A Nazar battu ( Hindustani: नज़र बट्टू or نظر بٹو) is an icon, charm bracelet,

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

or other object or pattern used in

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

to ward-off the evil eye (or ''nazar''). In Persian and Afghan folklore, it is called a cheshm nazar ( fa, چشم نظر) or nazar qurbāni ( fa, نظرقربانی, links=no). In India and Pakistan, the Hindi-Urdu slogan of Persian origin '' Chashm-e-Baddoor'' ( fa, چشم بد دور, links=no) is used to ward off the evil eye.

Forms

A ''nazar battu'' is often an intentional blemish or flaw that is introduced to prevent perfection. For instance, a black mark (''kaala teeka'' in Hindi-Urdu, ''tor khaal'' in Pushto) might be made on the face or neck of a loved one. In houses, a deliberate flaw might be included in the otherwise-perfect physical appearance of the house. In expensive items such as carpets or saris, a deliberate coloring or stitching flaw is sometimes created.

Amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

s – some resembling the Turkish ''nazar boncuğu'' and others which are threads, sometimes with a ''taveez'' attached (a small cylinder that contains a prayer verse) – are common in the region. Some ''nazar battu'' amulets are region specific, for instance silver-mounted leopard nails which are used in the Chamba district of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

state. Although it doesn't involve a specific ''nazar battu'', it is customary in the region for mothers to lightly spit at their children (usually ritualistically to the side of the children rather than directly at them) to imply a sense of disparagement and imperfection that protects them from ''nazar''. Children are also marked with a black spot on the cheek.George Vensus A. (2008).
Paths to The Divine: Ancient and Indian (Volume 12 of Indian philosophical studies)
'. Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, USA. . pp. 399. Excessive admiration, even from well-meaning people, is believed attract the evil eye, so this is believed to protect children from ''nazar'' that could be caused by their own mothers' "excessive" love of them.

Satirical usage in popular culture

In North India and Pakistan, the term ''nazar battu'' can be used idiomatically in a

satiric Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

sense to allude to people or objects which are undesirable but must be tolerated. For instance, when it appeared that former military ruler

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

would insist on being accommodated institutionally as Pakistan made the transition to democracy with the 2008 general election, some press commentators alluded to him as the ''nazar battu'' of Pakistan's democracy.

Gallery

File:India-shop-chili-peppers-and-limes.jpg File:India-shop-balls-and-leaves.jpg File:India-house-shoes-on-wall.jpg File:India-truck-axel-with-painted-face.jpg

References

{{Superstitions Superstitions of Pakistan Superstitions of India

Forms

Satirical usage in popular culture

Gallery

See also

References