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The birth of this art form as well as the donning of the traditional costumes which are used in it, traces its origin way back to the 17^th century, where in devdasis, who were the temple dancers, practiced Bharatnatyam to worship gods and goddesses. However as per Natya Shastra, it roots goes back to somewhere between 500 BC to 500 CE. Apparently, the modern authors believe that Bharatnatyam finds its ancestor in the Devadasi culture, implyingits historical origins to 300 BCE to 300 CE. Another historical reference is made by in the ancient Tamil epic text named Silappatikaram. As per this text, Bharatnatyam had become a well developed classical dance form by mid of 1^st millennium CE.

Like any other prominent and paramount art form or any other tradition of the Indian culture that had prevailed and flourished from centuries and times unknown, Bharatnatyam also suffered for its survival during the British colonial rule. During the 19^th century, Bharatnatyam was ridiculed and alleged to be a form of slavery. Launching the "anti-dance movement"in 1892, Christian missionaries and british rulers tried to impose their ways and suppress Bharatnatyam by enforcing laws and. Eventually, he British officials banned temple dancing and Bharatnatyam. This triggered protests and the quest for the revival of Bharatnaytam had started, and finally by the late 20^th century Bharatnatyam had been reintroduced and reincarnated in the temples. This dance tradition went on to attain the platform of popularity, fame and recognition when it got patronized by the Marathi King Saraboji, and there descendant brothers who carried the legacy of teaching this art form all over the world.

Considering its rich history, cultural values and the transcendence it has gone through, Bharatnatyam has developed different streams or styles, this fact is also enforced by the fact that each individual who learns it, develops a slightly different interpretations as per his/her convenience. Some of the styles of Bharatnatyam are explained below;

• Pandanallur.
• This style originated in a village called Pandanallur, in the district of Thanjavore. This style includes deep sitting positions, lays emphasis on linear geometry and is a purely feminine dance style with slow and rhythmic movements.

• Vazhavoor style.
• This style was coined and popularized by Ramai Pillai in Thanjavore. In this style, abrupt and sudden movements are rare, static postures are introduced and Dancer’s body from the waist is bent forward at the waist level.
• Kalakshetra
• Kalakshetra is the modern style and a simplified form of Pandanallur style. In the kalakshetra style, clear cut, angular, linear and sharp movements are there with control and stiffness. This style was introducedRukmini Devi Arundhalae.
• Melathoor style
• This style is based on the Devadasi tradition and was developed in the 20^th century. It is in this style, the anklets are used to produce variety of sounds and it lays more emphasis on sringara than bhakti.

Costumes worn by the Bharatnatyam performers are another aspect of the art that is intricate and remarkable. Without these costumes, dance alone is not able to grab that much of attention. Bharatanatyam costume is very beautiful and colorful. Generally, the costumes of Bharatanatyam have two types. They are Pyjama style and another skirt style.In these styles the costumes are intrinsically embroidered with different religious motifs and designs in threads of pure gold and shimmering silk.The pleats of sari are arranged in a way that it would open up in beautiful way, showcasing the entire zari and embroidery on the sari during certain postures.

The traditional Bharatanatyam costume for men is very simple, with a dhoti stitched with graceful embroidery and silk designs and containing simple jewels on the upper part. On the other hand, Bharatanatyam costumes for women resemble Indian traditional sari. Bharatanatyam costumes for women resemble Indian traditional sari. The color of the costumes is very bright and attractive. The border of the costumes prepared with various pieces of sari and stitches it with various patterns to decorate the dancer’s form. 

Image source: https://simaayafashions.com

Wedding seasons are full of joy, excitement and fun. And of course, the bride gets to enjoy it even more with all the amazing shopping and preparations going on. Selecting a beautiful bridal dress is an exciting job. From colors to the style, design to the size and overall look of the bridal dress, everything counts and the bride makes sure that it is perfect. Next, comes the time when you have to shop for all the things that would accessorize the bridal dress. It includes shoes, bags, accessories and most important of all, the jewelry!

