From heirlooms inherited from generations past, to the latest designer diamond sets, the Marwari bride has a plethora of stunning options to chose from for her wedding day. Her jewellery earns special respect not only because of its beauty and cost, but also because of its role in Marwari wedding traditions.

Text: Nirati Agarwal & Niyati Patel with inputs from Reshma Kulkarni

The Marwari bride is dressed up to the hilt with pieces ranging from the intricate rakhri (a circular Maang Tikka) or Borla (a trinket worn on the forehead), the chooda (bangles), the bicchuye (toe-rings that are usually gold), the timaniyaa (a choker studded with uncut diamonds) and dainty payals, hathphul and bajubandhs made especially of gorgeous polki diamonds, to the larger and incredibly beautiful kundan sets.


These pieces of jewellery aren’t just ornaments to beautify the bride, but also form an integral part of Marwari wedding traditions such as Palla Dastoor, a ritual where clothes and jewellery are gifted to the bride from the groom and Mahira Dastoor, a tradition when the maternal uncle of the bride gifts her jewellery and clothes. Anju Poddar, author of A Wedding in the House, reveals that the chooda, a significant piece of jewellery, is green and red in colour with gold metal straps and is given to the bride to wear after the bidai for about 45 days. Moreover, during the kanyadaan, the bride wears all the jewellery that is given to her by her parents as inheritance and is called stree dhan.