- .

7 ^ •
. ^

118

111

C O im m E AMD HKA »DR: !^3F.S

In no country except probably Japan ao mxch

la^glndtlon^ thoug^^t and artistic genius hav^ ponr

into devising hairstylvs as in 1 dla. This is

obvious fro« th^ rich varl^^'ty of coiffure and head­

dresses lllustrati»d at Ajanta which have won th<>

admiretion of on# and all*

For thf> saks of eonvanienc« th<« study is

divided into two sections vie. (X) Coiffure and

(2) HeacodrfSS9S*

COirniHE - THE aOTALTT

A majority of kings and princes ar^ shown

wi^aring «laborJts h<»r.d«>dres3ss and hsnoA It 1s

dif Icult to study thair colffurp. The study is

th^^rafore confined to those vrry f«»w ii^o art not

wearing any hrad-drftss,

Wie only nark«*>d feature of the coifftire of

the kin<rs etc. is that t h ^ all have full»srown halx;

 liQ

This la tru« <*v«i of tho«# n4»o ar« wearing «la >orat«

h««d*dr««ads at long troBS9B ar(» rolUrr on

th«ir back and shoulder.

1* Of the* rarly pei iod thare la only ona rapr<^a#nta.

tlon of a klr\g wearing flna dolffur<p(Fl,XII,l),

Th<» llar,« king in Cava X h&a thA vhola naae of

hair fathered into a ro nd ball on th« rl/ht

forahrad. It la a d o m ^ by a Jew(pll<^d band.

XAlldaae rt^fara to «ueh Jewell ad atrlpa for ,

halr«

2« In th« lat(>r group of palntltitft th« [Link]^at

ty a of coif 'ura la to hava Icm^ hair With

rlnelata dangling on tha fon»h«ad ^ d locka

falling on tha nap«> and houldara (F1 «XII,

2 , 3 ). Tha COI f fur# is uauslly 8<^om-«>'d by

a for#'h*ad band, ao>n«*tiuH»a Jawwllad and is

adomad by flow#'ra or a floral ehapli»t,

Tha ^alr falling on t>« nap#* rM^wblf^a

thi» Manf of a lion, Th<« coif ure th«>r forn

!• XVIII, V I Saa Slv&r aBaawrtl, ’^Irrora

of ^n ifar Caitur*^. KASI,7l,p#65#
 30

can be identified as the Simha»ke8ara Varipty

vlilch undoubtedly ad s dignity to the

personality*
•

3, The hair is combed back and ti^d into a round

bun, throuaji vAiich some curls are let loose

(Vidura Pandita, Jataka, II)* The bun is

secured in a net and is profusely bedecked

with flowers* (Fig, 4 )*

^'3- 4-

1, Vishgu-dhoromettara Purana, 375' 8 ;

See also Moti Chandra, ♦Cosmetics and
Coiffur® in Ancient India*, JISOA,
Vol*d, 19i^, P.13S*
 131

4« TlU) ooifAu'A of one of &h« go< a (P 1,X II,4)

attending th« Buddha*s sermon ( luddha French*

Ing, XVII) i« f'Xtreraely Int^rf'stinc: and ela­

borate, Ttie hair Is rolled Into paiallel

colls alonip^ the head. Tlipy are studded vlth

gf>m8, th<p one In the c<?nwre being th<« big pst,

On the forehead they ar^ connected w*th pearl

string frstoons and pendants* On the 3e ft

of th» head is a jewelled disc iiflille at thr

b< ck is an almond-shaped projection, which is

also gF'w-Sf't and is fringed by peerls.

The coiffures of the later period described

above (Nos. 2, 3 and U) with thr'lr schematic curls

and rol s ap .ear to b e wi<rs. The wigs, which ar

conspicuous by their absence in the *»arly period,

bPCoa« very coof’ on during the Gupta period, Ihe

1
churnakunvala hairdo prob.^bly denotes w i’s. The

Greeks and the iiomuns h-^d a weakness for wigs a;Ki

the style found Its devotees in the faaiiiona-le

2
society of Sas»anian Iran, In India too It bir^come

1. p.154*
2. A/e:ravalu. »Art Evidence in Kalidasa*. JUPHS.
[Link], 1949, p . ^ .
 122

the raging fashion un<..er the Quptes* It trould not

therefore* be wrong to infpr homo»n Influenc# on this

1
type of colfl'ure.

COIFFUhE • QOErNS

Therr la quite a good nurabrr of 11 uttrations

of th« lacii^a bdon£;lng to royel family and the

variety la indeed Intereatln;^ In apl&e of the fact

that many of them wear elaborate tiaraa. The

following arr* the typ^a of coifsure of querns,

prlncessea etc,

1* Loose hair (laeibalaka)

.Some queens wear loose hair which is parted

in the middle and combed back. It Is lo osely

falling over the nape and the shouldex's

(Chi^mpeya Jataka, I ) . (P I .X I I , 5),

Tiiis, of course, Is the simplest typp> of

coiffure which [Link] common In the early period,

Howrver, It dops not se^« to have found favour

in the lat$^r period as its v<ry few represent a .

tlons would ahovf. It t serms that only the

ladies sepfir&ted from their lovers kept their

hair loose and undres^ed• In the description

1, Qoete. H ,, * Imperial Rome and the Qen^-Kfe of

'^lassie Indian Art (I ) * , and West. Vol*lO,
1959, P.177.
 23

of YakBlnt In srparotion from hrr husband, the po'-t

Styled h«r hair s [Link]. l.<** lone hair loosply

fel Ing on s oulders.

2. Loose hair in net

Xh» famous ’ Dying Princ«»»a» (AVI) has her hair

part'd in th« niddlai combed back wh^r^ it is

2
8(>cured in a net adorne>d with p<? rla (muktsjala),

She also waara a Jewelled band with p€>arl-ta88Ala

in thf» pi»rting line (aim nta) » (P I.X II, 6' ,

5, Looae hair in coila

(JtVII) ha a h^T heir, probably

partrd in the midcle and co. bed bi=ck into long,

thick coils which ar*' ae'^'n falling on the nspej

a few curia arp dan lini? on the forehead. She

also wears a delicate tiara. (P I ,X II,7 ). A

!

▼ery aiirilar coiffure ia wonn by a lady in the

3
B a ^ Cave paintings.

To dress the hair in coila is quite a deitveroua

process and even today we find only a ff>w ladies

with a ain'ilar hairdo »rfiich, obviously is due

only to the conplicated process involved*

1. Megha, 1 1 , 22.
2. Agravala, HaraachaiIta. p .130.
3. Marshall and othe; s, Cavea. PI. A,
 1 2 ‘1

[Link] In & bim at the back

Wany <^©f>na have their heir parted in the

middle and combed b^ck into a round bun. It

is generally decked with a chaplrt and flowers,

(P l.X II, « ,9 ) .

