Amidst the ceremonious ulu-dhwani and the auspicious shankh-dhwani, the coy Bengali bride steps into the sacred bond of matrimony with her beloved. Dressed in her red Banarasi, she adorns traditional gold jewellery and has her brows decorated with sandalwood paste. Keeping in mind the rituals a Bengali bride holds so dear to her heart, our karigars etch out the traditional designs of paati haar, chik (choker) necklace, the tiara and the tikli (maang tikka), so that she looks a vision akin to the goddesses she worships!
To invoke divine blessings, the Bengali bride is adorned with the shaakha pola bangles in the Dodhi Mongol ceremony on the morning of her wedding.
Legend has it that the riverside farmers shaped them from the humble conch shells for their beloved wives. To add the auspicious red, which stands for fertility, the farmers crushed coral to make the red pola bangles to complement the pristine elegance of the shaakha.
The shaakha pola is said to bring prosperity and good health for the Bodhu.
The intricately carved paati haar lies flat at the base of the bride’s neck. Standing out from the rest of her jewellery, this necklace is there for her to remember that she is as strong and beautiful as Goddess Durga.
In the past, women of the Bengali zamindari households would wear this versatile piece of jewellery even during Durga Pujo to seek blessings of the Goddess.
