The traditional jewellery of Kerala is known for its artistic work. Embossed with depictions of gods and goddesses from the temples in south India, jewellery of Kerala reflects the dignity of rich Indian culture. Since the traditional jewellery of Kerala consists of traditional Gold ornaments that are crafted from vast quantities of gold, it makes for a great investment for the Kerala brides - even more than diamonds.
Temple jewellery’s origin dates back to the dynasties of Chola and Pandya. Earlier, temple jewellery styles were crafted by the Artisans with the precious metal donations that were made to temples in south India. Soon after, jewellers started drawing inspirations from the deities and the work done on Temples’ walls & ceilings. They started to craft jewellery with precious metals such as Gold. These jewels were adorned with temple-inspired motifs. Initially, these jewellery styles were worn by the Temple dancers and devotees in their daily practices. Over the course of time, temple jewellery became popular not only because it looked gorgeous but also because it evoked religious sentiment among people.
Ornaments convey the characteristic features of the community to which one belongs. Hindus traditional ornaments include necklaces, chains, bangles, finger rings, ear studs etc. Different Types of Kerala Traditional ornaments of Hindus are Maanga Mala Necklace, Mulla Motu Necklace (Jasmine Buds Necklace), Pulinakham Mala, Karimani Mala, Kasu or Lakshmi Mala, Palakka Mala, Nagapada Thali, Pathakam, Poothali, Cheruthali, Elakkathali, Vanki, Adyal, Ozhukanvala, Ottavala, Poottuvala, Tharivala, Kothuvala, Thoda (ear ring), Kathila (ear ring) Mookkuthi (nose ornament) etc.
Muslim women have a variety of ornaments for the ear known as Mekkath, Pachakkallu, Alicath and Jimikki. They also wear finger rings and necklaces known as Pathakam, Ashtika, Ottapathakam, Padimala, Chakramanimala etc.
Traditional Christian women wore heavy rings on upper ear lobe known as Mekkamothiram or Kunukku, necklace known as Ottapathakkam, Kurisumala and rings of various kinds for fingers and anklets.
Tribal women used to wear ornaments made of palm leaves, woods and beads from wild plants. Married women wore bangles on both forearms and metal rings on upper arms.
Fashions in ornaments have undergone a great change.Traditional ornaments worn by almost all communities are being replaced by modern ornaments made of gold, silver etc. Kammal (modern stud), gold rings and jimikkies (pendants) have replaced old ‘thoda’ and ‘kathila’. Traditional bracelets like ‘kappu’ have been replaced by modern bangles.

Maanga Mala Necklace

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A typical Manga mala necklace is made of small mango-shaped pendants. It is the most common jewellery styled adorned in Kerala. It depicts the rich traditional jewellery of Kerala.

Mulla Motu Necklace (Jasmine Buds Necklace)

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Jasmine buds necklace or the Mulla Mottu necklace consists of a series of jasmine petals that are stranded together to form a necklace. This Kerala traditional jewellery piece comes in two types of designs- one with the plain gold jasmine petals made with Gold and the second one with a combination of gold Jasmine buds and gemstones. Mulla Motu necklace makes for an important Kerala bridal jewellery collection, therefore almost every Keralan woman has this jewellery style in her collection.

Pulinakha Mala

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The word Pulinakham stands for the nails of a Tiger, therefore, Pulinakham Mala consists of the glass stones that are crafted in the shape of the tiger’s nails. These glass stones are strung together to form a beautiful necklace. This classic jewellery is usually adorned by Keralan women with the traditional Keralan saree.

Karimani Mala

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Similar to Mangalsutra worn by North Indian women, Karimani mala is made up of black and gold beads and is often worn by married women in Kerala. Karimani Mala is crafted in Gold.

Kasu or Lakshmi Mala

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‘Kasu’ stands for Ornaments and ‘Mala’ stands for a necklace, therefore Kasu Mala is crafted with a lot of Ornaments that are strung together to form a necklace. These Ornaments are embossed with the figure of Goddess Lakshmi, therefore it is also known by the name of Lakshmi Haar.

Palakka Mala

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Green in color, Palakka Mala is a ‘leaf’ necklace that consists of either emeralds or imitation green stones. The design usually resembles a leaf having a gold border.

Nagapada Thali

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It is one of the oldest Kerala jewellery designs and resembles the hood of a snake which is why it is called Nagapada Thali. It consists of green-colored stones such as Emerald. These gemstones are strung in a Gold chain.

Pathakam

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Pathakam consists of a Gold pendant in a Gold chain. This beautiful piece of traditional Keralan jewellery is made with pure Gold.

Poothali

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Poothali is made with nature-inspired patterns and designs. It consists of rectangular pieces that are crafted with intricate flowers and leaves.