Indian Journal of Traditional KnowledgeVol. 4(2), April 2005, pp. 118-126

The Traditional Jewellery of Pabbar Valley

Hari Chauhan

Himachal State Museum Shirnla 17 J 004, Himachal Pradesh

Received 7 June 2004; revised 9 November 2004

Passion for jewellery is legendary. It is reflected in the numerous customary occasions where it is not only consideredauspicious but mandatory to gift ornaments. The bride's trousseau is incomplete without the ornaments. Jewellery in Indiahas drawn upon the many facets of its people, and has in turn been inspiration and solace to both wearer and beholder.Sculptors and painters transgressed boundaries between the real, the ideal and the imaginary, profusely embellishing theirimages with ornaments. Rulers used jewels as statements of power and prestige. To the Indian woman, gold holds specialsignificance to her life. It is far more than the ultimate enhancer of beauty, it is that precious thing which stays and growswith her though the different stages in life. It is also her Stridhan, her security in the face of adversity, to be encashed intimes of need or distress. The Indian woman has always been very creative in her expression of jewellery and design. Inkeeping with India's rich heritage of diversity, jewellery also takes on regional nuances. It is the ultimate and most-personalexpression of region specific culture and art of lifestyles and heritage. It draws inspiration from architecture, dance and evenreligious customs,

Each part of India offers their own traditional ornaments with special significance and these typically traditionalornaments with slight variations remain trendy at all times. The paper describes the traditional jewellery worn by the womenof Pabbar valley of Himachal Pradesh, one of the northern states of India.

Kew words: Traditional Jewellery, Traditional ornaments, Pabbar Valley, Himachal Pradesh.

IPC Int. C1.7: A44Cl/00; A44C3/00; A44C5/OO; A44C7/00; A44ClllOO; A44Cl5/00.

The story of Indian jewellery goes back over 5000years to the prehistoric past. Different regions of Indiahave jewellery making styles unique to them. In Indiaornaments are made for practically every part of thebody. Such a variety of ornaments bear testimony tothe excellent skill of the jewellers and crafts people ofIndia.

The silver jewellery of Himachal Pradesh is one ofthe oldest handicrafts in the state!". The silversmithsscattered in various parts of the State all recount howSita, the wife of Lord Rama, wore silver jewellerydesigned and crafted by their ancestors in the days ofyore. Silversmiths of Himachal Pradesh craft largeornaments, which have a very delicate and intricateappearance. Head dresses called Chak, long earringsand large nose rings with papal leaf or bird motifs arethe specialties of the region.

Pabbar valley consists of the area drained by theriver Pabbar and its tributaries in the upper Shimlahills of Himachal Pradesh. It extends from the Southof Kinnaur to the Yamuna valley in Uttaranchal. Thevalley is connected with the plains of Uttar Pradeshwith the highway road running along the right bank ofPabbar and Tons rivers. The road leading to Rohrufrom Shimla connects this valley with the state

capital. This valley is at the distance of about 95 kmfrom Shimla city (Fig.l ).

Jewellery must have originated from man's innatedesire for self adornment that has kept the art ofjewellery live in this country through the centuries. Tofulfil this desire he adorned himself with ornamentsfashioned from flowers, leaves, seeds and fruits, orpieces of bones and ivory and some times with beadsand precious stones, etc. With the discovery of metal,ornaments entered in the man's life in their mostcrude form. He started preparing the ornaments andjewellery from the metals like copper, iron and silverin addition to archaic material. It is attested with thediscovery of large number of ornaments found in theexcavation of various sites of the Indus civilization".We find some information about different types ofjewellery worn by people in our Vedic literature". Thenecklace of round discs worn by Lakshna Devi, ShaktiDevi and Nandi images (7th century AD) ofBharmour, Chamba are known as 'Dinar mala', whichis termed as Nishka in the Veda.

There are large number of sculptures, paintings andcarvings portraying men and women wearingdifferent kind of jewellery. With the passage of timethe jewellery comes out in its most refined form with

CHAUHAN: TRADITIONAL JEW ELLERY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH 119

Himachal Pradesh

its brilliance, designed and fashionable style.However, the people of the area still use some

flower and leaves and bones for their adornment. Themen adorn their caps with plumes of flower and ladieswear the necklace with a tiger's nail or tooth" aspendent embedded in gold or silver and provided withhooks through which the chain is passed, and also tuckflowers in their hair buns. We find stone sculptures,carvings and paintings in the valley which representmen and woman wearing elaborate ornaments anddifferent types of jewellery. Every house keeps somejewellery according to its economic status. Man andwoman of all ages have had a deep love for ornaments.These, by inference reveal the traditional design skill ofthe jeweller. The jewellery of the area is full of designsand differs in shape and size.

