Journey of a Jhumka
Text: Josanne Roberts
For South Asian culture, jewellery is woven into the fibre of tradition and expression. Spanning through centuries and travelling through regions, jewellery in this cultural panorama goes beyond its physical form. A part of history, stories and relics of lives lived. For us, it is the jhumka. A prominent motif in an Indian jewellery box, and a portal transporting you through time and perspectives. At its heart, jhumkas lie as a profound connection to cultural heritage. Each piece is an exhibit of centuries-old craftsmanship, passed down through generations. The intricacies in each style, telling tales of eras, cultures, geographies and artistic expression.
The very first jhumka can be spotted over 5000 years ago. Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro and other sites have dug up a plethora of handmade jewels resembling early forms of the jhumka. In their natural and traditional form, jhumkas are bell-shaped, with a musical jingle. They can also be seen worn by sculptures at Bharhut dating back to 184 BC and 82BC, on ancient temple statues dating to 300 BCE and common ear jewellery in the Chola Dynasty.
Maintaining a strong sense of tradition, even today, the jewellery of tribal India can still reflect age-old stories. For instance, the Banjara community, with their nomadic nature, has been carrying their colourful essence through their jhumkas for decades.
As jewellery for deities, they turned into a staple for dancers. Bharatnatyam dancers in Southern India adorned jhumkas as a necessary part of their performance wear. The dance form, like most Indian dance forms, is highly expressive. Telling stories through movements of the neck, or through coy glimpses and tapping feet. Jhumkas moved in tandem with dancers, blending into the musicality of every move.
From being a part of art, to an inspiration for art, the jhumkas also found their way into paintings. For painter Raja Ravi Varma, jewellery was a classic. Most of his pieces immortalised ethereal women in luminous jewels, the jhumka being one of the many. To Raja Ravi Varma, decking his subjects in jewels like the jhumka meant an intermingling between reality, the ideal and imaginary. An air of wonder, if you may.
A considerable amount of his paintings depicted royalty. The jhumka, from being jewellery for the Gods, slowly was embraced by queens. Royalty from empires of different regions from the Indian subcontinent were spotted wearing jhumkas. These jhumkas typically had strings of pearls hanging from the rims and had domes bejewelled with precious stones. For the Dogra Dynasty in Northern India, jhumkas were a necessity. Dogra women preferred to have at least a single pair in their collections.
Royalty of the later years too can be spotted wearing elegant, decadent jhumkas.
They went from being worn by royalty to telling stories of royalty. Predominantly through film, jhumkas were part of costumes of some of the most iconic women in the Indian Film Industry. They were also important motifs in music within films. Like the iconic Asha Bhosle songs “Jhumka Gira Re” from Mera Saaya ( 1966 ) or “Jhumka Jhulale” from Gora ( 1987 ).
They slowly moved into the masses. First as traditional bridal jewellery, to later being part of the average everyday outfit. A style rooted in a really dense history, today, transcends gender and class. Much like jewels worn by Rajasthani men, where jhumkas are a staple. ( See below ) Metals and gemstones within jhumkas are chosen according to birth charts and everything the stars want you to remember. Like a silver jhumka for the moon, or gold for the sun. You can spot them on the runway, part of strong looks curated and designed by India’s finest designers. ( See below )
At its core, though the jhumka has seen several trips around the sun, it still maintains all its defining components. The stud, the links, the quintessential dome, and the dangly bits at the end. No matter how many years fly by, a jhumka can be trusted to be a necessity for South Asian people. As an expression of femininity, sensuality and good health, a marker of identity and a reminder of home.
