Why Indian Women Wear Mangalsutra
Gold Mangalsutra | Tanmaniya | karatcraft.com
The term mangalsutra originated from "mangal" which means auspicious and "sutra" meaning thread. Mangalsutra is a sacred thread that a groom ties around the neck of the bride on the wedding day.
The ceremony where the groom takes the oath and ties the three knots around the bride's neck in the presence of a priest reciting the Vedic hymns is known as "Mangalya Dharanam", meaning "wearing the auspicious". Wearing mangalsutra gives a woman the status of a wife. She is expected to wear this entire life or till her husband is alive.
After the wedding, on an auspicious day, mangalsutra is worn as necklace made of gold and black beads strung together on jewelry thread or gold chains. Usually, it’s the groom’s family, as per their customs and traditions choose the design of the mangalsutra. It can be a single or two chains that end in an exquisite pendant of gold or diamond. Everything depends on the financial status of the groom’s family.
What do the mangalsutra symbolize:
Mangalsutra is not a fancy jewelry. It has a great importance and value in the life of a married Hindu woman. It symbolizes love, trust and marital bliss of a couple.
Most of the traditional mangalsutras have two cups which is hollow on one side and raised on the other. The hollow sides face the body. It’s a belief that Goddess Shakti resides there and therefore the divine power gets accumulated there.
Hindus believe that mangalsutra represents the lord Shiv and Shakti. The gold in the mangalsutra represents Shakti while the black beads are the third eye of lord Shiv and is believed to shoo away the evil eyes.
A mangalsutra awakens the inner conscious of the women and is a constant reminder of her husband. It’s believed that mangalsutra is the Fire Element that gives a woman the energy of desire, knowledge and action.
Mangalsutra reminds a woman of her duties towards her husband in her marital life. According to the principles of Hindu dharma, mangalsutra is the code of righteousness for married women.
Do modern women wear a mangalsutra?
Today's women are no longer stay-at-home wives, especially those living in urban areas. They go out to work and are reluctant to wear mangalsutra with their designer business suits. They would not want to wear a heavy and elaborate gold mangalsutra.
With times, the designs of mangalsutra have also changed visibly. The current trend is to wear short, sleek and single string chain ending in a small designer diamond pendant. However, the concept of black beads to ward off evil eyes is still intact. It also symbolizes the sanctity of the institution of marriage.
Where can you get trendy and designer mangalsutra? Today, it’s available in many of the reputed online shops. There are many amazing designs to choose from and there are mangalsutra sets which would have a matching pair of earrings too.