Jewellery is not merely a craft; it is an art both indesign and workmanship. It is therefore deserves to bestudied as a major art form, on par with architecture,sculpture and paintings. For, age's silver and goldhave been used for ornaments in the area. We findstone sculptures, carvings and paintings which portray

Fig. 1 - Location Map of Pabbar Valley

HIMACHAL

>(S:P~I r

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1 /---./

UTTARANCHAL

men and women wearing elaborate ornaments 'in thevalley. Man and woman of all ages have had a deeplove for ornaments. These, by inference reveal thetraditional design skill of the jeweler. Theseornaments have different names and vary in shape andstyle. The jewellery of the area is full of designs anddiffers in shape and size. There are several fair,festi vals and marriages when women put on theirrichest ornaments, even sometime these weigh about8 Kg. All eyes are naturally attracted to the soundtinkling of ornaments, which adds a great deal to thecharm of a woman.

In old times, traditional ornaments were made ofsilver but with the change of time and social economicconditions, the silver is replaced with gold. The heavyjewellery of the silver is replaced with the light anddesigned gold jewellery. However, the traditional silverjewellery is still in use in the remote areas of theregion. Women with ornaments in ear, nose and armswere considered to be the representative of maritalfelicity, Suhagun. To be devoid of ornaments signifieswidowhood or formal renunciation of worldly life.

120 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 4, No.2, APRIL 2005

According to the Manusmriti, the oldest Hindutreatise on social law, a woman's jewels are herStridhan, the only property legally and irrevocablyhere. As their only insurance in a male oriented,unsupportive social structure, and against thevicissitudes of time and old age, a woman tends tohold on to much as possible and in earlier timessafeguard it on her person. Woman weighed downwith ornaments are still a common sight in the valley.

Ornaments were not only worn for adornment andfor their intrinsic value but also for certain religiousand superstitious reasons. Some ornaments are put onthe girl at the time of her marriage on a Subh-muhratby reciting hymn after which she said to attain thestatus of Suhagan. It is obligatory for every marriedwoman whose husband is alive to wear ornaments inthe nose, ear and bangles in her hand and removedthem only when she becomes widow. Amulet (Jantar)of gold or silver containing piece of paper with certainmystical words written on it are worn in the neck bypeople to ward off effects of evil or black magic.Some corals and stones embedded in the rings andnecklace are also worn to mini mise the evil effect ofGrahas and Nakshtras. Gold is held precious and asacred metal and is not worn in the feet.

With the change of tastes, designs are oftengradually replaced. Apart from old traditionalornaments, new designs and fashion always creep infor bringing about the change. This is responsible fordeclining taste of the people for old jewellery design.The young folk have gradually developed a taste forlight and newly designed ornaments as well as forfewer of them.

Whatever may happen to the fashion or shapes ofdesigns of jewellery, it is certain, that a woman's loveof personal adornment will never completely fade inthe years to come. It will remain forever. In thisconnection, K.de.B. Codrington's remarks producedin The handicraft and Industrial Art of India seems tohave justification, "The fact that jewellery is atraditional form of wealth and that a man will hanghis ear ring round his wife's neck and arms andanklets is not merely to be regarded as an unsocialantiquated form of hoarding. It is delightful and untilthe new word with its cooperative societies andschool can give equivalent value in delight, it willcertainly go on".

The local goldsmiths known as the Sunar preparesthe traditional jewellery. He works with a fewinstruments and tools. In spite of being equipped only

with a set of old instruments, he produces finejewellery. These instruments are very rough and seemcrude but the art they produce are unique andmagnificent. From fusing of metal to designing,enameling, engraving, molding and finishing ofornaments, the Sunar does every thi ng personally.The basic technique followed by the goldsmith ismuch similar as described by earlier workers 10.II.

