The first time I saw the Kohinoor at the Tower of London, there were tears of patriotic agony in my eyes. And when the security tried to keep the crowd moving, I felt angry enough to retort that “it belonged to us and you are keeping it in safe custody.” After all, it was our heritage on display and the $10 entry fee pinched in more ways than one. The jewellery and precious metal gallery at the National Museum may not be the Indian counterpart of the crown jewels in the Tower of London, but the collection has more than enough bejewelled extravaganza to dazzle the eye. They are our own, not borrowed finery, not looted, if less in value.
The gallery is redolent with unwritten, unsung tales of grandeur, palace of intrigues and passionate romance. Who can say who wore the Harappan gold bracelet? It could be that one of the skeletons found huddled on the steps of the Harappa was the original owner who lost it in a game of dice. The Mughal sarpech with its huge uncut emeralds and studded with diamonds may have been the pride and joy of a Mughal princeling, a symbol of his status in the royal court and then he lost favour with the chief queen or the patrani. And maybe a tall mustached warrior in one of Rajputana’s rajwadas fell in love with the graceful wrist encircled by an enchanting bracelet of rubies and pearls. Or maybe none of this happened and another set of tales of the aura of wealth can be woven around these jewels.
Ornaments for every occasion, every body — both divine and human are on display in the gallery — are witness to the skill of the goldsmiths and jewel cutters and prove that it was no accident that India was known as Swarnadwipa, the land of gold. There was so much gold imported into India that Pliny lamented that Roman coffers were empty because all gold had drained to India!
Jewellery from every age has its fascination, be it because of design or technique. The Harappan pieces are a marvel of lapidary craft, with large onyx, jade and feldspar beads. These make up bracelets, waistbands and necklaces strung together, their red and green stones catching the light. On the other hand, one can only wonder at the high level of knowledge that the craftsmen possessed over 4,500 years ago that enabled them to make gold beads so small that the holes in them are almost microscopic. The designs Harappan jewellery displays are truly fascinating in their simplicity. In fact some even incorporate a kind of abstraction into the form. One such piece is the gold brooch from Harappa in the shape of the figure eight. Three bands of gold are set on a silver plate and soldered and further decorated by inlaying two rows of tiny burnt steatite beads capped with gold.
Most of the ornaments from Taxila provide ample testimony to the rich cultural contact that existed between the Greco-Roman world and India in the early centuries of the Christian era. Most of the jewellery in the National Museum comes from the Sircap town and can be dated to the Indo-Parthian period. It combines classical forms with Indian motifs like the nandipada. Anklets, bracelets, bangles combine gold work with gems like lapis lazuli, garnets, ruby, rock crystal, turquoise, carnelian, etc. An exquisite piece from this period is a gold necklace with 15 pendants on one terminal. Another eye-catching piece is a waistband made of three rows of gold fishes that an ethereal lifelike embossing on them.
Undoubtedly, the piece de resistance of the gallery is the Mughal section, with kundan and meenakari work of such finesse on display that one can imagine wars being fought over these treasures. There are four different kinds of jhumkas, along with huge earrings made from uncut diamonds, emeralds and rubies. The sarpeches are not only made in kundan, they are also inlaid with precious stones big enough to be carved upon. The jhoomars that swung from the top of the head of Mughal women are worth a small fortune. The true expertise of craftsmen is revealed in a hansuli from the 19th century. The kundan work on the top hides the delicate enamel or meenakari on the reverse. The single largest body ornament belongs to Gujarat. This graveyak or necklace has three layers. The first is a solid gold collar with embossing and granulation work. Under this is a broad belt of diamond shaped gold pieces attached to which is another wide flexible expanse of gold beads and gem work to cover the chest.
Jewellery from South India has fewer stones set in gold, but it is in the precious metal itself that designs have been engraved or embossed. The distinctive feature of this section is the long braid ornaments with or without the cobra emblem at the top. The collection is replete with the surya or sun and moon ornaments worn on either side of the head. One such piece is of pearls and rubies from the 19th century, convincing the viewer that India did celebrate every aspect of feminine beauty through jewellery.
One necklace that stands out is a navratna necklace from Bengal. The main body of the necklace has ordinary kundan setting, but over each ratna, is set precious stones in the shape of a flower, reminiscent of European Baroque jewelry.
Not that all jewellery was intended for the consumption of mere mortals. The sanctum sanctorum of coun-tless temples hold priceless treasures of jewellery, some of which are seen in the gallery. A throne from Benaras, a ceremonial victory staff, ceremonial jewellery and such royal regalia makes the gallery richly representative of jewellery for every occasion and time period. And yet, it is rooted in the present as one finds an echo of many of the forms, techniques and designs perfected over centuries in the jewellery we still wear.
India flows in many time zones simultaneously and no other craft echoes this more realistically than jewellery. However, India is perhaps one country where private holding of precious jewellery is rather high. Often, examples of pure metal jewellery — be it gold or silver — have not survived. But stone-encrusted jewellery has survived, as it did not make economic sense to dispose of it. And yet, the filial circulation of precious jewellery has ensured an almost unbroken link between the past and present. This is perhaps the only reason why in a jewellery-rich country like ours, more interesting pieces are to be seen at family weddings than in the collections of museums!
The largest collection of Indian jewellery exists at the Barbier Mueller Museum in Geneva. I have seen it and it is absolutely exquisite. But of that another time.
Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist