We pose for a photograph in traditional Rajasthani-style clothing at a party at our home stay in Jaipur. During the party we learned about Solah Shringar or The Sixteen Adornments of a Woman. To see more photographs from our Solah Shringar Party, click here.

Solah Shringar, The Sixteen Adornments of a Woman

The wedding day for an Indian bride is one of the most significant of her life. This day above all others marks her transition into womanhood. The preparations during the day of the wedding involve beauty rituals, passed down through the centuries, that are meant to adorn and bestow gifts of beauty on her. The bride's female relatives spend hours ceremoniously dressing and adorning her.
The full decorations or shringar,of which there are sixteen, correspond to the sixteen phases of the moon which in turn is connected with a woman's menstrual cycle. Sixteen is, therefore, a significant number. The term shringaris associated with Sri (or Laksmi), the goddess of female beauty, good luck, prosperity, and fertility. Sri-Laksmi is depicted as a model Hindu wife.
In India, gold ensures ceremonial purity and precious stones are set into gold ornaments that adorn specific parts of the body. The color red is considered to be auspicious because it has several emotional, sexual and fertility-related qualities. Therefore the red color that results from mehndi designs and the use of red for the wedding sari have special significance in the wedding ceremony.
An Indian woman's married status is demonstrated through her jewelry and clothes. However, no single ornament serves the purpose of indicating marital status in India, as does the wedding ring in the west. Rather, regional patterns vary and marriage ornaments can be worn on the head, nose, neck, wrist, toes and combinations of these.
Because young unmarried girls seldom wear jewelry or bright clothes, these visible marks of her married status are first bestowed on the bride-to-be during the ritual of Solah Shringar. In the event of her husband's death, the widow's bangles are smashed and she is expected to abandon her jewelry.

During our home stay in Jaipur, we learned the rituals of Solah Shringar during a special party. We dressed in traditional Rajasthani clothes and were given a gold purse containing the items needed to complete the sixteen adornments of a woman. Chiya took us through the ritual.

1. The bride's hair is oiled and adorned with flowers and other ornaments.
2. A paste of oil, turmeric, and gram flower is used to cream and scrub the bride's hands and arms.
3. Her forehead is embellished with a tikka or bhor ornament or with gold ornaments worn along the hairline.
4. The face is also adorned. The eyes are highlighted with kajal drawn in a wide black line around the eye. Cosmetics are used to beautify the face; the face is powdered, the cheeks are rouged, and lipstick is applied.
5. A nose ring consisting of clusters of pearls or other gems including diamonds is worn. Some nose rings consist of a disc made of tiny gold beads. In some areas of India the nose ring is never removed and thus, becomes another visible sign of a married woman. The Bishnoi women we visited wore their nose rings at all times.
6. The ears are also adorned. Ear rings may consist of elaborately decorated large round ornaments. The weight of these ornaments is often supported by a chain passing over the crown of the head. Some earings hang from the lobe and end in a large elaborately decorated pendant. Other ornaments cover the entire ear.
7. Necklaces of different lengths, some arranged like a collar or choker, are strung with pearls, gold pieces, and gold beads. Necklaces made from floral garlands are also worn by the bride.
8. Because they are considered the most visible sign of marriage, bangles or bracelets are one of the most important adornments worn by the bride. Bangles may be made of iron, ivory, green or red glass, ceramic, gold, and other metals depending upon the custom.
9. Armlets, worn on the upper arm, may be set with pearls or diamonds and made of gold or silver.
10. The hands and feet are covered with intricate mehndi designs made from henna. The resulting red color is considered to be auspicious because it has several emotional, sexual and fertility-related qualities. We also had mehndi designs placed on our hands during our home stay. Learn more about mehndi.
11. Gold rings are worn. These may be worn in the form of a hathphulor hand ornament which consists of a central flower or medallion to which eight chains are attached. Three of the chains pass to a bracelet and five to each of the fingers where they are secured by finger rings. In some cases, the left hand thumb ring may contain a mirror.
12. The feet are also decorated. In some regions a thick red line is drawn along the outer border of the foot. In other areas, mehndi designs are applied to the feet.
13. Anklets from simple chains to heavy, thick, rigid bracelets are worn. Sometimes, bells may be attached to the anklets. The Bishnoi women wore thick bracelets around their ankles.
14. The toes are also adorned. Toe rings may be simple or elaborate in design. Some toe rings have bells attached to them. Foot and toe ornaments constructed in a manner similar to the hathphuldescribed above (see 11) may also be worn.
15. The waist is also adorned with an elaborate gold or silver belt. The belt also serves to keep the bride's sari in place.
16. Because red is considered auspicious (see 10 above), red is the color of the bride's wedding sari. The sari may also be richly embroidered with gold threads.

In the images below note the bangles or bracelets worn by the woman on the right. Bangles are considered the most visible sign of marriage and are one of the most important adornments worn by a married woman. She also wears armlets on her left upper arm and several silver necklaces. The Bishnoi woman on the left wears a nose ring and several necklaces. The ball shaped blue elements of one of the necklaces are constructed of multiple strands of small glass beads. This necklace is presented to the bride as an auspicious gift.

To see photographs from our Solah Shringar Party, click here.