Most commonly associated since ancient

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

times with Middle Eastern and Hindu women from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, these ornaments are attached through a piercing in the nostril.

Nostril Ring Origins

The Middle East is the birthplace of the nostril ring, with the first record of nostril piercings tracing back 4,000 years. In the book of Genesis, Abraham’s servant gifts young Rebekah an array of jewellery as a marriage offering on behalf of her future husband, Isaac. Among the gifts and trinkets was a golden earring called a “Shanf” also known as a nose ring.

Hindu tradition

The nose ring, called a Nath ( hi, नथ, ) in various Indian languages, is referenced in early Hindu Vedic texts and became popular around the 9th and 10th centuries becoming a symbol of a woman's marital status. The Nath in its full form - with a chain connected to a hairpiece or earring - is traditionally worn by a Hindu woman on her wedding day to honour and pay reverence to the Goddess,

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

, consort to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. The "Nath" also displays economic status amongst Hindus; wives of kings, ministers and wealthy families wore ''naths'' made of pearls, sapphire and

kundan Kundan, meaning pure gold, is a traditional form of Indian gemstone jewellery involving a gem set with a gold foil between the stones and its mount, usually for elaborate necklaces and other jewellery. History Origins of Kundan jewelleries in ...

while others wore those made of silver. From the 15th century onwards, the ornament became quite popular, and saw variations of using

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

, thorns, and nails during the 17th and 18th centuries. Contemporary designs and materials arrived in the 20th century.

References

* {{commons category, Nose rings

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Types of jewellery Jewellery of India

Nostril Ring Origins

Hindu tradition

See also

References