All-in-One Tours and Travels Guide: About Jewellery of Himachal Pradesh

Jewellery of Himachal Pradesh is created usually with silver and gold. The jewellers who reside in the districts like Chamba, Mandi, Kangra, and Kullu were popular for their ornamenting skills.

In the past decades, Kangra was considered as a kingdom of Rajputs, who mainly used their enamelling skills in preparing silver ornaments by using deep blue and green colours. The ornaments, they usually prepare with silver are- egg shaped anklets, solid iron-healed bangles, hair adorns, forehead ornaments, chandanhaars necklaces that comes as a bundle of long silver chains linked by decorated silver pendants with motifs of some goddess are the unique pieces, which are needed for proper craftworks and skills as well.

Significance of Jewellry in State

Himachal Pradesh is one of the regions of India where Tribal jewellery are available. The area of this state is dwelt by the Buddhist of Lahul and Spiti, also with the Hindu tribal families of Gujjar and Bakarwal nomads, and even with the Hindus who reside in the districts of Kullu and Chamba.

Many ornamental designs found in an Indian origin are mingled with Tibet designs, and various jewellery motifs are inhaled by the nature such as- a lotus flower, pipal tree leaves, and tiger’s head. For Example- Side face ornament ‘mulmentho’- a serially linked chain pendants. While, Chudamani is a head ornament designed in lotus shape, worn by parting the hair. Whereas, Kangan is another himachali bangle which looks thin and plain in its shape, but broadens towards the two ends and is engraved into heads of tigers, elephants, etc.

Amongst the most famous ornament in Himachal Pradesh is a head ornament; and bindi is a most common central pendant that is put on centre of the head, parting the hair; and silver chains extends on both sides till the ears. While, a bunch of decorative called shringar-patti is used to decorate the forehead, a fringe that contains pipal leaves or stars, moon or crescent shapes are enamelled on the middle forehead, are worn.

Another jewellery of Himachal Pradesh that attracts every woman is the necklace called choker or kach, formed by many silver beads and two triangular silver plaques. Also, Chandramalang- a coin necklace is very famous in this region.

Whereas, Chamba women wear a long silver chain round the head called shangli. While, Gaddi women wear chak ornament on their head, which is a silver domed top-of-head ornament that has across 12 varieties, few are namely- chak-boron-wala, chak-meena-wala, and a chak-phul.

The other amazing jewellery worn by married women, who reside at Kinnaur, is called khul-kantaie that contains many big earrings that hang from their hairs, on to their ears are mounted on a strap of cloth.

Materials and Tools are used in this craft

Tools: Hammer, Jig, Bead Spinner, Jump Rings, Drilling Kit, and Pliers.

Materials: To make jewellery out of gold, silver, bronze or copper, general materials used are- beads (silver beads for silver ornaments, gold beads for gold, even colourful beads are used), ear wires, pins, crimps, chains, metals, colour parallelogram diamond pieces (square, triangle, and other shapes) etc. Even, materials like ivory, wood, and mud are used in preparing handmade jewellery.

Popularity of Jewellery

Another most popular art crafts that have great demand in the region of Himachal Pradesh is the jewellery. The people, who live on mountain side, usually wear bead-styled jewellery that have big lumps of metals like- gold or silver and bordered with metals. The people of this region usually dress-up themselves fully with many types of jewelleries and thus, make it one of the most demanded art-craft to the people of Himachal Pradesh and the tourists as well.

The most popular jewellery of this region includes amulets, pendants, necklaces, and daggers etc. that itself has the local royal look, than the common gold and silver jewellery.

Himachal Pradesh which was ruled by the Rajputs long ago includes the jewellery that highlights the traditional Rajputs style of designed ornaments enamelled with gold and silver. The Rajputs were very popular for their designing skills and hence, this style is visible in their local jewellery items. Also, the very well-known designed ornaments include- oval shaped anklets, iron-steered bangles, forehead ornaments, chandanhaars or necklaces, embroiled together into a beautiful design, and other pendants. Another very famous jewellery item among the region’s women are kach- chokers made of silver beads and collar type of jewellery called hansali are also very popular ornaments.

Jewellry Process

Firstly, jewellery makers will decide the ornaments to be made, whether bangles should be created first, or necklaces or ornament for head, etc. If necklaces are chosen by these artists, then, it becomes very essential to plan or sketch the necklace in a piece of paper before making design. The reason for sketching is that, it will be clearly known which design suits best, and get the perfect model that is designed.

Once, the plan is ready, designers will get all the essential items for preparing necklace, such as beads, metals, stones or diamonds, silver wire, and the tools like- jewellery driller to make the hole, bead spinner to spin and pass from the silver wire, jigs or pliers to bend the metal, or to connect the chain linking to one another; also, and ivory to make an ivory chain, even steel moulds are created as well.

These jewellery designers usually prepare materials with their hands, through different types of moulds. They simply melt the silver, and pour the liquid in a bead’s mould to make beads; or in wire mould, to prepare silver wire, or use it to prepare silver plates, glasses or to make crowns, bells and so on.

Once, the required materials get ready from moulds, with the help of tools, the silver or metal chains can be easily bent and linked in an artistic way. Silver or coloured beads are attached if needed; sometimes even pendants are used to give glamorous look to the necklace. This way, necklace is designed with the already sketched pattern. Later, they use silver polish to make the necklace glitter. Similarly, other ornaments are prepared.

In livelihood

The jewellery of Himachal Pradesh is very different from other jewelleries, as people of this place, wear lumpy bead, and metal jewellery of the mountain people, which is very common and most popular in this region. Like, many other tribal groups, there are certain style of people who cover their body with ornaments. The jewellery market of this state is always filled with stalls that sell- amulets, necklaces, daggers and so on.

In the present days, coin necklaces are extremely liked by Pahari women, who like to wear a chocker or kach, made of silver beads and the collar-type hansali, which are very common. All women wear bangles and silver bracelets, etc. which are usually seen in the shape of crocodile or tigers heads.

Both silver and gold ornaments are found in abundance at this place, where the womenfolk dress-up with beautiful silver ornaments throughout their body. All these are the examples of the different types of jewellery; wearing which, the tribal people of Himachal Pradesh feel proud.