Belly chain explained

A belly chain or waist chain is the popular English term for the Indian jewelry[1] called kamarband. The belly chain is a type of body jewelry worn around the waist.[2] Some belly chains attach to a navel piercing; these are also called "pierced belly chains". They are often made of silver or gold. Sometimes a thread is used around the waist instead of a chain. The chain may be delicate and thin, or heavy and thick.

Belly chains are considered auspicious for women in Indian culture.[3]

History

The use of waist chains can be traced back to 4000 years or more originating in the Indian Subcontinent. Historically, waist chains have been used in India, by men and women, as ornaments and as part of religious ceremonies, as accessories and to show affluence.[4]

Many ancient sculptures and paintings from locations in India, dating back to the Indus Valley civilization, indicate that waist chains were a very popular jewelry. Many deities in the Hinduism, such as Lord Krishna, wore waist chains.[5] [6] [7] A waistband called cummerbund or patka was a part of the medieval upper class costume of Rajasthanis.[8]

A 14th-century poem indicates that the waist chain has been a fashion for men in some parts of South India.[9] [10]

Contemporary practice and trends

Belly chains are common among women in India.[11] In some regions waist chains are common among men as well. In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, every newborn receives a waist chain as a cultural pact.

Namboothri men generally wear waist strings even as adults. In some aristocratic families, Namboothiri men wore a flattened triple gold string around the waist.[12] As a Hindu custom newborns get a waist chain (Aranjanam) on the 28th day after their birth. In Kerala, almost all newborns irrespective of the religious affiliation get a waist chain. Although many boys generally abandon waist chains during their teenage years, most girls and a sizable number of boys continue to wear waist chains as adults. A follower of Lord Siva is expected to wear a chain, with Rudrakshas strung in a white chain with one hundred beads, around the waist.[13] In Lakshdweep a silver thread is worn by both men and women.[14] Dhodia and Kathodis or Katkari men use ornaments around the waist.[15] [16] [17]

For cultural reasons, waist chains became a fashion accessory for women and men in many parts of the world.[18]

A similar garment of beads worn around the waist has appeared in several aspects of African culture such as dress, childcare, and relationships. Notably in Ghanaian and Nigerian culture, these waist beads have functioned as slings for loincloths, and as support when a child is carried on one's back. In childcare, they have been included as part of naming ceremonies and to measure growth until puberty.[19] As the practice has spread throughout the diaspora, they have become accessories to express femininity, enhance sexuality by drawing attention to the hips, and serve as a symbol of fertility.[20] Some women also wear them to achieve the appearance of a desired hourglass body shape.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Schaefer, Richard T. . Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society . 2008-03-20 . SAGE Publications . 978-1-4522-6586-5 . 713 . en . Indeed, in recent years, thanks to celebrities such as Madonna and Goldie Hawn, Indian fashions (saris and churidars), jewelry (belly chains), and body art (mendhi), have found a market with both U.S. and Indian American youths. Beyond this ....
  2. Book: Gupta, Hari Ram . History of the Sikhs: Sikh Lion of Lahore/Maharaja Ranjit Singh . 1991-01-01 . Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers . 978-81-215-0515-4 . 385 . en . A shirt of white muslin, a belt or kamarband tied over the shirt round his waist, a kachchha, a pair of tight trousers, yellow or pea-green, of Daryai silk, a pair of slippers, completed his dress. In winter he wore woollen pa jama, single or double ....
  3. News: Gupta . Apoorva . 2019-10-16 . Karva (Karwa) Chauth 2019: 'Solah Sringar' and its significance in Indian culture . en . 2020-10-03.
  4. News: Rocked the body chain yet? - Times of India . en . 2020-10-03.
  5. Web site: Vedic Approach to Vaiṣhṇava Āḻvārs . Tamilartsacademy.com . 2016-07-15 . 2016-08-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160806125439/http://tamilartsacademy.com/journals/volume4/articles/article8.xml . dead .
  6. Web site: NIRWAN . 2011-05-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110424141753/http://www.nirwankutiasabha.org/itehaas.htm . 2011-04-24 .
  7. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-05-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110928005306/http://www.sanathanadharma.com/glory/index.htm . 2011-09-28 .
  8. Web site: Traditional clothing/jewelry of Rajas... - Rajasthan - tribe.net . Tribes.tribe.net . 2008-05-16 . 2016-07-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160813220340/http://tribes.tribe.net/rajasthan/thread/d680ec99-ff8a-435a-b608-15909eea14d2 . 2016-08-13 . dead .
  9. Web site: Avaiyar's Vinayagar Agaval . Alchemywebsite.com . 2016-07-15.
  10. Web site: Answered: Your Most Burning Questions About Waist Beads. African Writers Hq.
  11. Web site: Art-manufactures of India: Specially Compiled for the Glasgow International ... . Books.google.com . 2016-07-15. Mukhopādhyāya . Trailokyanātha . 1888 .
  12. Web site: Namboothiri Websites Calicut . Namboothiri Ornaments . Namboothiri.com . 2001-08-16 . 2016-07-15.
  13. Web site: Celextel's Online Spiritual Library | Rudraksha Jabala Upanishad . www.celextel.org . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060612214456/http://www.celextel.org/108upanishads/rudrakshajabala.html . 12 June 2006 . dead.
  14. Web site: Island Ecology and Cultural Perceptions . Ignca.nic.in . 2016-07-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160610005824/http://ignca.nic.in/cd_08012.htm . 2016-06-10 . dead .
  15. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-05-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324044401/http://www.silvassa-tourism.com/pdf/tribes_of_dnh.pdf . 2012-03-24 .
  16. Web site: Ancient India, Gupta Empire for Kids and Teachers - Ancient India for Kids . India.mrdonn.org . 2016-07-15.
  17. Web site: NASIK DISTRICT GAZETTEERs . 2011-05-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110426135520/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Nasik/006%20ThePeople/011%20DressAndOrnaments.htm . 2011-04-26 .
  18. Web site: The Gazetteers Department . Solapur . 2016-07-15.
  19. Ashe . Jordan . Progression of Aesthetic: a Study of Beads and Adornment in Contemporary Krobo Society . Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection . 1 April 2012 . 8 January 2022.
  20. Nzoiwu . Azuka Abigail . Aesthetics, Typology and Functionality of Beads Among the Peoples of Nigeria . Tropical Built Environment Journal . 7 September 2015 . 1 . 4 . 8 January 2022 . en.

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