I thought this article was pretty interesting. I wear anklets, but I had no clue they held religious or cultural meanings. (I’m not religious, but I still found this interesting) I mean, I just figured it was a decorative ornament, but I didn’t know that it was a symbol of women’s marital status among the Ancient Tamils, and was sacred by association of Lord Siva. Basically unmarried women wear anklets, and they remove them before their wedding, making it a symbol for single women.
- Vaanmathy
Here’s the article below:
It is Lord Siva who gives substance and meaning to life, said K. Sambandan in a lecture. In the Thiruvembavai, a devotional work by the Saivite saint Manickavachagar, Siva’s foot and His anklet are both described by using the same word.
That is because the anklet, by being associated with Lord Siva’s feet, becomes sacred. Light means illumination, but do we not use the word for the instrument that gives illumination? Thus an object that illuminates acquires a certain importance by its association with the illumination. Likewise, the anklet of the Lord acquires sacredness by being associated with His feet.
The anklet had great auspiciousness among the ancient Tamils. It would, however, be worn only by unmarried women. And in a ceremony before her marriage, she would remove her anklet, signifying that she was soon to be wed. Thus an anklet was an indication of a woman’s marital status.
The Silappadikaram talks of how Kannagi took off her anklet when she married Kovalan. Later when Kovalan fell into financial difficulty, she offered it to him so that he might sell it. In the case of Siva, the anklet is one of His adornments, for isn’t Siva the cosmic dancer?
The Thiruvembavai (Songs written by Manickavachagar that are sung during the 10-day festival of Thiruvembavai, a festival observed by unmarried girls, where they fast in order to get good husbands) says Siva and Shakti are inseparable. Just as there is no fire without heat, so there can be no Siva without Shakti. And Siva is the colour of fire, while Shakti or Parvathi has cool lotus-like eyes. She has huge eyes, and hence the name Visalakshi. She is the dark-hued One, Her colour only adding to Her beauty.
In Thiruvembavai, Manickavachagar visualises a stormy night. The thunder is like the sound that Parvathi’s anklets make. The lightning is like Her attractive, slender waist. Her eyebrows are like the rainbow. And the rain that comes down is like Her mercy.
The Lord at Thiruvannamalai has the devas falling at His feet. The brightness of their crowns is nothing compared to the dazzle of His feet. He looks like nectar, says Manickavachagar. Nectar can only be tasted, but this nectar that is Siva captivates all our senses. Once He enters our minds and hearts, there can be no room for any other thought.
Tags: anklets, Cafe, Inseparable Siva-Shakti
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Hi
I came across this blog when looking for information on the symbolism of Siva’s anklets for a forthcoming publication. I though you might like to see my translation of the verse from Tiru Em Paavai that you refer to above:
O Cloud, you drank the sea,
then like our Queen arose,
and, glorious, shone with lightning bolts
fine as the slender waist
of Her who rules our souls.
The golden anklets at her feet
sound in your thunder’s roar,
and in your rainbow bright
her holy arching brow we see.
And like the ample grace
which she, our Queen, affords
to us who stand before,
as servants of our royal Lord
whose side she quits no more, O Cloud,
let your torrents pour!
El Or Empaavai!
Best Wishes
Rob
Anklets will make women more beautiful and sexy.