veins costly jewellery connot also be ruled out,

A r^ooein parallel may be citod inthis coanection.

In the former princely houses of India, more

particularly in the State® of Hajasthnn and Mysore ,

the palace attendants wez*e provided with co- cly

Jewellery by th«^ administration itself. The

Jewellery was Issued to then when thry reported

for <"^ty in the morning; while leaving for hoae

in the evoiing they h«d to return^ it . We do not

know whether the sane cystem obtained in the

ancient past.
 9 9 -i-1
C

rne Jewellerjr deleted In tht pfiintlngs X«

no doubt worthy of pralee «nd beftrs eloqu^-nt

[Link] to the cichievem^^nt of the ancient Jeweller,

*
Epigr^phlcril vid«nce shows that the royal architect

designed jewellery for the merabere of tjJe royal

family, Thus an inscription In the Virupaksa t''fople

at Patta<jkal (Dl^ t, Sljapur, i^sor*' Stat#*) records

thfit the royal architect v,ho planned that edifice,

used to design th<» p&lace Jewellery, And ws know

from the ^[Link] sp<?cim'='ns -s to how much thought

and laagination a d e si^e r must have devot«»d in

fashioning the Jewellery*

\

Before concluding [Link] chapter it is

nf^cBBsary to state that we cannot a y anythin;'

»

regarding thf' technical processes inTolved in the

eiakiitiS of Jewellery, This is only posriblf* when

act ur.l speciaeaa are found in good nuribors.

1* P*165«