An Indian bride loves to follow her traditional wedding sari style and wear cultural Indian style jewelry on her big day. And why shouldn’t she? Indian jewelry is the most exquisite, antique yet delicately designed and most gorgeous jewelry. Did we just praise it a little too much? Well, just wait till you see the jewelry designs and then decide for yourself! Whether you are looking for the Indian style earrings or are tempted to buy the vintage style rings, there wouldn’t be a single design that won’t impress you.

Other than the Indian traditional jewelry, you can look forward to the contemporary diamond jewelry, gold and silver jewelry items as well as artificial jewelry sets. With so many options at hand, it gets confusing to pick the best jewelry piece for the big bridal event. This is why we have compiled the list of seven mind-blowing jewelry designs for an India bride.

1.The Holy Mangalsutra:

• The mangalsutra has great importance in the life of an Indian bride. It is a sign strength, trust and love which strengthen the bond she has with her husband. Usually, the bride gets to decide the style of the mangalsutra which is why you must have some information about it.
• The different styles of mangalsutra include the diamond mangalsutra, wine branch design, black and gold traditional mangalsutra, Rajashthani style and many others. These beautiful long neck pieces are decorated with beads, string, rhinestones, gemstones, Kundan and diamonds as well.
• 2.Adorable headpieces:
• The two amazing headpieces include maang tikka and maang patti and as a bride, you must have any one of them! The maan tikka is more of a central ornament which is pinned up in the hair. It can be in a circular shape, in a form of a chandelier or have pearls attached to it. The maang patti, on the other hand, extends over the whole forehead. It can be one-sided as well. These ornaments are stylish and make the bride look adorable. The fancy and heavy look it offers is exactly what an Indian bride is looking for.
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• 3.Fancy nose pins:
• The fancy nose pins or locally known as the ‘nath’ is a jewelry piece more specific for the Indian brides. Though women all around the world wear delicate nose pins but, the ones we are talking about here are different. Have you seen the Indian brides in the Bollywood movies or the actresses playing the role of the wife of an emperor? The fancy attires and the jewelry they wear, oh, it’s amazing, right? We are referring to the similar nose pins. The fancy nath, polka nath, jaiswal nath, sarja nath, and the simple gold and silver naths are simply stunning.
• 4.Elegant and charming rings:
• Coming onto the rings, Indian brides love to wear it and not just one but two to three as well. Though the design you pick depends on your fashion sense, but the rings adorned with Ksundan and gemstones are the best ones. Go through the pictures of these rings and you’ll simply love them. Do get your hands on several rings and buy them so that you can wear them in after-wedding events as well.
• There is another stylish jewelry piece that goes quite well with the bridal look. It is the hathphool or the hand harness piece. It extends from the bangles, covers the dorsum of the hand and ends at the ring area.
• 5.Stylish necklaces:
• Among the many stylish necklaces that you as an Indian bride can wear, the tops ones that we selected are quite fascinating. They include the pretty bib necklace or choker necklace style, the rani har, satlada the beads of which covers the whole front and the addigai. The addigai style of necklace looks best on those brides who wear a saree on their wedding day.
• 6.Anklets:
• The anklet popularly known as the payal or jhaanar is the jewel that makes your feet look pretty. When dressing from top to bottom, you shouldn’t miss wearing a payal. They are fancy and consist of chains, pearls, Kundan, stones and other gold pendant like pieces. Do add payal to your list as it is the perfect accessory to jazz up your look.
• 7.Jhumka/ Chand bali earrings:
• How can we forget the earrings? The earring is another jewelry item that adds sparkle to the look of an Indian bride. Keeping it traditional makes the Indian bride look stunning. The red-orangish bridal outfits always go well with the jhumka style earrings. The chand bali earrings are another beautiful style of earrings you can go for. They are adorned with beads, pearls, Kundan and elegant stones which make them look even prettier. If you want to give your bridal look a modern touch, you can also go for the ear studs, chandelier earrings or the latkans. These styles will surely lighten up your look.

For a bride, weddings are all about looking beautiful! Them how can a girl miss this wonderful opportunity to fulfill her dreams? This is your one and only chance to dress up as fancy as you want and make it as stylish as possible. Don’t miss it at all and get all the best bridal jewelry items to spice up your look!

