A Mangalsutra Is A Gift From The Groom To His Bride
A Hindu wedding is a series of rituals and ceremonies. Both the bride and the groom have to perform these rituals before tying the knot. And these traditions vary from region to region. Gold and diamond jewelry are gifted to the groom and bride at the time of marriage.
Mangalsutra is one piece of gold jewelry that is treasured by all married Indian women even today. It’s a divine symbol of married woman and it also gives her an identity in the Indian society. During the pre-historic days, the ritual was to tie a yellow cord around wrist of both the bride and the groom as a symbol of commitment. It’s after the 6th century AD, the customer of tying a mangalsutra as an auspicious emblem became popular. Tradition requires her to wear around her neck always similar to the wedding ring is worn by married women in the West.
Mangalsutra is actually two words where mangal means auspicious and sutra means thread/necklace. This is a piece of jewelry that is tied by the groom around his bride's neck at an auspicious time on the wedding day. Mangalsutra is one piece of jewelry that comes from the groom's side to this day, and it’s a symbol of faithfulness and loyalty. Every married woman in India wears this piece of jewelry her entire life as a symbol of love and respect for her husband.
The origin of the traditional mangalsutra was in Maharashtra, a state in west of India. The traditional Maharashtrian families attach a lot of importance to black and gold beads to which is attached the double "vati" pendant. The two "vatis" denote the coming together of the two families in marriage. The mangalsutra is tied inside out by the groom on the wedding day. A month after the wedding, during the "Mangalsutra Parthavan" ceremony, that is attended by women folk of both the families along with close friends of the families, the mangalsutra is set straight with the hollow of the vati facing the body.
Though the superwomen of today’s generation consider mangalsutra as a fashion statement, it still remains as a traditional symbol of true meaning, essence and sanctity of institution of Hindu marriage.
Therefore, shop for mangalsutra with a lot care. Today, there are many reputed online jewelry shop from where one can find many beautiful and unique designs that are both modern as well as traditional. Taking into account the requirements of the modern women today, jewelers such as KaratCraft have come up with sleek designs that can be worn with the western clothes as well as the Indian outfits.