The jewellery of the area is made of the purest andfinest material whenever they can be affordable andfashioned with all delicacy and elaborateness with thereach of the jeweler art. Pure gold because of itssoftness, is rarely used. It is generally alloyed withcopper, and silver with copper and zinc. Theproportion of the alloy is not same at all places and inall types of ornaments. The tools used by the Sunarare similar types as used in the other part of the state.It consist of crucible (small clay dish), Angerhi(furnace), Nal (blow pipe), Nihai (anvil), Hathouri(hammers), Sansi (tongs), Zambur (small pincer),Cheni (chisels), Reti (file) and Thappas (dies) ofvarious kinds, shaped according to the nature of theornaments (Fig.2 j). These Thappas are used inbringing out the desired pattern by hammering.

Sunar use only few chemicals for preparing andcleaning the ornaments. Suhaga (borax) is universallyused as a flux in melting metal, Amchur, Nausadar(Sal ammoniac) and lmeli are used for cleaning andbrightening and Manik-ret (red dust) is also used forbrightening the ornaments.

Woman of the area wear jewellery from head to toeand during many occasions she remains laden withjewellery that produces the alluring effect on herpersonality and tinkling sound of the ornaments addsto grace in her movements. The ornaments worn bythe women on their body is as under:

Head ornamentsElaborate coiffeur has been the hallmark of women

through every era. The preference for long blacktresses still survives in the area. The head ornamentsprevent the plait from unraveling. The ornamentsworn on the hair plait, symbolizing the marital statusof the women.l. Chak-It is an ornament used on the hair plait on theback of the head. All married women wear it on theirhead symbolizing their Suhagan (married) status.Chak is prepared in both gold and silver. It isgenerally of convex shape and is about 1/2" to I" (1" =2.54 em) high with a diameter of about 2" 3". Hooks

e1

j

f

CHAUHAN: TRADITIO AL JEWELLERY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

are soldered on the inner side, which help it to be tiedto the hair plait. It is necessary to every woman towear this ornament on her head but the tradition isfading day by day and now it remains as a customonly and is worn on the day of wedding ceremonyonly (Fig. 2q).

2. Jutti-It is a silver hair pendent hung by the back ofthe head on a plait of hair. Jutti has several shapes andsizes. In some cases it is long and attached with thelong cloth pockets where the plait of hair is put insideand silver chains are stitched in three or four rowsjoined with hook at short intervals giving it adecorative effect. At the end these chains wereprovided with cluster of drops, which producejingling sound on the movement. In other form ofJutti about six inches long hollow pipe thicker in themiddle and conical towards the ends is prepared andis carved with some floral designs. In its middle andon the two ends oval hooks are soldered from whichcluster of drops are hung. Jutti is generally preparedin silver and weighing about 350-500 gm. Thisornament is generally worn during the festiveoccasion and on other days it is replaced with cottonJutti (Fig. 2r).

3. Hairpin-The women use it just above the ears to tieher hairs. Hairpins are usually made of silver or goldwith many geometrical and floral designs. It helps thewomen to unravel her tresses. It is about 3" long and1,S" wide. On the back a pin and a hook is providedby which it is tied to the hair (Fig. 2p).

Ear ornamentsEar ornaments are an important constituent of

female attire. The range and variety of ear ornamentsof the region are different than that of anywhere elsein the state. An extraordinary range and variety offorms and designs could be seen wearing by thewomen. To the married woman the ear ornament isauspicious, whereas bare earlobes signaledwidowhood. Tn addition a woman wealthconspicuously visible and the ear ornament becamethe statement of her status and power, elongated earlobes were considered a sign of beauty and health. Inancient Indian text elongayed ear lobes wereconsidered to be the one out of 36 lakshanas ofmahapursta. By appending ornaments to almost everypart of ear, the woman also, ensures a continuous stateof mental and physical well being 12. Some of thepopular ear ornaments are as under:

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1. Bragar-It is a large gold ear ring with two roundpearls and a conical turquoise suspended in the center.The conical turquoise is called Neelak. Generallythese are of red and green color. Some portion of thepearls and turquoise is encrusted with the finetrelliswork prepared from the grains of gold. From thecentral turquoise occasionally three or five smalldrops are hung. Just close to pearls about half an inchportion of the ring on both sides is covered with acoiled thin wire. Half the portion of the ear ring is athick wire without any decoration. At one end a hookis fitted in an oval link provided at the other end ofthe ornament. Bragar are prepared of gold and silverand in size one-inch diameter to two inch and weighbetween 15-40 gm a pair (Fig. 2n).