Hair twistrd into a aplral

There ar^ only a few representations of this

style (\fi^vantara Jataka, X V H ; Mahajanaka

Jataka, I ) , The hair is twisted into a spiral

and is lnterwov^n with [Link] s (P l .X II,10),

3om«^tim<>8 it is 6>domed w’th jewell<°d bands and

chaplets (Mahljanaka Jetaka, I ) .

iiepreaentations of this style ar^ found in the

1 2 3
Oandhtra, ffiathura and /imaravatl reliefs arri evnn
4
in a carvine from 3wat which ar* all datable to

the early centuri*»a of the Christian era, Hut

it is aba nt in th** Mauryan and Suhaia art. The

style thus began about the fir 8t»s»»cond centuries

A,D, end continued in the lat^r pj^riod, \wever

it did not bfrcome vrry coar-on as its rather

1, Foucher, *Iconographie Qoudhinufi du Oandhara'. Vol l/

F i ■, 162 an(i
2, Votzmlf [Link], . P 1 ,X /II,
3, Sivaraniamurti, [Link]. . P I,V I, Fig,2 ,4 ,^ ,9 *
Varsh^»ll, tiuUahiat Art of Gandhara. Fie:,53,
 125

Infrequent occurrence* would show*

5* Dou.^*.hnut»ahaped knot a

Some princesses have dr-'Ssed thwlr hair in a

[Link] knot on the head,

■X'tU)
a) A princess (Nal»p;iri Story^)^ wrars such a

dougnnutoshaped knot on the rigit of her

1
he«td(daksinavarta) • It is tied v^lt a

fillet anc is secured by a net orna.'^.onted

with pearl-strlnfs ([Link]) . She also

wpars a dainty tiara [Link], U ) ,

b) An apsara (XVII) w**ars such a hu e dough-nut­

shaped knot on the rl ;ht of her head. The

hair^secured in a ^’iowA»red,i,iur rcarf from

which are suspended a nurr. )»-r of pearl

strings. She also wrars a Jewolled for<»-

h«ed-band (P I,X II, 12).

The m#»thod of stpcuring a coifiure in a

scarf was indeed a novel idea in [Link]-

Vak'[Link] period. Ev<^ though it is not to

be noticed in the early period Bharafca

prescri e® that th^ Abhira worn* n should cover

1, Visnudhi(rmottforapur~na, I I I , 37) S.*

 126

1
thflr coiffure with a deep blue cloth.

This ivould point to the exlatence of this

style even in the earlier period. It should,

however, be noted that securing the coiffure

2
in a kerchl'-*f was a peculii>r Greek fashion*

It is, therefore, possible that the

Hellenistic Gre ks introduced It in India

and its most char<rln£ example is found at

Ajanta*

c) A princess (I4ara*8 attack. I) has dressed the

whole mass of hair in a big douf:^-nut-shap»»d

knot on the right of her head. It is

covered with a net h«»v ng a central jewel

from whli^h rei':late pearl-strin.';s. She also

weats a forehead* and. The whiole coifrure

is profusely decked with flowers ([Link],13),

COIFFURE - OKDINAHT WOKEN

Iher(=> is an amazing variety of hair-styles of

ordln^.xy wompn. Some of the styles ar? so elaborate

' •»
and intricate that th^y defy description. The only

1* Hfatyasastra. ?o l,l, [Link], 60, p,420«

2, Seyfert- 0 , , A iJlctionary of 01as,slcsl
Antiquiti»8. p , 267.
 ’ 7

few r^pres^ntetions thst h«v« still surTived in

the earil. r group of ■aintings »how that th«*

coiffuTP of ordlnery was extremely simple

and that not much car^ was bestowed on the dress­

ing of hair, th<p rraSon bslnj; that tn?^ worr

lo g h<‘ad-.dres8es* Fov/ever ,the ^

some of the styles that caae into vorrue in the

lat«»r period are to be found In the early period*

It may be statf'd here that some of the hair­

styles of women ar' simllitr to those current tb-c^ic>.j xvv

the highest strata of the society, y t the former

excel so far as the variety is concerned. The

hair-styles are clKSslfi^'d as follows :

1, Loose hair (lanbT ilaka)

Very fpw l a d i s wear long, loose hair, But

they have taken enough csr^- to let some tresses

loose on the forehead i^nd sidps. They usually

we&r e forrhrad [Link] which is somi^tiai^^s gem-

set ( P l . U I . U ) ,
The fan-bearer in th«* ’ Dying Princess’

woars her hair in the lanib'Sloka styl<^ and in

ord^r to keep h»»r hair unruffled she has cover-

ed it with a hup*e n t ( [Link]) ,

1 , Natyasastra, Vol.I, I I I I I , ?l-2 , p,4l4.

 128

The lembal^kb. in somp cases, gives an

appear«nc« of a wig (P^^ilace Scene, 1 ), T Is

Is 8ub8t 3ntla 6(>ci

by thp achcHBatlc tresses on
0>-
forehead (bhramar^ah) which remind us of the

coiffure of Indumati, so grsphlcally deitcrlbed

by Kalidasa, Induaatl had her hair on the ^

forehead twisted Into smi:=ll spirals {Vc=llbhrlt) >

•
Thp f^'mal© toilet experts ( prasadhlka iifomen)

applied scented paste In order to secure the

2
effect of s Iral twisting. This particular

style Is vividly 11 ustrated in the portrait­

ure of male t>nd female heads In the Oupt& art,

2, Loose hair in net

a) H charralng coiffure Is worn by a »dild whose

face Is turnf'd tov,ards the king {Ffflbasey,!),

The whole mass of heir Is secured at the

bcack in a big net (.jSi Ika) with curv<"d

bonus decorated with floral patterns,

( P I ,i l l ,15).

1, Rag^;u. VIII, 53.

2, Agrav la, [Link]. . JUP . Vol,XAH, pp,S^^-^9.
3, It seems the fsishlon travelled fr^n Incla to
Central Asia where it is noticed In wall-palntlnre.
See Fabri,C,L,, *T»«o Notes on Indian Hea<-dresses*,
JRAS, 1937, PP.537 ff.
 12Q

b) A paXac« m&id (Mahajanaka Jataka, I) has

partied her hair in the mld'^lr and combed

back into two parts* Of th^se th« hair

on her r l ^ t is sc'cured in a net while

tho«:e on her left are falling loose on

the shoulder (P I ,X II,16).

3* Hair tied in a bun

This is perhaps the coiBJionest style in the icJlev

period. Hair is usually parted in the aildcle,

combed b ck and tied into « roundish bun.

In many cas^s the bun Is covered with a net

and is decked with flowers or a floral chapl#>t,

Soaetimes it is also adorned with a jew^^lled

band (Descent of the 'uddhci, 1^1), F^^oreover,

the whole coiffure is usually secured by

m<ans of a forehead band, either plain or

Jewelled, This band is tied to the bun at

the back { i ' l . U I . U ) .

f

Xhe atyle of dressing the hair into a bun

was very oumron during the Gupta pej'iod,

1, Marshall and others, Ifegh Gavps> PI, C and K, *

 130

Howvftr it is interesting to not«> thiit It was

current in th« country in the third milleniura

B.C. The famous Karap an priest is shown vdth

a similr;tr bun tied in a fillet. But it do^s

not occur in thr Mauryan and the Suh^a period.

