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needed for various Kalakshetra productions.
Over forty crowns used for various characters
in the dance drama were created by him as
authentic Temple jewellery which he claims
were both simple and elegant on stage with
the lights.
Temple dancers in ancient times were residents
of the temple premises. They were privileged to
use the antique jewellery of the deities during
performance offerings. With passage of time,
thus Temple jewellery became the most used
and popular among classical dancers. “Old
jewellery used pure gold, uncut and natural
stones and were totally handmade. They
used to fit the stones into the metal by
using natural wax. Then thin gold sheets
were hammered ,stuck
on the edges and
chiselled for perfection.
is also a government approved artisan. Thus
we find that originating from temples as the
adornments and assets of the deities, temple
jewellery became the primary ornaments of
the temple dancers. From then to becoming
the current day popular jewellery of classical
dancers, from the priced possessions of
various royal dynasties to current day popular
antique jewellery worn by many for several
occasions like weddings, temple jewellery
have indeed not just remained the hallmark
of great craftsmanship and creativity but also
carry with them tales and legends from the
history, mythology and nature. As we try to
find out more about what stories these
headsets, jhumkas, neck pieces, Rakkodi
and waist belts have to say let
us take a look at some of
the traditional designs
below.
Jewellery courtesy: Sri S Nagalingam (Ramesh),
Full headset & Chandran Suryan
Today there is technology and the
process is slightly different. We use pearls
from Hyderabad, Rubies and stones sourced
from various granite quarries. And the metal
commonly used used is silver with gold plating
to make it affordable for today’s times. Temple
jewellery is also made from Panchaloham (an
alloy of five metals) “ says Mr. S. Nagalingam
who is a professional temple jewellery
manufacturer for the past five generations and
BY INDU S. V