Jewellery Heritage: Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh

Jhabua's histroy is quite eventful. While it was ruled by the Rathor dynasty for generations, the region was also hailed as a princely state during the British era and today, it is the administrative headquarter of the district. That said, the tribes – Bhils and Bhilalas, living here have a major influence on its jewellery heritage. 

The jewels are not just adornment here but also an integral part of its rituals. Soon after the girl is born, she is adorned with a heavy silver locks in neck, hand and feet. These piece are not removed by them until death. Posthumously, the jewels are removed and kept in the family as her remains. Even when it comes to marriages, women are offered heavy silver jewels by the prospective grooms and if the girl accepts the offerings of a certain groom in the presence of the whole community, she gets married to him. 

Although it is an age-old practice, in terms of design, there are not too many variations to explore. Manufactured by villagers, the locks continues to be carved in plain round shape and are made up of the hard cast solid silver tubular structures and folded as spirals in the end. This is the most common design which is noticed amongst almost all the females, even those belonging to different regions of the district. 

But with time, the designs have evolved. The use of silver chains, beads, smaller sizes of ornaments, dome shaped pieces, can also be seen. Moreover, owing to the increase in silver price and prevalent poverty in the region, the mixing of copper too is practised these days. However, there is no paucity of people who still exchange of silver bricks and ornaments. Long live this glittering culture!  

Author: Deepa Mishra

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