Garland - India

India

In India where flower garlands have an important and traditional role in every festival, the deities are decorated with garlands made from different fragrant flowers (often jasmine) and leaves. Only fragrant flowers and aromatic leaves are used to make garlands to worship Hindu deities. Some of those fragrant flowers are as follows: jasmine, champaka, lotus, lillies, ashoka, nerium/oleander, chrysanthemum, roses, hibiscus, pinwheel flowers, manoranjitam etc.

Apart from these, leaves like maruvakam, davanam, maachi, paneer leaves, lavancha are also used for making garlands. Also fruit, vegetables and sometimes even currency notes are used for garlands, given as thanksgiving. Also in wedding the couple wears a wedding garland. In other occasions, it is used to show respect to an individual person or statue (murti).In Tamil Nadu marigold, nitya kalyani flower garlands are used only for dead bodies or burial rituals.In functions, garlands are used to denote the main person(host).

A Gajra is a flower garland which women in India and Bangladesh wear during traditional festivals. It is made usually of jasmine. It can be worn both on the bun and with the braid coiling. Women usually wear these when they wear sarees.

In Tamil Nadu temples (ancient)kings had appointed people for making garlands for that particular deity daily. They were not allowed to sell that garland.Each Hindu temple in southern India has nandavanam (floweral garden) where floral plants, trees for garlands are grown.

In srirangam ranganathar temple only garlands made by temple sattharars(people who make garlands and never marry - surrendering their life to the lords service )are used to adorn Lord Raganatha.No other garlands, flowers are used there. Sattarars have traditional rules for everything-from plucking the flower to making garland some of them are as follows:

• The flowers should be plucked in early morning.
• The flowers should not be smelled by anyone.
• They should be plucked only after having bath.
• The flowers which fell down on earth or dirt should not be used.
• Namajapam or Repetition of holy names should be done while plucking flowers.

While making garlands they keep flowers, other materials on a table and make it because the garland for god should not even touch the feet. It is always kept above hip level. Depending upon the pattern and materials used the south Indian garlands are of different types: some of them are as follows:

Thodutha maalai-which means garland made using fiber(usually banana tree fibers(vaazhainaar))is used. Most of the garlands used for marriage, gods are made using this method.it ranges in height from 1 1/2 feet to 12 feets and thickness from 5-6 cms to 3/4 feet in diameter.In all Hindu marriages bride and bridegroom exchange garlands three times.

Kortha maalai-made using needle & thread.jasmine, mullai, lotus garlands are made using this method. The maala for gods has 2 free lower ends with kunjam(bunch of flowers ).ie only the upper 2 ends are joined and lower ends should not be not joined.It has 2 kunjams.whereas the garlands for humans has both lower ends joined together (only one kunjam). Each Hindu deity has a unique garland: Goddess Lalitha wears hibiscus garland, Lord Vishnu wears tulasi leaves garland, Lord Shiva wears Bilvga leaves garland, Lord Subrahmanya wears jasmine garland, Mahalakshmi wears red lotus, Saraswathi devi wears a white lotus garland. Durga Devi wears nerium oleander garland, Vinayaka wears garland made of Durva Grass.