Maharashtra is a land known for warriors and bravery.
The Maharashtrian Jewellery has been an iconic symbol for all Maharashtrians and is as beautiful as this state. Each Maharashtrian jewellery has some meaning. It is one of the most significant parts of the bride’s family and is passed on to the next generations in a family hierarchy.
The bride’s beauty reaches the next level when she wears her traditional Maharashtrian jewellery with Nauvari or Paithani, the traditional sarees of Maharashtra. From Nath to Painjan, we have covered all the traditional jewellery of Maharashtra from head to toe. If you are going to include the jewellery of Maharashtra in your wedding ensemble, then this guide will be fruitful for you.
So, let’s get started
Kolhapuri Saaj
It is a neckpiece and is one of the most splendid and stunning designs of Marathi Jewellery. There are a total of 21 pendants in it that are of leaf shape. Ten pendants represent the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, two pendants consist of ruby and emerald stones, eight pendants signify Ashtamangal (Ashta-eight, Mangal-good), and the last one is Taviz.
This neckpiece is handcrafted very carefully with detailed design and features. Because of its uniqueness and design, it gives a quite mesmerizing look to the bride-to-be and make her look like one of the most beautiful women in the world.
Ambada
It is a hairpin embellished with tassels, golden beads, pearls, and gemstones. The popular motif that is used in this hairpin is the presence of golden Jowar beads in it. The bride wears Ambada on a beautiful hairstyle with saree and looks mesmerizingly gorgeous.
Mohanmala
Mohanmala is a long necklace with layers varying from two to eight strings. Mohan mala is generally made of round beads of gold. It gives a perfect finish and elegance to the Maharashtrian bridal look.
Kaan
With a name stating literal translation of ear, Kaan is the ear cuff Marathi women wear on their wedding day. Consisting of pretty and exquisite gemstones and pearls, Kaan is a beautiful jewellery style of Maharashtra. It is also worn by the bride of North India and South India.
Kolhapuri Thushi
A Thushi is a choker necklace worn by a Marathi bride. It consists of an adjustable dori so that you can tighten the necklace in your way. Thushi consists of pure gold beads in a Jowar shape that symbolizes that whichever house the bride is going to, that house will always remain prospered with food. Thushi is one of the stunning and popular bridal jewellery of Maharashtra.
Vaaki
It is an armlet that the bride wears on her arm. Precious gemstones and pearls are engraved in it, along with small gold chains. The gold chain is made up of 23-carat gold, and Vaaki also has floral motifs in it. This jewellery piece is compulsory to have in the wedding ensemble of a Maharashtrian bride.
Challa keyring
Challa is the keyring that a Maharashtrian bride wears at the waist of her saree. It is embellished with various aesthetic motifs and patterns to add an elegant touch to the bride’s saree. Generally gold, silver, and copper Challas are most prevalent in the state of Maharashtra. This keyring also comes in a diverse range of shapes such as a leaf, peacock, or flower. Challa accentuates the waist of the bride and is an important jewellery in Maharashtra.
Maniwati
Maniwati is the Mangalsutra of Maharashtrian brides. Made of gold chain, it consists of black and gold beads also which are referred to as Maniwati beads. These beads are tiny and intricate.
Maniwati comes in various latest designs mangalsutra types. It also has a beautiful pendant at the center with motifs and stones engraved in it like pearls, rubies, and diamonds. A married woman must wear Maniwati after the marriage.
Bormaal
Bormaal is another important jewellery in Maharashtra. It is a long chain with beads, and the chain is gold plated with beads of the same size and shape.
For a minimalist look, you can choose to wear a single Bormaal string, but if you want to add some extra classiness to your appearance, you can wear 5 to 6 bead stringed Bormaal. The Bormaal is long enough that it can reach your waist.
Nath
A Nath is a central ornament in a Maharashtrian bride’s ensemble. Maharashtrian Nath is small in size as compared to the Nath worn by brides from other states such as Punjab, UP, Uttrakhand, etc. The Marathi Nath is adorned with exquisite pearls such as Basra pearl, emerald, ruby, or even sapphire. Apart from this, it can also be an all-diamond Nath. There are many famous types of Nath in Maharashtra like Banu Nath, Peshwai Nath, Pachu Nath, and many more.
Champakali Haar
Another Maharashtrian choker necklace, Champakali makes a beautiful statement about the bride. It is gold plated with floral themes and beads shaped like flower petals. The base of the choker is decorated with wonderful motifs and precious stones of emerald, rubies, pearls, etc to give the choker a flower-like appearance.
Chura
When it comes to bangles, we generally are inclined to the red ones. However, Maharashtrian brides have green-colored bangles in their wedding ensembles. These green Chura bangles are symbolic of the bride’s fertility and are worn by them in odd numbers on both hands. The bright green color of these bangles goes well with the traditional Nauvari saree of the bride. For a more classic touch, the gold bangles are worn in the middle of the green bangles by the bride.
Pichodi bangles
These are the golden bangles that the bride wears between the green Churas. Also known as the Pichodi bangles, these bangles are adorned with floral and animal designs. These days, many brides are opting for white gold Pichodi bangles instead of the traditional ones. Whatever the bride prefers, these Pichodi bangles compliment her look.
Dholki
Dholki is made with a string of pearls of white, red, and yellow color. It is only a single-strand neckpiece, unlike other necklaces that come in multiple layers. The special thing about this jewellery is that it has various colorful stones that give a magnificent touch to it. It is a shorter necklace, so the brides wear it with other longer neckpieces to get a sophisticated and classy look with their traditional Paithani saree.
These are the 14 Maharashtrian jewellery that is absolutely gorgeous and elegant. All these jewellery pieces hold a significant place in the traditions of Maharashtra, and the women of Maharashtra wear them with pride.
