The Complete Jewellery Set for a Kerala Hindu Wedding

Photo Courtesy – Malabar Gold

Kerala is not only famous for its scenic beauty, but also for the gorgeous bridal jewellery at Hindu weddings. Even though the wedding gets over in a blink of an eye (the ritual only involves tying the thaali), the jewellery lasts generations! The most spectacular aspect of a Keralite bride is the bridal jewellery.

In simple words, its an onlookers delight. The more you notice the jewellery, the more its grandeur and exquisiteness intimidates you. No matter how modern a bride is, she never hesitates to adorn herself with the complete set of traditional Kerala wedding jewellery on her wedding. More importantly, the amount of gold defines the status symbol of the bride’s family.

The bride wears layers of old jewellery – from many necklaces, to bangles, to waistbands to hair embellishments. Though temple jewellery is most prevalent in South India, the typical Kerala bridal jewellery stands apart, having a distinct style of its own.

If you look at any Kerala bride, the first thing you notice is her layered necklaces. Closely, you will find all the necklaces are different in designs. The shortest one tied to the neck is the chocker necklace, whereas the longest necklace should ideally touch the waist band.

Types of traditional wedding jewellery

Mulla Mottu mala: Keralites also call it the jasmine bud necklace. Brides mostly wear this as a long chain in the last row. It contains long jasmine buds or petals throughout the necklace and comes in gold, or with minakari work or studded stones.

 

Coin mala or Lakshmi mala: In a Malayalee family, you may notice that every woman possesses a Lakshmi mala. The necklace design has many same-sized coins encrypted with the idol of Goddess Lakshmi joining together to form the mala. Often, it comes with coin earrings.

 

The Palakkal necklace: This necklace is a combination of emerald and ruby. However, brides these days design it with contemporary designs and stones.

 

Nagapada thali: Nagapada thali necklace is similar to Palakkal mala, but with mild design differences. Many small pendants with precious and semi-precious stones in them make the necklace an important neckpiece.

 

Manga mala: This traditional necklace has an aesthetic design, appealing to all ages.  The paisley or mango-shaped pendants accentuate the colours of the rubies and emeralds in them.

 

Kasu mala: The Kasu mala looks similar to Lakshmi mala in design, but differs in aesthetics. Kasu malas are comparatively longer and designed with gold coins clubbed together to form a necklace. Lakshmi mala contains a big pendant at the centre while Kasu mala is symmetric throughout the necklace.

 

 

Poothali mala: Poothali mala is often broad in design. The mala often has intricate leaf and flower designs. Nature is its inspiration.

 

Karimani mala: Karimani mala is similar to the Mangalsutra in design. The necklace has gold and black beads holding it up.

Photo Courtesy – www.keralagold.com

Other jewellery include the waistband, armbands (worn on both arms), headband (or matha tikka), gold bangles and large earrings. Brides also wear hair embellishments to complete their bridal look.