2. Darotu-A peculiar shaped ear ring prepared in goldand is worn on the lobe of the ear. It is made of singlelong wire. The half part of this wire is bent round toform a ring with a small closed hook at one end. Theremaining part is turned outward to form a semi-circle. Here another inward bend is given. Now thewire is turned round and round to form three to fivecircles each shorter than the previous one. A pairweighs about 15-25 gm.

3. Kantae-' These are prepared in several geometricaldesigns and are about 1.5 to 3" long. The long kanta isprovided with a thin long chain with a tiny oval link atone end. The ornament is prepared in gold and silverand each weighs between 5-15 gm (Fig. 2b, 20).

4. Karanphul-Y: is commonly used ornament and isprepared in gold and silver. It is either enameled orchased cone plaque, some time fitted with turquoise inthe center. Its outer edge resembles like a star or issometime appliqued with a wire ring havingimpressions of jound knobs (Fig. 21).

5. Balian-It is an ear ring with beautiful decorationwork. A crescent shaped piece of embossed metal isfitted to the wire by a hinge at one end and hook onthe other. The lower edge is extended with awirework carrying flat or round piece of metal at acertain regular gap. Its pair normally weighs about15-30 gm. It is normally worn on the lobe of the ear(Fig. 2 c).

6. Dandi-u. is an ear ring. The only decoration in it isthe coiled thin wire, which encircles about half theportion of the ring. This is prepared in gold and silverand weigh from 5-10 gm. The dzmdis are worn on theupper lobe of the ears.

122 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 4, No.2, APRIL 2005

7. Murki-Small earrings, particularly worn by men inthe lobes. It is prepared both in gold and silver andweigh in few grams.

Nose ornamentsThere are no early sculptures and paintings

showing the women either wearing anything in thenose or with pierced nose. However there are manynose rings found in the excavations in various part ofthe country. Perhaps the custom gained universalpopularity in the later period. Now it is impossible tofind a girl with an unpierced nose. Dr P K Gode is ofthe view that use of nose ornament begins in 10lh

century AD and it is a foreign importation intoIndian Culture':'. While A.S. Altekar establishes thatthe nose ornament comes in fashion with theMusliml4 But K. Krishnamurthy in his book "Mirrorof Indian Culture" argues that terracotta figurinediscovered at Chagtur reveals a nose ornament andfigurine dated to Satvahana period of 1st _2nd centuryAD A female figure from Nagarjunakonda whichdates back to 3rd century AD is shown wearing anose ornament. In some mithuna couple ofNagarjunakonda, male lover is shown adjusting thenose ornaments of his beloved while she is shownlooking at the mirror'<. Amongst many jewels withwhich the woman adorns herself, the nose ornamentis perhaps the most seductive. Ornaments for thenose take on a variety of shapes ranging from tinyjeweled stud to the large gold hoops that encircledthe cheek with graceful pendent pearls danglingprovocatively just above the upper lip. It ismandatory for married woman to wear the noseornament every time.

1. Tili-u. is common ornament worn by the woman onher nose. It is generally of gold and weighs hardly fewgrams. It is produced in varying designs. Some haveplain surfaces and a decorated edge. Some areappliqued with three or more imitation stones. Someare decorated with grain works. Others are fitted withsimple turquoise or red stones in the center havinggrain work all round. It is round and slightly conicalwith a long hollow pin provided at the back. Thehollow pin is inserted inside the nose and fitted withsliver pin known as kulfi.

2. Phul-It is worn in the nose like tili. It is a starshaped small stud with five corners and small jewelsor nug fitted in the center and some time all around,as well. The hollow pin is inserted inside the nose andfitted with sliver pin known as kulfi.

3. Karolu-ii is suspended from the nose and loopslike a decorated disc of small grains of gold. At theupper portion hinge and hook is provided, wherein acurved wire is fixed by which it is hung to the septum.Sizes, shapes and weights of this ornament arevarying. It is also known as bulak (Fig. 2 a).4. Balu-It is a large ring worn on the nose. This isornamented with a belt of jewel or pearls. Some of thejewels are encased into grain worked semi-circularballs, through which the ring wire passes. Anotherdesign is prepared by fitting flat round plaque to thehalf portion of wire ring with one or two pearls in thecenter. The ornament is quite heavy and weighs about20 - 60 gm. Due to its heavy weight and big size it nowits shorter form called Nathl6 replaces this ornament(Fig.2 m).5. Koka-It is a substitute of a Tili weighing less than agram. This is a gold knob with a hollow pin to whichanother pin is fitted from inside the nose. Generally asmall red stone known as Thewa is fixed on the knob.