It again com^^s into vogue during the oktavahuna

rule and at Ajanta itself it is found in the

ear ier group of paintings (P1,X I1,17), Ihe

samp fashion was very popular among the Groek

and Homan la ies even before the Christian

2
era« Taking into consicieratlon India's

intimatr contact vdth the ftoman world it can

be s^id that this particular hair-style v-s

introduced in India by the Grdeco-fioraans

about the beginning centuries of th» Christian

era. It is, however, easy to argue that it

was only a revival of an antiquated fash*on

but difficult to concede.

1 , K^arshall. Moh?n.1odax*o and the Indus Civilization.

y o i .i i i ,’ p p .r - ll, r i . i e r r ; - 9. ----- ‘
2, Seyfi>rt, op,cit, . p,267*
 131

1*0 Holr tlc‘d In a double bun

A votary (II) has parted her hair in the

middle and drps3<»d It In a double un which

is spcurpd in a net, A tuft of hair is’ If't

Y ^
loose thjough the bun &nd the s&me^seen

rolling on the buck, A chaplet is tied to

the bun which is profus«*ly decked with

flowers (P I .X II,19),

5. Higjr twiated into a Si lral

An ogress (Siinhala Avadaha, JtVIl) has twisted

the whole mass of hair into a spiral which is

sepn rol-i g on the back. It is Interwoven

with string of beaas or pearls (P l,X Ii,2 0 ).

A similar coif ure is worn by ch^^ dancing

girl in the Mahajanaka Jataka ( I W This hair­

do U simHar to that of the ladies of Gurjara-

ristra, w^o are described by Hemachandra, as

wearing their hair like the letter »la* of the

1
Sanskrit alphabft.
 n?.

6. A knot on th» h*^6d

A f«maXe drumn er (Mahfijanaka J a t a k a , 1) has

%

gathpred somp of h<»r hair on the forehead in a

protrudln., knot. Another similar, but bl |5 «r

knot Ir ae n on th« top of th# h#ad, while

the remaining hair Is colled Into a bun at th»

bcck. A floral chaplet la tied to the bun

(P1.XI3I, 1 ),

7« A conch»8hap d Knot

a ) The « ^ o la maaa of hair la rolled into a

huge, conehoahappd knot on the left of

the head* It l a secured In a net or a

flowered keichlef and pearl-strln^a are

ausp'-nded from the knot, (An ogress in

the Simhala Avadana, JtVlI) (P I ,X III ,2 ).

b) Ihe hair la parted on the right and la

dresaed into a roll on the left of the

h^ad (Blrt of Ouddha, I I ) * (P 1 .X III,3 ),

c) Hair part^’d poaslbly on the l#»ft and

co'*^bf'd into an elongat<?d knot on the

r l ^ t of the head^ the knot is secured

by a fillet and is decked with a lotus

 33

now*r. (Birth pf uddha,

This typ« of hair-do has b«*n Identified

as the dhawBilla variety which Is frpquent-

----- a
ly raf^ntloned in ^c l^n t literature. It is

abs«»nt in the Kushina art, but w&s in voime

in South India as is evident from its

2
representati .na from Aaaravati* This would

point to the origin of this style in the

iiouth India* is is supported by the very

neae *dh&miBilla* itiich is derived from

* •)» * lamila* ■
;31;nhalese) arri

Tariila, the modsm name for South India,

Hair coiled in tiers

A pal<«ce maid (Palace Sc»?ne, XViI) has coabed

b ok the to^ole maae of hair and coiled it Into

thr ee tiers ir*ich are drcorated with pearl

strings and flowers (p l ,X III, 5),

1, Agravala, HarsfechBrita. p,96»

2, Sivaramamurti, o: ,c it . . P l.V II, and

3, 3e^ Agravala, o p . c i t p,96.

9* Hair gathered in e do«ie»I — a ov«r the hted

A l 6<ty (VI) iwiaia an extr«[Link] chtinaing coif fur#,

Sh« has gr^th<>red the v^oXe mass of hair In a

domical protrusion over the head. On the forehead

• 8ome curls (bhrgaai^kah) ar* seen-d^n ‘ Ing while

tl»«f vihole coiffure Is lavishly Interwoven with

pearl-strlngs and fspofusely decked vlth lotus

nowers ( 1 . X I I I , 6),

The wl^'ole coif ure recalls to the mind a

nost^ charming co»nparl»on glv^n by Kalidasa*

He CO :;pares the city of Alfaka, cany Ing on her

head drlpolng clouds, to a heroine whose colfi'ure

1 •
Is beautified with pearl festoons,

10, Hair -..thered in e s.'-ck

A votary (II) Is shown with her hair gttth«»i «d

at the bcck in a cloth bag or sack bearlni^

parallel decorfctive bands. It Is alao profusely

bedecked with flowers (i*l,X III,7), ,

1. MPRh*, I , 6?; •Ino toghu. I I , U i S«o Agravela,

o ^ t . . JnPHS. VolTraT, p . ^ .
 135

It is difrieult to find a parallo/halrxio

In the whole runze of early Indian art. But

th« Gre k ledles, we told, used to wear

their hair In a bag of cloth (a&kkoa) . This

points to the Greek influence on this

particular style*

11* Hair tied In an elongated, [Link] roll

The heir is parted on the r t ^ t and is

combed beck and a part of it is gathered in

fin elongated roll which rojects out alrrost

vertically. The remaining hair is left

hanging on the nape, Krom t;he knot are

SUSP nded a cluster of pearl strin's, (Fl,XIII,l5),

Tills type occurs only in the early ,-rroup

of paintin s, as the Illustrations elsewh<^re

2
would show, it se « 8 to have been in vogue only

In the early period and vanlshr* in the Oupta*

Vakataka period,

1 , Seyfiert, [Link], . p.267.

2« Sivaramamurti, Amfir'-ivstl Sculptures In the Madras
rus«?u:ri, P I,V I, 3,
 rv ('*
3d

COIFRJKK - MER

Conwon p«»ople from dlfffTcsnt walks of life

‘ occur in each c-nd ^vpzy panel st Ajanta and their

hair» 8tyle8, as comperc>d to their bettnr^halves,

ar* le»» interesting. They are, however, not

devoid of interest. It will be sern that a common

Bk'in of the Qupta»VS^Atak& period paid considerable

attention to hia hair and t iua trird to provf^

hirasf‘lf a tru<* [Link].'^ of Vatsyayane,

Nothing can be said ^bout the hair*dtylea

of men in the [Link] period, i>ie fo*n worr thoir

hair long, but do not se#^m to have bestowed m y

carr on drf'ssing thrm. They usually worp turbana

and therefore* they had not to take any car^' of

their hair, Svf« today in India we find that a

villager pays vf‘ry lltile or no attpntlon at all

to his hair as he usual y wears a turban or a cap,

Th«- coif/ure of the coamon n»»n is &s follows !

