Bangles

Women adorning themselves with Bangles

Bangle’s are one of the many ornaments worn by the women in India.   They adorn the arms of the women and come in various designs and forms.  One of the oldest art objects in India, the bronze figurine of a dancing girl excavated at Mohanjodaro epitomizes the antiquity and the universality of wrist ornaments in India. The figurine stands with one arm at her hip, the other arm completely weighed down with a collection of bangles. Even the Yakshinis are depicted wearing bangles. Banabhatt’s Kadambari has a reference to Goddess Saraswati – Goddess of Learning, shown as wearing kangan’s ( Bangles) .  A single bangle worn by a man is called a Kada or Kara (steel or iron bangle). Kada is a circular shaped bangle having religious significance for Sikhs, and is made from iron, white metal or gold.

Bangles are made of precious metals like gold, silver, platinum (these days), studded with gems, pearls, corals beads etc. Ancient times, bangles were made of shell materials, gold, silver, bronze, copper, Pancha loha (mixture of five metals), iron, terracotta, wood, ivory camel and other bones and other materials. Even in modern times this continues. Now bangles made of glass, rubber and plastic and other inexpensive metals have also been in fashion. bangles made of lac and silk thread, are also popular. Bangles are being adorned by multi coloured stones, kundans, beads, cowrie shells and danglers etc. Meenakari bangles are the metal (gold silver or ordinary) ones on which there is inlay of enamel paint.

The Bangle Seller - Painting by Exotic India Art

It is believed that the manufacturing of glass bangles were started by the Moghuls. Ferozabad near Delhi was where these glass bangles were born which first used to manufacture chandeliers and lamps.  Indian glass-makers had adequate expertise in the fabrication of beads, bangles and a few other types. On the basis of various objects excavated at different sites, it may be inferred that the glass-makers employed such methods as moulding, folding, twisting and double-stripping. Possibly, what is known as wire-winding method was also for preparing beads of different types. The beads found at Brahmapuri indicate that they were probably made by this method by coiling the fused glass rod around a wire or spoke, and twirling it to obtain the desired shapes. The technique of preparing what are called the ‘multiple-wound beads’ of opaque glass of different colours was also known. Bangles, both monochrome and polychrome, were produced with great care. Certain patterns were also imposed on them by skillful methods