Ornaments for neckLadies are so fond of neck ornaments. The variety

and range of neck ornaments are very vast. Thetraditional neck ornaments were of silver and theweight of these ornaments is very heavy. Now theseornaments are prepared in gold with lightweights andthe traditional shapes are changed by the moderndesigns. The traditional neck ornaments are as under:l. Khagali-It is a large silver collar made of solid metal.It is worn around the neck. It is prepared from half aninch square or a round bar and its circumference may beabout IS" 20". Its central half is comparatively thick. Itstwo ends are shaped to the form of a round knob, whichare some times given an outward turn. It is decoratedwith geometrical designs in the central portion andweighs about 150 - 350 gm. In the other part of the stateit is also known as Hansli17 (Fig. 2 g).2. Satlari har-It is a silver necklace usually worn by thewomen during the old time but in some part of 'the areathis ornament is still popular among the women. Thistraditional ornament is now replaced with the goldnecklace of the modern designs. The Satlari har II

contains seven chains or some time more or less isadded. Chains are prepared from several star shapedunits with a flat round surface in the center. These unitsare linked each other with an oval link. The ends ofthese chains are linked to a triangular plaque with a finetrelliswork. One side of both the plaque is provided withas many oval hooks as many may be required according

CHAUHAN: TRADITIONAL JEWELLERY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

to the number of chains. At the opposite comer facingoval hook side of the plaque another oval link issoldered. These two oval links are connected with longchains, which help to suspend the necklace from theneck. This type of necklace is prepared in a number ofdesigns also. The fall of the seven chains comes oneabove the other on the breast (Fig. 2 d).

3. Chander har-'This necklace is worn through out thearea. The ornament consists of several silver chainslinked together by a pendant and plaques which areenameled or consist of simple silver bands. The chainsare strands of tiny silver rosettes. The plaques aregenerally enameled in blue and green. Sometimes oneto five plaques with fine enamel work are in set inbetween the chains. Its weight varies from 400 gm - 2.5kg. Now this type of necklace is replaced with light anddesigned gold necklace (Fig. 2 e).

4. Trimani-' The ornament contains three hollow goldbeads of big size in the center and is appliqued withgrain work. A copper sheet is fixed inside forstrengthening of beads. These beads are threaded in thecenter and the sides are added with seven or morestring of small beads and provided with joint screw atthe end (Fig. 2 k).

5. Jantar-It is a silver necklace prepared in rectangularor square shape. It is outer surface is encrusted withfine trelliswork of grains. On the lower edge of theplaque is provided with hooks from which aresuspended bunches 'of globular beads. At the oppositeedge two oval hooks are soldered through whichcolored tread passes and tied at the back of the neck(Fig I f).

Ornaments for the wristTo women, ornaments for the wrist have always

been significant emblem of marriage. More than anysingle jewellery the bangles has been crafted from thewidest variety of materials. Ancient fragments testifythat bangles were made from terracotta, shells, copper,bronze, gold, silver and almost any material that lentitself to craftsmanship. A woman never allow her armsto be completely bare. The popular wrist ornaments ofthe area are:

1. Cajroo-It is popular silver ornament of the oldperiod worn by women. It is a hollow bracelet withteeth decoration on its upper surface. Pointed teeth are .set in two or four lines. Inner lines are slightly longerthan the outer sides. It has a flexible joint and has a

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close fit over the wrist. A pair of gajroo weighs about150-200 gm (Fig. 2 i).

2. Sunangan-Ii is a round bracelet prepared fromgold. It is thin and plain in the middle and widenedtoward the ends. The ends are engraved with theshape of lion head. The weight of one pair varies from50 - 100 gm. If the same type of bracelet is preparedin silver is known as gokhru.