1* Cleari shc^vrn heads

The ministers (iiamsa Jataka, ^^11, Shaddanta

Jitafc.:i, XVII) are usually shown with clean-shaven

heads.
 13?

2. M«n usually wore thf>ir hair long. Hie hair was

co’bf d back to hang on thf> n&pe and shoulders

(F 1 ,A III,9 ), Soraetim'^s it was curle*d up at

th<» bcick and was deck<»d with flowers (ChSnpcys

Jataka, I ) ,

A palace attendant (Champeya Jatska, I) la

shown with [Link]^sred [Link] wit thrf»- tufts

0

(elkha) tlfsd into looped knots <»-l,XIII,lo).

Brarata to , prescribes thbt si^nials should

huve thrcf slkh&s on their h«sd,

3, M«ny people are shown wearin; their h«ir combrd

into a bun (Fri nds, IX ), which is usually

•adorned w-th e floral or Jewi>l>d

(P I.X III, 12),

A dwarf (Sankhap^la Jataka, I) has drrss^d his

huir In a flj*ttiah bun on thp left of his he d.

The bun is s cured with a beaded band and a

streamer, which is tied to it, is se^n fluttprln?

at the back (P l.X lII, 12).

1 . Natyasastra. V o l.I, J U III, U 2 - U 3 , P./t31.

 r^8

5. The hair is gethi»r*»d In a protruding sphprlcal

knot on the h#ad and a string of b«a<. a is tied

on the forehead (Mah'ajanaka Jataka, I ) ,

(P I .X I I I ,13 ).
A similar protruding knot is also som'Jtimes

worn on the right of the head (Mahijanaka

Jataka, I ) . ( P I .X I I I ,U ) .

/ _
6« S7ai!k3*8 father (Syana Jataka, X) hcis collected

thp whole BUSS of his hs*ir in a protruding,

but tapering,knot on the top of the head

(P i.X III, 15 ),

7* Soldiers

Thf^ soldiers are u«u:^lly shown witti long,

ful • ;rown hair* ih»»y generally have their hairdo

In the slmha-kesara style. The schematic arrange-

nt of tresses on f rf'head and the nape gives

the coiffure a wig-like (churna-kuntala)

appearance. Th#» h^.ir is somrtim^ s parted in the

mid le (Syaro:* Jataka, X) or simply combed back

(Slmh&la Avad“na, >/II) (P I .X I I I ,16). S soldiers

In the Yidura Pandlta Jataka (II) have dress#*d
• «

thslr hair in a bun at the bac’'.

 39

In Bomr ca»«^8 thp» soldiers are ahowi wearing

a forehead band uhlch appears to have been used

for securing the forehead curia unruffled. It la

probably a strip of silken cloti. In this

connection It would be Interesting to know that

B&na mentions, while describing different

ctttegorles of the servants of Fiarsa, that s<Mne

of them worr a broud band of cl th on their

forehead* This band (ksrpata) was worn only b '

those who earned sp»>clal favour of their master

1
on account of their devotion to [Link], W« may,

thersiore, safely presume that the person shown

wearing a karpata. is a favourite of l:lfi master.

It Is rather enL^matic that the soldiers arr

invariably shown with long hair. This would

point to some convention in the ancient warfare

according to *iilch the soldiers mij^t have b^en

forbidden to hold each other by th<»lr hair in

close f l ^ t .

1 . Agrsv la, oi-.c l t . . p ,l3 0 .

 140

8. Chlldrc^n

There is no variety at all in the coiffure of

childr*^n. They alec grew long: hair which w a

parted In the niddle and co;nbpd beck (i^chool

Sc#*ne, XVI; Votaries, I I ) , Tonsured heads with

a tuft (glkhF) and side locks (kakapaksa) ar»»

also seen*

9, Bhlksus

Ther-^- are a number of lllustratlo’^ of bhikqua,

brahmins and beggars etc. Witi the exceptl-n of

bald monks (Cave XVII), the bhlkgu? are gen^'rally

shovm with long hair which nothing but rolls

of matted locks, Soaetlat'^s they tie thflr hair

in a conical masa on thr head and a ff^w matted

locks ar'^ left loose on the shoulcera(Pl,AllI,17 ,

Some have gathered their hair in nn flongeted

knot on the top of head (P1«XIII,16) while some

have twisted uhfsni into diminishing tiers thiough

%ihlch some locks ar« kept hsngln? down

(PI, X III, 19),

 141

10* Brahrilns

In contradistinction tvlth thf> long»hfllrpd

nudcihist monks the Brahmins have tonsured hrads*

Xh€»y ar^, In many examples, shown wearing caps

with ear-flaps (Embassy,!; Champrye Jataka, I ) ,

ilie greedy JujuJca (Vlsvantara Jauaka, JLVII)

h£>s thin, unkempt hair, [Link] a knotted tuft

at the back

/ A person vlth long hvilr W‘ ars a hum^m skull

In his coiffure (Distribution of A1 s, XVII).

He Is apparrntly a kapSllka (PI,X I, 1 ),

11, Hunt<prs etc,

ilunter® and tribal people arr> shown with lon^

hair, parted In the middle (*’ankhapala Jatakj, I ) ,

som^tlmrs with a ^'orehead band (Ssddanta Jit aka,

aH ), Scwne of them have colled their hair In a

protruding knot on hefed (Sankhapala Jitaka, I,)^

• • • contd.
 143

[Link]

iV r e ar# a number of rrpresentations of crovms,

tiaras, turbsns, caps etc* Of these the crowns and

tiaras, which are of extremely intricate workiaa? ship,

defy all description,

Turbans

Jewelled cro%m8 and tiaras do not occur in the

eerjier period wh^n kings and evpn cont on m«n »re

shown wearing; turbt^ns, "nie turban is niade of clot

probablx silk, which must have been sevsral yards

long. It is wound round the head in curved tiers,

and Is interwove vdth th^* long h ir. It is tied

in such a way that a ball of material, along with

hair, forms a sort of crest in the front(PI,XIV,1)

