Sreyoshi Mukherjee Reward Points : 4400 Member Since : Thursday, April 16, 2009
What is the significance of a pair of shell shakha and red coral paula bangles worn as marriage symbols by the Bengali women?
Posted On : 4/16/2009 2:07:23 AM
Nilanjana Rai Reward Points : 27800 Member Since : Saturday, March 14, 2009
Shakha and paula are worn by the Bengali bride during the ritual of Dodhi Mongol. These bangles are dipped in turmeric water before the bride wears them. During this marriage ritual seven married women adorn the Bengali bride with Shakha and paula. These seven women represent seven forms of god. These traditional Bengali bangles are the signs of married women. History, however, has a different tale to tell. In the ancient times, the custom of wearing conch Shankha and red coral paula was started by the fishing community of Bengal. Being poor, they could not afford ivory bangles for the bride. Hence they collected shells and red corals, grinded them and made these wedding bangles. Wearing of Shankha and Paula is also related to the generation of positive energy. Paula is generally worn between Shakha and an iron bangle loha badhano . This prevents friction between negative and positive forces iron .
Posted On : 4/16/2009 5:09:44 AM
Kongkan Nag Reward Points : 25600 Member Since : Saturday, March 14, 2009
Hi Sreyoshi, this is a nice post from your side. I can provide you some information on this topic as per my knowledge. The Shell Shakha and Red Paula bangles have a great importance in Bengali marriage rituals and are a significant sign of marriage. It is found that almost all married Bengali women wear these two bangles for their lifetime or till their husbands are alive. However, some women from the higher class of the society sometimes avoid wearing these two bangles. There is a wonderful history behind Shakha and Paula. It is believed that in ancient period, the Bengali farming community who stayed close to the river bank used to collect conch shells, powder them and make bangles out of the powder. They also used to make Paula out of red coral. After making the bangles, they used to gift them to their wives, as they were not capable of affording bangles made of ivory due to their poverty. This practice gradually gained popularity among the other communities, as they were quite cheap compared to the bangles made of ivory. Apart from affordability, another important factor for increasing popularity of Shakha and Paula was good health and prosperity. Both Shakha and Paula are worn by the women in both hands. Paula is worn between loha bandhano iron bangle . Shakha is worn to avoid friction between positive and negative energy, as iron signifies flow of positive energy. The ritual for wearing Shakha and Paula during a marriage ceremony is also quite interesting. This wedding custom usually takes place in the morning. At first, both the bangles are dipped in turmeric water and seven married women who symbolise seven forms of a goddess put the bangles into the bride s hands. The Shakha and Paula are gifted to the bride by her mother and the loha bandhano comes from the groom s house. Though, the tendency of avoiding these two bangles is increasing day by day among the Bengali women, the custom still holds a great importance in Hindu marriage ceremonies.
Posted On : 4/16/2009 5:26:04 AM
Brida Basu Reward Points : 21700 Member Since : Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What i feel since Bengal is mostly a coastal region, produce from the sea plays a significant role in all religious ceremonies - hence the important presence of corals and counch bangles. Fewer married women wear shakha paula these days, but its significance of bringing good health, positive energy and prosperity remains intact.
Marriage Symbols