3. Dhaglae-lt is a silver bracelet like Sunangan. Thenewborn baby is also arrayed with small and lightweight bangle. It is also provided with cluster ofjhurnkas, which produce jingling sound with themovement of arm (Fig. 2 h),

Ornaments for fingerLike other ornaments of body parts the finger

ornaments are also equally important ornament ofwomen attire. The women are very fond of the fingerornaments; one can found many women in the areawearing the rings in all the fingers.Ring-The simple ring is not ignored in the vast arrayof larger ornament form. It is a common ornamentworn by both men and women. The ring worn by themen are comparatively heavier and bigger then that ofwomen. It is usually made of gold, silver and copper.It is either of simple designs or provide withornamental designs. Sometime ring are fitted withprecious stones and jewels.

Waist ornamentsWomen also wears waist belt known as gachhi on

her waist. The ornament consists-of "a::numb.er ofchains held together by band~. This'Yype of ornamentalso finds mention in the Ramayana as 'Kanchidamaol8

or 'mekhla' 19_ It serves the dual purposes by holdingthe lower garment and helping to keep the backbonestraight. It also serves to embellishment to thefeminine force. It is traditional ornament worn onlyduring the festive occasion while other days longcotton cloth serve this purpose. Such type of costumesis frequently noted on all scultures. The width of thegachhi is 4 6" and weigh from 2-2.5 kg.

Ornaments for the ankles and toesAll the Suhagan (married) women wear the

ornaments in their ankles and toes. The tradition ofwearing the ornament in the ankle is very ancientthere is large number of sculpture portrayingthe female figures wearing the anklets. The yakshi

124 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 4, No.2, APRIL 2005

A (a) Karo/u, Nose ornament (Gold)

A (d) Sat/ari har , Neck ornament (Silver)

A (c) Balian, Ear ornament (Silver)

A (b) Kantae, Ear ornament (Silver)

A (f) Jantar, Neck ornament (Silver)

A (e) Chander-har, Neck ornament (Silver)

A (g) Khagali, Neck ornament (Silver) A (h) Dhag/ae, Wrist ornament (Silver)

Fig. 2 - Traditional Jewellery of Pabber Valley

CHAUHAN: TRADITIONAL JEWELLERY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH 125

.• (I) Karan-phul, Ear ornaments (Gold,Silver)

I~ (k) Trimani, Neck ornament (Gold)

.• (0) Kantae, Ear ornament (~old)

.• (q) Chak, Head ornament (Silver, Gold)

~ (r) Jutti, Head ornament (Silver)

Fig. 2. (Contd.) - Traditional Jewellery of Pabber Valley

•• U) Mould used for designing ornaments (Gold)

•• (m) esi« Nose ornament (Gold) •• (n) Bragar, Ear ornament (Gold)

•• (p) Hair Pin, Head ornament (Silver, Gold)

due to their beautiful designs and shapes. What evermay happen to the fashion or shapes of designs ofjewellery, it is certain, that a woman's love ofpersonal adornment will never completely fade in theyears to come. It will remain forever.

126 INDIAN 1 TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 4, No.2, APRIL 2005

sculptures of Barhut and Sanchi are adorned withanklets. There are number of sculptures and woodcarvings in the valley dating to s" _9th centuryshowing the female deities with this popularornament. Ankle ornaments are always made of silveror copper but not of gold. By wearing gold in ankle itis disrespect to this precious metal.

These are symbols of her married status.

1. Panjeb-It is prepared by knitting a wire into anornamental way. A belt of small and large drops islinked on the lower edge of the knitted piece. A claspis also provided at the two ends, which makes it to fiton the ankle. It produces jingling sound on themovement.

2. PO/QI'ee-These silver rings are worn on toes. Theserings either are simple or provided with small silverflat piece at the top and enameled with red, blue orgreen:

ConclusionThe jewellery in its designs, motifs and vary act of

wearing express the essence of Indian spirituality andemits metaphorical signal in a code that isimmediately comprehensible to the initiated. Theornaments worn by the woman provides an insightinto their notions of beauty and adornment. Over thepast few years change have taken place in socio-economic cultural life. A shift in traditional values hasresulted in their moving away from their centuries oldlife style and old customs of loading oneself withheavy silver jewellery, is replaced with light anddesigned gold jewellery. However the traditional formare still remained the choice of the new generation.The gold, which has high face value, not only servethe purpose of adornment but also ensures theeconomic security for the lifetime. With theintroduction of machine made jewellery in the marketthe people even prefer to prepare the traditionalornaments from the local goldsmith. Apart from thelocal gold market the jewellery of the area alsoestablished their place in the other market of the state

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