or on th# left (Haga Votaries, IX) or right (Royal

Party, a ) , Th<» turbans worn in this fashion occur

in the earlier group of paintings and r-* alj?o

z*epresented in early Indian art* In the Kushana

period the symnetrical crossings rprrain, but the

globul&r crest becomes a decorated plate, usually

circular or somewhat oval, through which the nos

 43

of the material are dravfn and knottf^d. Later still,

the 8t/l<» di^« out and does not occur in th# Gupta-

Vakataka p^z^iod. But it Is notf'vroi thy that ?V€n

today the villagers in Maharashtra wear turbiins in

th« same fa ^ io n , and som^ti«r€>s leave a fan-shopod

projection at th« top*

Airbana, elaborately jewelled, do occur in the

latf>r groui of paintings, but they ar*' not worn

in the fashion described above. It should be cautious*

ly stated her® that it is only frora their elispcs

that thf?y ^re classed as turuans and the poseiullity

of their beln^r crowns of precious metals cannot be

ruled out. For, It is difficult to identify th^ia

either as cro. ns or tiurbans as such from ths p&int-

inga, Howovf-r, ornammtal turbans were not unknovm*,

they ar«' of cow on occurrence in the early p ^riod

and pv^'n thou^^i they w<»re not preferred in the

Oupta age and the succeedin.r period, [Link] come in

vogue in the Xusliin period when they were preferred

entirely to the exclusion of the metjil he«id-geajts,

1 , Tl-te turban of Indre {II) is rather tal? and

[Link] th# modern pugref worn by the Parsis

 1 44

in India, A tuft is left hanging at thp back

«nd a narrow, decorative bend 1* noticf»abl<*

along the upfer margin, Thp h^lr ne^ms to havp

combed and is seen rolling on the back,

2, A turban with a flat, oblong projection in the

middle. This projecti ;n is ornament-d \1 th an

out-»size Jewel, Kxhich is referred to as the

Huuli«.;=anl,

»
3* A turban wound in r ceding tiers, the second one

of which is studaed with Jewels (Go<i8 ac .o^pany-

ing the Buddha, I V I I ), Kalidasa refsra to such
2
Jpwelied strips arranged in the turban,

4* Th<? king Visv&ntsra {ViWantara Jftthka, XVII)

wears a tastefully ornamented turb n w'th a

domical to crooned by a circular, jewolied

crest. On ths right of the turban Iso therp

is a Jewelied projrction, probably fringed with

p^arla. Some tresses (bhrutna^as) nre carefully

kept peeping out of the headgear, (P1,XIV,2),

1, SivaraniaiBurti, Kirrora of Indi-'n Culture, p , 6^ ,

2, Hafihu, i n n , U and XVII, 23; See Sivaramamurti,
rTrrors of Indian Culture, p , 6t .
 1 4^^

Kalldar-a i>lati»s how turbans (rejitano) adomtd

the* hf^ad (Blrf<8& ypa^ena sobhlna) and th« samp

word is used or the royal tiara*

5, Many chie s sre shnim w«arln» a tiara consisting

of a metallic atrip, prob&bly of wifi a

Btudded crest in the centre. It also h -a a soar-

what triangular projection on the left containing

an out-al*e oval or round gom-alab s<*t in an

exquisite filigree orn&nentation and fringed vlth

p-arla. ( P l . m , 3 ).
rhf*3e ticiras can be identified with the

auku<>a variety of heac«geara vstilch ahar»&«

2
preacrlbfs for son~patia and army l(F>a era, Yuan

Uhwang to.) atat< a that garlan a and tiaras, rith

precious aton a were the head o m m<mtB of

3
klni^a*

6, A tiara havine: a U r ^ e , oval «em in thf* centn» ^ It

is frlns»d either with awall jf^wels or pparL*?,

(n .X lV ,U and 5) . Many kin^ts i^nd princes arc

shO'-n wearlnr, «uch tiarra.

1* VIII j 12
2. N&tyaaaatra. XIX, 134-35, p.430.
3, Watters, [Link], . Vol.I, p.151.
 146

7* A cro. n (Slmhala Avtd'na, XVII) with

trlctmjulsr crpst in the mid 1 #**J 6n Its -Ither ald«»

l 8 a stwilsr but amsll^r creat ([Link], 6). —

*
d. A crown (EMb*a»y, I) aiallur in construction to

t h r prec^din^; It h^a circular or sow<'-

what oval crista In th'’ midcl<^ nd on aidf^e, Thf?

b; aal atrip ia rise atudded with fiinlaturF ^ w e la .

(P l ,iIV ,7 ), A very almllar crown of br'^ngc fand

probobly gilded with aoax* pz*rcioua ni(»t^l waa found

in the exc^v >tiona at NaXanda, [Link] it w»a

aat wit pr«>cioua atonea %#hich &r«* now [Link].

The N land a ap#eim<»n ia referable to the Hth Cent,

1#
A.D.

Similar crowna but fcith rr«>r<» intricate ornamenta­

tion are worn by many kln<^a. Figure 6" shows

how a crown looked ^rom back.

F'G,.b".

1. ARa5L^ 1930-34, Pt. I I , p .2^0, Pl,CXL, d,2,

 14?

9. The hesd-dreas of yajrspinl (I) Is most

exquisitely and lavishly omamwited. It la

•ssentiaH^a further ftlaboration of the pr ceding

exsmple. In the cpntre' it has sn arch-llke

decoi ation containing a seated human f i f ^ p .

On Hither side of the arch avp pranein*^honnF»d

de<»r. On the sides ar*' big oval g«^ms set In

intricate filigree work while al3. the projecting

orn«m«»nt8 are connected by pi^arl f^'stoons. Similar

pearl-festoons and t ssels mr- se n at the base

of the crown, (PI,XIV, d),

lO, The crown of one of the kln;;s atten- ing thf>

Budcha’ s sermon (IVil) consists of a network of

jewrlled metal strips. It a so hss a curv<»>d

projection in the aiddl<?, (PI,XIV, 9),

U , Padmap&nl (I) wssrs a tall, conical heac-drpss.

It is studded with jewelr and pearls all ov«r

and defies description. At the base, on the fore­

head, is a big, round fem, above which is another,

big;;er gen set in a lo*en»e-ahaprd filigree work

surrounded by Jewels, At th<* top is an arch»llke

motif and on its right is a lotus flower, probably

decked in the hair, (PI,XIV, 10 ),

 148

12, A crown (tieatowal of Sword, X»TII) similar to th«

precedln one; but Is oiabelliahpd with pearl-

strin^: pfndants all ov«r, (PI,XIV, 11),

13* A stan<2ard*bear«r (Padm&pani, 1) wears a jpwf^ll^d band

©round his head. It conrtsts of « chain of square,

mpteliic pieces studdf'd with round gems, (PI• XIV, 12)•

H . A merchant prince (Vajrapini, I) wc‘ara an elaborate

ti&ra adorned with pearl f-^sto ns and pendants at

the base and the top, (PI,XIV, I 3 ),

15 , Indra*s head-dress

The god Indra is r -present»%d severs 1 tirars

and on all the occasions he is shown wearing

a typical crown for lAich there is no parallel

evfin in the endless variety of heQd-dresses at

Ajanta, iis 'rown is cylindrical (P1,aIV,14),

rpctan^ulsr (PI,XIV, 15) 1 hexagonal ( 3udciha

Prraching, XVI) and octagonal (PI,XIV, I 7 ), In

onr case (Birth of Buddhfi, II) it has a roupihjiy

rectangular front ar.d has a huge semi-circular

projection with frillf^d edge at the back

(P1,XIV, 1 6 ),
 40

It is not worthy thi^t Indra la Invariably

shown* Kiith such typical head-dress in the

e rly Buddhl t art of Amaravati, Na -erjun4 -

3 4
konda, Mathura and C*andhare, and also in

the Brshraanlcai t#»mple at Deogorh*

The rich jew#»lied head-dressea described above

appear to bp an Innovation of the ’ Ooiden Ago*. It

e . —

appears th;^t only the aovrr^igns used crowns (kirita)

