The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Adorning the nose

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Adorning the nose

Nose speaks for the face. If Mother Nature has carefully shaped it, then everything else is put in its proper place. A well-chiseled nose adds beauty to a woman's face. A tiny nose stud makes it more beautiful.

Years ago this writer carried away by the charming nose of his interviewer in a Radio Station, wrote a poem and titled it `Theory of Relativity'. The poem read:

On the left wing

of your comely nose

snugly sits

that golden dot.

The winking gem inlaid

beckons my pounding heart

leaving my head rest

with the poser

whether by your nose

the gem is graced, or

by the gem

your nose is graced.

Any beautiful nose is bound to inspire. Was not Blaise Pascal right when he said: "If the nose of Cleopatra had been a little shorter the whole face of the world would have been changed"? And the beautiful nose enhanced by the nose ring or stud is bound to fascinate anyone blessed with eyes.

This nose ring or stud is a new addition to bridal attire. And in today's fashionable world not many women opt to pierce their nose. But since they have to wear it on their wedding day they prefer to use the press type of nose ring. In wearing it the design and position very much matter, if the bride wants her bridegroom go crazy over her beauty.

Women of Tamilnadu rarely wear nose ring. Nose stud is their favourite and some like to wear on both the wings of their nose. This nose stud is commonly known as `mookkutthi', meaning `that which pierces the nose'. `Natthu' ( `nath' in the North) is the word given to the nose ring and `Pullakku' (`bulaag' in the North) is the pendant suspended from the partition of the nostrils.

The bride from Maharashtra wears it on the left wing of her nose while her counterpart in Gujarat wears it on the right. In many parts of India it is a part of women's jewellery. A Konkani bride may wear a tiny nose ring adorned with fish or bird fashioned in gold. A Rajasthani bride may wear a small gold or silver nose ring studded with precious stones. The Uttar Pradeshi bride would like to adorn herself with two pearls and a pendulous head. The Punjabi likes to put on a nose ring made of gold strung with many motifs. And this is how the Indian women adorn their nose on the wedding day.

Unfortunately the ornaments that adorn the Indian women are not of Indian origin. Sangam Tamil literature remains silent to such ornaments. So is ancient Sanskrit literature.

Ancient Indian art never depicted a female form with the nose ornaments. Then the custom of wearing nose ornaments should have come with the invaders.

This custom of wearing nose ornaments was quite popular among the people of the Middle East. Historians opine that it was introduced to India by the Muslim invaders and that was in the 11th century.

It is strongly believed that the nose ornaments have their own scientific advantages. By piercing the nose to wear these ornaments the women protect themselves from all nasal infections. It also helps her to have a stronger sense of smell. Call it acupuncture treatment.

The nose ornament began to attract the Indian women and by the 17th century it gained popularity all over India.

Painters and sculptors while they depicted Indian women and goddesses adorned them with nose ornaments. Poets went on their viewless wings of poesy and sang in praise of their beloved's nose and the ornaments that glorified their beauty. And today the nose ornament has become an essential part of the bridal attire and is a symbol of marital status.

P. RAJA

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