Nose Rings of India

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Nose rings have through the ages been worn all the over the world. The piercing of the nose is ofter od a ritul character. The reasons for wearing nose. rings are manifold. Some aboriginal tribes used bone or boar tusks in order to appear fiercer to their enemies, Maya and Aztee nose rings were restricted to men and were used as singns of royalty.

The nose was and is a very important part of the body, piercing is therefore always of high significance for an individual or a community. In tribal societies nose rings can act as amulets to prevent evil spirits to enter the body. Modern youths may were nose rings as a visual symbol of rebellion and to represent their individuality. In most cases however the nose as the most visible part of the face is decorated to enhance and brighten the individual appearance.

In India nose rings, introduced from the West in Muslim time, are holding an old jewellery tradition, It seems however that the sophisticated and eye-catching big nath types, which were en vogue in the 20th century, were not common before.

This book wants to preserve the memory of a bygone time and of the individual luxury of Indian women.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Waltraud Ganguly

Waltraud Ganguly was born in Germany and holds a degree in medicine. She feels attracted to India since she was a student in Heidelberg. In 1971, she was married to an Indian, with whom she lives in Germany. From the very beginning of her contact to the country, Dr. Ganguly was fascinated by the customs and traditions of the Indian village people. Her special interest is the significance of the old customary rural ornaments, especially ear and head ornaments. In order to gather authentic information and photographs of traditional earrings and of the people wearing them, she conducted intensive field work throughout India, accompanied by her husband. Since 1995, the couple covered more than 40,000 km on fifteen trips. The author has held lectures and exhibitions on Indian earrings in Chennai, Berlin, Heidelberg and London.