while the lesser people wor^ tiar s and jewelled

6
turbans* The suir^ptuous crofcns re referred t ■*n
7
epii^raphici records as well. The origin of the
Co.v\
crownj^be traced to the turban ornamented * ith a

circuL^r or metal ic cr< at which was [Link] in the

Kushana period. Its further development.- ap pars

to be a ti&ra with a ircular or oval metallic

crpst on a round atrit. which can be noticed in the

laie sktavah^na sculptures in the Kanheri Cav/s

and In certain terracotta figurines from T ^ , The

1, Sivaramamurti, [Link]. . •[Link],*^,

2, Nalk, 0i .c it . . Fi.7.37 b.
3, Vogel, o p ,c l t ,« PI,XXXIX, a,
4, tAarshull, fl±uuJiL»i 5*5, li?iar,d 124*
5, Vats, o ^.clt.. [Link], 4,
6, Saletore, &*N., Life in the GuptaAge. p.i*24,
7, C|I, III» (3 9 ), P . W , 1. 56.
Zinrer.H,, The i^rt of Indian Asia, V o [Link],Fl?.

9. These now in poacession of Sri [Link]

 150

sumptuous crov:n of t*“e Gupta period appears to bp

0

an ftlaborittlon cf th? tiara of the late S'tavahyne

period,

Head-drrases ~ :^ue*>ns and Prlnc»>ses

In the earlier gro-p of alntlnga the female

mefi’ era of the royalty ar' usually ahovm wearing head»

dresneo which covei the eJitlre coiffure {Pl,XHr,ld),

This style appears to be very comnon In the early

period as its fr^quenc occurrence In early Indian

»

art would show«

A palbce naid in the Shad ante Jataka (I) wears

an extremely Interf'stlng head-dress which Is consisting

17
of a forehead band probably of feathers (P I,X II,

The orl;l>\o.i- painting is considerably d^^ma ed and no

details car: be made out. Yet, from what r<^mair}s, It

can be said that the head-dress la unique and h^is

no parallel in the whole raare of early Indian art.

It bears a family r<»s^mblance to the wreaths used by

the Greeks and Romans, These wreaths were mad^ of gold,

''Old-plated bronze, silver, or wood covpr^d with

gold leaf and clos^'ly resembled the wreaths ma e of

actual leaves, SomPtim' a sprays Wf»re worn in place of

1, Hlg ins, a , A ,, areek and [Link] Jewellery.p ,121. pi

 15!

1
a wreath, Thf* AJant« opeclinpn could very bf*

a wr^Bth Bs e of sprays.

One of the ladies from the royal party (X)

w<>ars a bro-cl for head band having thrr^. peneock

feathers (P 1,1IV ,19), This type* of head-dress Is

not seon in the later group of paintings and

evon in the art of the lifter pw'iod Kittftn-TsiMn^

2
s«iw soRif peo'le wearing such head-dress.

The peacock-feathpr hefec-dress is probably

the precursor of the later peacock pliuae

(bc^rhabhara kesa) style in which hair is arranged

in imitation of peceock's ff>ethers« The peacock

plur.e style, though not very connon in the later

period, is charming. It is referred to in

3
literature and Is also repres^ted in the Gupta
4
lurt.

1. Ibid.

2. Beal, [Link], . Vol,I, p,? 6,

3. Megha. I I , i3 ; Agravaia, fiarsacharits.

k* agravaia, o ..c i t . . AI. No,4, figs, 2 3,

2?7, 242 and 215•
 15".

In the later period thp long h«i»ad»drp»se8

are not worn by ladl s. The roy^l ladirs of thp

Oupta-V5krt.-ka period arf= shown with d#»llcatf»

tiaras or heac-jewels which ar<* aa follows t

! • Of th«» head»dresF.e8 of the f#»male meubera of

royal fa»r'lly the coaraonest is a small tiara

having a roughly trian^ul.r erf'st with a curved

•d»e* It has usually a bij^^round or oval, gMB

in the ccntrc. It is s t in £« wt'^uisite

filigree'pattern and is surrounded by small

Jewels or pearls,

2« Of the elaborate tiarc^s ther<» ar some fine

•xtfflples. The on** worn by the Black Princes^

{I, is the finest of its claas. It is embellish-

ed with pearl festoons and pendants all ovpr

and has an oblong prndant in the centra,

(P1,XV,1). .

3, The head-drpss of a princess {Toil#*t, XVII)

appears to be a jrwelled turban with pearl

festoons and teasels in its upper a^irgln

([Link], 2 ).
 53

4. rh# tall, conicfil crown of Taa^dhara (I)

t
app«»ars to b*- a lavishly jewellfd turben* In

the centr«» it hts a big, r ctanitular ^em-slab,

abovp and below which arf round a^t In

dainty flllgrf'o patterns, P#»arla &rf s Lb o

us<^d profusely in th« making of the head-gear,

([Link],3).

Headodressea » Womp-n

Ordinary ladles, poirtlcularly those in the

[Link] employ ar*» shown wearing elaborate tiaras

iiiiiich aro similar to those worn by th** princeoaes,

1« The commonest type is the one having a tri­

angular gem-set crest in the middle and some­

times having pearl tR*i>els and festoons

(Champeya Jataka, I ) ,

2. A lady (Simhala Avadana, XVII) w^ars a very

beautiful tiara consisting of a b^sal forehead

band rmbossed with lotus petal d^'coration.

In the centre is an oval filigree work inspt

with a big jewel. In the low^r margin it has

pearl tassels and festof.>ns# ([Link],4)*

 54

A lady (Quddha Preaching,!VII) wears a tiara

which is similar to th« preceding one, but

has, in adr'ition a medial, rldge»likft jewelled

band ([Link],5).
4* A palac«>»maid (HTsnsa Jatalcs ,XVII) [Link] a ti^ra

which looks like a j^^w^^lled turb n (PI,XV, 6).

5* A conical head-gear (tTotarles,!!) probably «;-de

o fur or skin of some hairy animal (P1*XV,7),

6« ^ tall, conical head»dres^ with a knob at the

top^ It h&8 triangular crests in the middle

and on aides. These are Joined to thp knob

at the top and are jew'^lled (P l.X V ,^). The

dress #iKi the heau-ge£X of the lady show that

she is a foreigner,

7 . ^ palece»maid (Palace Scene,I) wears a turban

ornuraentf'd with pfarl strings. ([Link],9),

S. A turban wound in rf^ceding tiers and having

sp^rical protrusions ([Link],10)«

9, A he^c-dresft (Votaries,II) in r*^cedlng tiors

and having a Jewel, ^d projection at th<» top^

Or the left it is decorated with p«»arl

f#>stoons and pendrnts (P1,XV,11).

 15^)

10* Ihe h«[Link] of fi pv*lac»*-Oild (Slmhala

Avadohfc, XVII) consists of a sf’rle's of

JeweXl(>d strips v,lt a g«n«ai*t crest In

thr centre (P1,1V,12)«

It Is thus app6r<»nt that th« long, h«avi(!>r

hea«;«drf'sacs of thu earlier period . werr r» pieced

by tiaras In the later period when we

Q .

find a number of varlj^les coning Into [Link]*.

