Saturday, August 6, 2011

A tribute to side Maang Tika, Jhumar and Passa

Since time immemorial, I have always had this obsession for side Maang tikas. Maang tikas are very common in Indian weddings. However, I haven't seen brides wearing side maang tikas very often. Side maang tikas are also called as Jhumars or Passa. I think a Jhumar looks very stylish, elegant and royal. It is one of the most beautiful ornaments that is a definite eye catcher and has a very Mughal look to it. Remember how beautiful Meena Kumari looked in Paakeezah. This is one trend that will definitely make you look and feel different. There's a distinctive difference between the maang tikas that we find in the typical Indian markets and the Jhumer or the Passa. Maang tikas are normally thin and long and worn in the center of your head. Whereas, side maang tikas or jhumars are short and broad enough to cover a side of your head as you can see in one of the pictures below which has both a maang tika as well as a jhumar next to it. I have noticed that although the maang tikas are common, jhumars and passas are quite rarely available in the markets. Nevertheless, I love the Jhumars so much, I decided to dedicate one blog post entirely to them. So here's a collection of my favorite side maang tikas. I hope this trend catches up soon!