Historical Indian Hair Adornments

Most jewerly aficionados have come across traditional Indian head jewelry - whether in the form of a maangtikka or a mathapatti. However, most people don't know that in India we have jewelry for the hair too, which is highly symbolic. 

One of our oldest types hair jewelry that can be traced back to the Ramayana, is the Chudamani - a semi circle or lotus shaped hair ornament which is usually worn on the center of a women's bun, or behind the hair where the parting ends. 

Chudamani

In the Ramayana, it is said that when Hanuman Ji found Sita in Lanka, she gave him her chudamani to present to Lord Ram as proof she was alive- after which he raised an army to come save her. It typically symbolizes a woman's status as a married woman - much like an engagement ring or the sindoor. 

Sita and Hanuman Ji 

Other pieces of hair jewelry have broader symbolism. On auspicious occasions like weddings in South India, women typically wear a chandra vanka and a surya vanka - representing the moon and the sun, and by extension the serene feminine and the spirited masculine energy. Wearing both is said to help achieve balance with the cosmos. 

Chandra Vanka and Surya Vanka

In fact, Hindu Gods are known to wear hair jewelry as well, specifically the jatamukuta. Worn famously by Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma, it involves arranging five braids of hair in a dome like shape above the head and adorning it with jewels. It is said to symbolize asceticism. 

Lord Shiva in a Jatamukuta