Caps

Many p ^ p lp , mor#' especially for^'lgners^ ar<*

shown wrarlng ca;;* which arr intorertinf on account

of their variety,

1, Cap with r-ar-flaps

A bhlksu (Champeya JataJca,!) is shown

wparing a tl^^ht-flttlng cap with ear-flaps,

rroiB three i:orl2ontal asrks of bhaama on

his forehead he appears to be a branmHiyx.

•

ilip cap, «»de of ordin ry clot , covers the

heed and e^rs completely and t :us afiords

protection from cold, Ev^‘n today similar

caps worn by [Link] as those

\
at the centres of pll:rlB«ge, like Mathura,
 I5ti

and is c€ill«d kftntopi, denoting tli«» ear*flaps*

{[Link],13).

2, Similar to No»l; but vrlth a tass^el th«

top ( 1.H^,14 , It is worn by a child in th«»

School Sc«*ne

3* Cuf icel Caps

Th«r^ ere many r^^prpsentati ns of tall

conical caps, U>€7- «rr either plain

{ 1.1V,15) or embroidered (Fl,xy,17) or

decorated with Ix^aded pattrsrns (P1.1V,1^),

The one worn by a royal door»keep«r (ITlc'vantara

(P<-55V,10.
Jataka, IVII) is j welled^ Kost of the persons

weax'lng such ca>s appear to be foreigners

Nhich also is evident frcm thii'ir dress* Th

c&ys ar^ similtur to tha;e worn by some

Scythian chiefs sculptured in the Mathura

art, Fa-fJien also refers to the caps worn

2
by the kings at Mathura* Ev<^n today thf»

Pfith^ns wev;r a simll r but smal er cap and

wind turban around it*

1, VoE«l» [Link]*. PI*IV, a-b*

2* Legge, o *cit*, p,U2,
 157

4* 13omlc&l caps

Khusru and hit servants {Beci* anfiilit n

Scenp, I) art? shown wearing ciomiciil caps,

Thf caps of th# servants iur'- broc d-

brlm ed whll« th« on« worn by 6h<? chi#f

is fur •brim ed and h-s <>n f^broiderscl

band in the mid le* cap aiso has

strpa»er;^ which arr ss<^n fluttering.

The rojral body-fuaitl (Chaapeya

Jataka, I) wc>ars a similar cap. It has

a crescent at the top, (»^1, V III, 4),

Another forrig;ner (Budj ha Preaching,

JlVIl) wears a sinilar cap «dth a frilled

edge at the front (F l,iV ,2 1 ), It is

similar to that represent #»d in the

1
aandhara art,

The domical caps described above

have been icentified by Ir, Agravala as

2
th<» kulah^ of the Iraniana, The word
kuleha is the sanskritised form of the
3
Persian kholfe »

1, auASI, 1010-11, P I .32, c,

2, Haraach6fiL£, o,155, Pl«20, fig,79*
3, Ibid.
5* Two fi'if'n a (Pl«£i«antry, II) are shown w<**arlng

brimless donical caps with ^ heavy tufts at

th^ top, Onp Is lain vijlle the oth«r is

decorated with vertical strips emanating

fVora the centre at th«» top ([Link],22),

6, A foreign chief (Buddha Preaching, IVII)

wears a head-drrss resembling a turban,

dearda tine rjSstachea

In the murals generally the foreigners are SV\ouov\

With b ards. The monks also somr'tini's h&ve beards,

Fr<MB this it appears th^at the practice of growing

b«^ards id not find favour vdth the Indian. , The

Harap^ans probably grew beards but shaved the

upper lip as is sug ested by the fi?;urin<» of a

Harappan priest. On the contrary, shaving; s^ms

2
to have been conmon aaon^ the Vedic Aryans, Bv^n
todiqr a l^indu house-holder shaves fre uently,

1 , Marshall, [Link] and the ladiAfe

Civiljgation. vox, AuVIIl,

2, Mltra, [Link]. . Vol.I, p,2*^0.

 150

avoiding cc^rtaln days and occasions* In this

resprct the Hindus clOB#-ly resemble the anclpnt

B:gyptlan», who, sj^ys lerodotus, "only let tite

hair on thf»lr head snd beard ^r,row In aoumlng,

1
being at ali oth^r times shared. But the Greeks

and Romans differ from the Hindus In this

respect. The iiomstns cultivated the besrd until

the yecr 299 B,C, wh<^n P, Tlclnus Mena, having

brou^t barbers from Sicily, Introduced the

custom of fih vlni^ at Rome and, as Pliny states

"Sciplo Afrlcanus was the first &omn who shaved

, 2„
•very day,

The beards depicted at Ajante ar*^ of tw>

varieties. The boards rown carelessly, such as

those of monks etc, ©=R*y ar-’ simple, full-grown

beards. In thr sc'cond cate.-ory arc- to be

included the carefaLiy grown beards of the

for‘*lgners, Th«»y have cllpp^'d b'‘aras with broad

slde-whlskers ( ^ac^chanall^^n Sc^ne, I ; Buddha

Preaching, XVII), In this conrisctlon It should be

1. Wilkinson, 0 , , Ancient ■vyptlana, V o [Link],

P.357.
2. Iblc. p.359.
 I GO

noted that for«'l^f‘rs in th© of Indian

kings have shaved th«lr oeards (Champtya Jdtaka, I ) ,

It may perhaps be dutp to the cemtempt of their

m&LSters for grow ng beards,

Moustachea

A majority of men have shaved their

Boustachrs eotapletely« Aowevnr^ there are only

a few illustrations showing persons with

moustaches, which, appear to have bc’m well cared

for and not dllowf>d grow.

The moustaches are of the following three

types :

( 1 ) !Riin, stral^t*cut moustaches

(King in Roysl Party, X ),

(2) Handle-bar moustaches (Vidura

Pandita Jstaka, I I ) .

( 3 ) The commonest type is the droop­

ing moustache, like the Chinese

one.
 1 r,'i

Before concludirvT, It Is necessary to mak«

certain ob;^ ervatl na regarding the» coiffures

in th6» early and later p«>riods* The study shows

thet therp was a rem jrkable chan<?e in the hair­

styles of men and W5ra-n in the later p^^riod,

K«n of the early period under the S&tavahana

rule wore their hair long «nd did not b'^stow

proper care on their hair. This, of course,

might just as well be due to the custom of

wewrin turbansvith a protruding knot in the

midcle which possibly rrpree-nts the hair

collected nrar or on the fore he d in a sph(»rlcal

mass, Kv‘ti today «»n average Indian villagpr

aoes not care for his hair as he usually w*ars

a turban. In the la tw period the tui’bens fcrr

not to be seen. In keeping with the prevail­

ing fasMiona of the period the gentleman of

the Qupta-V^"ltaka age takes proper care of.

