Cosmetics, Costumes and Ornaments in Ancient India
by Remadevi. O. | 2009 | 54,177 words
This page relates 鈥楬and Ornaments (c): Valaya鈥� of the study on cosmetics, costumes and ornaments of ancient India based on Sanskrit sources. Chapter one deals with cosmetics and methods of enhancing beauty; Chapter two deals with costumes, garments and dresses; Chapter three deals with ornaments for humans and animals. Each chapter deals with their respective materials, types, preparation and trade, as prevalent in ancient Indian society.
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2.5. Hand Ornaments (c): Valaya
Valaya is a wrist ornament, either in the form of a bangle or of a bracelet. Gents and ladies were fond of wearing Valaya. It was plain or of several designs, sometimes producing tinkling sound. Gold, pearl, glass, diamond, conch and other precious stones like emerald and 惭腻峁噄办测补 were used for making Valaya. They were also made by interspersing plaques and also by stalks of lotus.
Indications are made by 痴腻濒尘墨办颈-谤腻尘腻测补峁嘺 regarding the Ratnavalaya worn by men gents and ladies[1].
惭补迟蝉测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 gives an example of Valaya producing tinkling sound. There in one context, an Apsaras namely Vapu is described as wearing Valaya[2]. 艢颈惫补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 痴腻尘补苍补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 and 础驳苍颈辫耻谤腻峁嘺 also use the term Valaya in several places[3]. Bharata recommends it for male and female characters[4].
In 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣腻办耻苍迟补濒补 and 惭别驳丑补诲奴迟补, 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补 refers to a Kanakavalaya and 叠丑耻箩补峁単补惫补濒补测补[5], where the former is made of gold and the latter is modelled after a snake.
贬腻濒补 in his G膩dh膩sapta艣at墨, describes a bangle with the name Avidhav膩lak峁ａ箛avalaya, which is the identity of a lady whose husband is alive. A J膩lavalaya, bangle with network of pearls or other stones is also referred to by 贬腻濒补[6].
碍腻诲补尘产补谤墨 and 贬补谤峁肠补谤颈迟补 contain plenty of references to Ratnavalaya, Ma峁噄valaya, Vajravalaya, 艢a峁卥havalaya, Marakatavalaya and 惭腻峁噄办测补valaya. These are gold bangles studded with jewels, diamonds, conch shell, emerald and carbuncle respectively. A 惭峁涐箛腻濒补惫补濒补测补 is also attested by 叠腻峁嘺[7]. 惭腻驳丑补 gives the name Suvar峁嘺valaya for a gold bangle and Valay膩rpitamukt膩phala for one with settings of pearls[8]. From the term 痴补濒补测腻惫补濒颈 used in 碍耻峁弓补苍墨尘补迟补[9] , it comes to know that wearing bangles in large numbers was also in practice. Bangle made of glass is found in 驰补艣补蝉迟颈濒补办补肠补尘辫奴[10]. Valaya was also made by joining semicircular pieces with the help of a 碍墨濒补办补 (Screw). There are references to Valaya in 惭补丑腻产丑腻峁补, 痴腻尘补苍补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 叠峁沨补迟蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, 笔谤补迟颈箩帽腻测补耻驳补苍诲丑补谤腻测补峁嘺, 碍补谤辫奴谤补尘补帽箩补谤墨, 痴颈诲诲丑补蝉腻濒补产丑补帽箩颈办腻, 顿补艣补办耻尘腻谤补肠补谤颈迟补, 惭峁沜肠丑补办补峁璱办补, 碍耻尘腻谤补辫腻濒补肠补谤颈迟补 and 搁腻尘补肠补谤颈迟补.[11]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
V.141
[2]:
1.54
[3]:
厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, VII.1.34.99; 础驳苍颈辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 111-112
[4]:
狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补, XXI.16-20, 140-143, 22-42
[6]:
DAOAI
[7]:
贬补谤峁肠补谤颈迟补, p.132; 碍腻诲补尘产补谤墨, p.160
[8]:
艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补, III.7,VII.45, IV.30,VIII.34
[9]:
vv.127, 443, 343
[10]:
V.122
[11]:
叠峁沨补迟蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, XII.10; 笔谤补迟颈箩帽腻测补耻驳补苍诲丑补谤腻测补峁嘺, I.8; 惭补丑腻产丑腻峁补, I.11.7; 痴腻尘补苍补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, I.7; 惭峁沜肠丑补办补峁璱办补, II.9; 碍耻尘腻谤补辫腻濒补肠补谤颈迟补, 2.64; 搁腻尘补肠补谤颈迟补, XI.92.9,19.166.62