There is no part of India where women are not decked with ornaments from head to toe. However, all ornaments are not worn all the time on the body. The minimum that a married Hindu, orthodox woman whose husband is still alive, would routinely wear includes bangles, finger-rings, a simple necklace, small earrings and anklets. In more conventional pockets of Hindu castes, even today it would be posible to recognise a woman’s personal and social status from her dress and ornaments. A bride would be proverbially decked up from head to toe and a newly married woman would wear noticeably more ornaments, while going out. On the occasion of attending a marriage ceremony or celebrating a festival too. Women take out their best jewellery to adorn themselves. A widow would not be allowed to wear any ornaments while, in certain areas such as Rajasthan. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh or parts of Maharashtra she would continue to wear her silver anklets and a couple of toe and finger-rings. Differential treatment of widows is more common among the more orthodox segments of the Hindu society. Most of the tribal communities of the central Indian tribal belt – from Gujarat to Orissa – do not segregate their widows so obviously. Tribal widows of this belt continue to wear simple silver ornaments on their wrists, ankles, neck, ears, fingers and toes. Besides being an adornment, silver ornaments are their sole wealth and they do not wish to part with them for economic reasons.