his hair. The raging fashion of the day is to

leave some curls {bhramarakas) dangling on the

for<^Jieiid systena tic ally. Nor is this all. He

is nov using wigs as well. The wir;,s, as

alreac^ observed, are provided with charming

 10

rln^l©t3 to fr&ra® the fac©. The whole mass of

hair is curl»*<l into colls and arran^r-d schematicslly,

Xhe wi£S, alongwlth thf> curls, w«*r«* alr^'auy very

much in vogue in the Hellenistic and the Roman

world end hence Goetz'sprrsumption of the iiomc.n

influence on this paiticul<*r type of haii'-do is

‘not totally unfounded, style, [Link] , is

perfected by the true nai^araka of Vatsy«yana,

Thp ladies, as is usually the case,

excelled «en in this rrspect. By virtue of th^ir

possessing inborn ^ifts neceasery for adorning

thp-naelvea, they havi» now maste «d the art of

coif U T', An Indian lady of the 'orly period

had to be contented v/ith a frw styles. Usually

shf* wore her hair in plaits; at the wost she could

gather it in the prscock-plume fashion over head,

iJut her cor*V<wj>oraTies i.- the north-w<?st<“rn Indii

adopted some new styles, piobably import#»d from

the Hellenistic world. Thes^ styles tock 3o m t

time to reach the jtryiVarta. but in the Deccan

1. Goet®, H ., ’ Imperial Rome and the Genrsis of

[Link] Indian Art*, [Link] ^nc Wfst. Vol.10,
1959, P.177.
 C3

thf^y mak^ their sppf^aranee at the same tlmn b(»cau8<»

of the contact *»ith th« Komans or Ron&n subjf^ta,

Thia ejqplalns th«* b^ginnlncs of n<»w styles, such

as combing hair in buns and colls and spirals,

in the Kushana and the i/stavah^na period* T^t they

wore perfected and finally assimilated in the

pattern of life only in the Qupta-yikataka period.

The Ibidies in the lat^r period have an endless

variety to cho se from. The f 1 j st and forf^most

condition of any hair-do was to arrange some

tresres anc spirals of hair on the forehead. The

whole mass of hair wiis then gathered Imto buns,

or combed into coils, or twisted into spirals,

5om# of the old fashions, such s rolling hair

into conch-shaped knots still persisted in the

later period^ as they do even today in South India,

It is worthy of note that the new f shlons

had, of neces'iity, to be .dopt*^ alongvdth its

accesaories. First and foremost araong thes^ ar<^

the forehead bancs. It is, of coursr-, true that
they were not new to India; for,even the Harappans

used it . But later on they wer^ for/rot. en for a

♦
***********
1, Marshall. : [Link] and the Indus Clvill.-'ation,
V o [Link], Pl.i^iiVTlT; [Link], 5 ,6 ,^ and^^
 04

long time. They were, however, vpry much In vogup

in <«nclpnt Gre oe and iiome. It iB^y, «is b«

argurd that, the custom of wearing forehead [Link]

w; 8 agfiln revived in the Gupte-Vakatake period,

Hnywc^, it had to be acioptPd for the n^w styles

of coif Cure, The Hraeco-Komcina may, therefore,

be creoited with the Intxoduction of forehead

1
bands in India, The Ore ks used b nds of cloth

or le fither, wound roiind the front of th#* head to

fasten the front and back hair in order to

2
suj^ort a nptal late called stephsne. The

jewelled cheplets woin by the Aj?mt6 women may

prooably be taettl plates studded with jew«5l8.

We hsve also seen that the forehead band is tied

at the bdck to the chaplet ([Link],lJ^), The

Indian ladies might not have used leather b nds^

1, The point caii be better illustrated by a

mooein parallel. The curls on th^^ forehead,
universal in the Gupta prriod were not proper
for m Indian lady till very recently. Yet
presently it is th^ fnehlon of th<=^ day. It is
easy to ar ue that it is the revival of a
1500 year old tradition but difficult to
concede that it is a Western wave,

2, acyffert, Q [.c it. . p,267.

 C5

they would hav« used only clot'-bands (velapaaVa) .

poatlbly 8llk<^n or bands of tuln shet?ts of ia®tal

( [Link]>

Another Important lt«ai is thp chaplet,

either floral or jrw«lXed or of k«»V6da (fan snus

t

ordori tlamug). Th* love of ImiUn la..i*s r'cf

flowers is almost provw blal. The San Prlt popts

are never tired o' etiloi-lslng the beauty of

flowers in thf» heir and ev<^ today the

Maharashtrian, the Oujratl :nd th»» South Indian

ladies have a weakn<»8f for floral chaplets. It

is intwesting to know th^t India was perhaps

morr> famous for flower chapl'-ts in about the

be^nning centuries of the Christian #»r- <‘or,

Pliny irjdicatos a developmert in the n»arufacture

of chaplets from the siapl^* arran;:*' ent of the

foliage of the laurel and other trees to moYe

durable articles of horn or thin w^.tal and in

Flin.y*s own time ther- was a demand for chaplrts

iiBported fron India, mace [Link] of nard>-leavea
2
or of silk in many colours, soaked in undent.

1 . «mara, p. its.
2. Warminaton. the flotaierce between the ^roan
Krrpire and*2i;: ; i : . [Link].----------
 in c ■

Another article that was Intoducpd during

the Gupta period is the hair npt* It must have

b como necf'ssary to secure the delicate coiffure

v>nrufiled in a nf't or else it got spoiled by a

strong brteze, K&lidasa mtions n'-ts omsfflrnted

1
with pcailfi while Bana rrfera to jeweli d nf^ts
2
(ra\^ne».1al..). Even ear^^ier, we fina Bharata also

mentioning h^ir-nets (alkh^-J^a; slrsa-jala).

Some ladies are also shown vesrin^, thf^ir

hair in flowered scarves or kerchi~fs ( P I .I l l ,12)

or even ba s of cloth (fl.X III,? ) which arr

conspicuously absent in the early p.?riod. They

become Quite com on in the latrr period. These

a-ticl<"s were freoly used in Ore c© wher^ the

ladies very oftrn used to wefir their hair in

nets (kakryphalos). ba s of cloth ( gaJkkos) and

k
handke: chiefs. It is, therrforr, not unlikely

1, [Link]. Merha. 1,67 /

2, Agravalci, Harsac! ^^rlta. p,130,

3* ^atyasastra. XlJII, ?l-2’ , p,4l4.

4, a ^ f e r t , op,cit, . p .267.
 ir ,7

that thf^se articles were lntroduc(»d by thA -Irapco-

jiom^ns in India,

The Bost renarkable feature of the coiffure

of the l a t r period iS|l«rl 8h use of pearls in

the hair-do* This is a very common ornamentation

in the Gupta period. It is absont in the eariier

M
period and aay therefore o« taken to be an

innovation of the Oupta age,

Aaong the toilet articles B>mtion must be

Bftua of some oval, 8<^i*circular . nd sii^ari shaped

pieces used in the coiffuTf?, They ar^, in all

probability, clips fastened to the h^ ir. They

are sho^rn joined by pearl-strimTS and other

orna-entati ns.