The bindi, an ornamental dot placed on the forehead between the eyebrows signifies the mystical third eye, the invisible organ of spiritual perception and second sight. Let’s trawl through some interesting hypotheses. So traditionally, ornaments are worn to protect orifices and extremities and thus control the power that can emanate from these parts of the body.
To Hindus, women are embodiments of Shakti.
Though garments are for modesty and some adornments like perfumes are to allure, the belief is many of the sixteen embellishments aid in good health and well being of the wearer. The texts also claim a scientific basis to the use of Solah Shringar. Though some of these have been discarded by the modern Indian woman for practical reasons, much of this list is still in vogue. Solah Shringar or sixteen embellishments comprise the bindi, necklaces, earrings, flowers in the hair, finger rings, bangles, armlets, waistbands, ankle-bells, kajal, toe-rings, henna, perfume, sandal wood paste, the upper garment and lower garment. Given that Shringar is interwoven into all Indian arts, shouldn’t we pause to ask why wearing ornaments, throughout the vast and diverse India, has become almost ritualistic?Īncient Vedic texts mention Solah Shringar with which they proclaim a woman must adorn herself. In Bhanushinger Padavali beautifying herself for a tryst with Krishna, Tagore’s Radha says: Indian literature is replete with descriptions of women arraying themselves with ornaments while shringar rasa is a significant motif in all Indian classical dance forms.
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