By Sujain Thomas
Special to INDIA New England News
Hindu culture is one of the most colorful in the world. The mangalsutra necklace is one of their most attractive aspects. This is a necklace that is worn by women to indicate that they are married. The mangalsutra represents love and dedication to her husband.
In this predominantly Indian culture, there are five types of jewelry that a woman can wear to indicate that she is married. These include;
1. The mangalsutra
2. Toe rings
3. Kumkum
4. A nose ring
5. Bangles
Of all these ornaments, the mangalsutra is the most important one. Traditionally, every married woman would make her mangalsutra using a string made of gold or silver. She would arrange black beads along the string and fix an ornament in the middle. Today, married women can buy a ready-made diamond mangalsutra online at various websites, including www.candere.com .
What does it mean?
Due to its cultural importance, the mangalsutra is adorned on the neck of a bride in a special ceremony. This ceremony is known as the mangalya dhanaram. The mangalsutra necklace has various meanings.
An unbreakable bond
This necklace indicates that the husband and wife are together for life. At their wedding, the groom makes the mangalsutra and places it on his wife’s neck. As he does this, he wishes his wife a long life and indicates that the mangalsutra is a symbol of their love.
The consciousness of Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva is a Hindu god. In a marriage, he represents the husband. Married women wear their mangalsutra throughout their lives. This keeps the spirit of Lord Shiva awake in them. As a result, their husbands maintain their well-being.
Protection against evil
The mangalsutra works to prevent any evil from entering the marriage. The necklace has three knots that represent the main characteristics of a married woman. The first knot indicates her obedience to her partner. The second knot indicates her obedience to his parents and the third one indicates her respect for God. With these three knots intact, the marriage is protected from evil.
The married women in the Hindu culture wear mangalsutra necklaces until the day they die. They will also wear it until the death of their husband.
Science behind the design of a mangalsutra necklace
The center part of a mangalsutra necklace has a very important design. It has two distinct cups in it. These round cups must not have any decorations in the front. These cups indicate the Energy of Knowledge.
The round shape of the cups is derived from the number zero. This means a void according to the Brahman. This void is capable of absorbing energy waves according to the spirit of the woman wearing the necklace. Since a round shape indicates the Energy of Knowledge, she will essentially absorb only energy that brings her knowledge.
In addition to that, the round shapes in the middle of the necklace represent a Sattva-guna. This one indicates the presence of a bond between Lord Shiva and goddess Shakti.
(Sujain Thomas is a jeweler. She has many years of experience in making and selling Hindu jewelry. Her knowledge has been very useful in designing the diamond mangalsutra online.)