Author Bio:

At Saree Palace, Heeral Thakkar commenced with the vision of inspiring the world with her fabulous and stylish clothing line. Heeral is a pioneer in providing an Indian culture and tradition in California. Presently, people from all over the country are interested in shopping from this first ever Indian bridal boutique. With experience in hand and unique fashion trends in mind, Heeral has become one of the most exquisite fashion designers in the country.

Unsure as to whether these jewellery items make for the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one?

Check out 6 reasons why you should reconsider:

They are much cheaper jewellery alternatives. 

We all know the fact that when it comes to jewellery, you have to break the bank if you’re looking to get something awesome. For this reason alone, people have been known to shy away from getting jewellery and will rather go for cheaper alternatives. However, Bharatanatyam jewelry have been able to find common ground between style and cost. If you’re looking to get awesome budget jewellery and still rock something amazing, then this is definitely the choice for you. Finally, you’ve got budget jewellery that is really worth it. 

They go with just about anything 

As pieces of jewellery, you can put on Bharatanatyam jewellery and mix them with just about anything. Due to the versatility in their designs, you will definitely be able to get a jewellery piece that fits your outfit. Their designs are simple, and they’ll have no issues with complementing and fitting your entire clothing ensemble.

Beauty and aesthetic appeal

Regardless of the fact that you won’t have to pay much in order to get them, Bharatanatyam jewellery have the beauty and aesthetic appeal that is sure to have people talking about you wherever you step. As t has been expected of jewellery, you can expect the usual shine and glitz that people tend to look out for. If you’re also a fan of simple and quaint jewellery, you will definitely be able to find what you want with Bharatanatyam jewellery.

They’re never out of style

Jewellery have been known to get a bit redundant after some time. However, with Bharatanatyam jewellery, various styles ad concepts means that you can always find something that expresses your mood and how you fee. The fact that they are cheap also means that you can get as much as you want.

You can wear them just about anywhere

One important feature of any jewellery is the ability to it any occasion. Regarding this, Bharatanatyam jewellery score just fine. Whether you’re going for a dinner with your loved one a get together with your friends, or a meeting at the office, you can count on Bharatanatyam jewellery to provide an awesome complement for your outfit.

They’re appropriate for anyone

Before you decide to sharpen those online shopping UAE skills, please be assured that Bharatanatyam jewellery can be worn by anyone, whether male or female. Whatever goes with your outfit and feels comfortable with you is definitely a ‘go’ from us.

Blush

When considering the best picker-uppers, blush definitely stands out from the pack. Whether it’s rose, apricot, raspberry, or fuchsia, gel, cream, liquid, or powder, faking a mesmerizing flush with a nice swab of color spread around the apples of your cheeks is the fastest and more reliable way to liven up your face.

A Concealer

If you find that your face has been plagued by a few dark circles, blemishes, pimples, and redness, then it’s high time you learnt how to mask those imperfections like a professional. A concealer should be every woman’s beauty comrade. Just as its name goes, it is a camouflage that is capable of covering just about anything up.

Eye Cream

Your eyes are the window to your soul. They’re also the one thing that can easily show the fact that you’re aging. That being said, it’s only fair that they look pretty all the time. Although it’s inevitable that you’ll have some wrinkles, you can easily put them off for a time while also staying true to a preventive beauty regimen. Wit eye cream you can smooth over lines, reduce puffiness, and the appearance of eye bags. You can also use it to brighten dull and shallowly skin.

Red Lipstick

Just like it is with your signature scent, you will always need to have a tube of red handy and available. Here are three reasons why:

• 1)It's appropriate for basically anywhere
• 2)Wearing red lipstick (with matching banded souq dresses Next and Avon)has a way of instilling you with a wave of confidence
• 3)A raunchy red pout definitely raises the bar and appeal of just about any outfit, regardless of its color or shape.

Whether it's crimson, cherry, or candy apple, just make sure to always accessorize with red lipstick. However, also be careful and make sure to choose a shade that perfectly flatters your specific complexion. After that, feel free to revel in your aura and allure.

BB Cream

A lot of people love to think of blemish (or beauty) balm as a miracle in a tube. This cosmetic miracle suddenly became a must-have it offers the qualities and advantages of foundation, moisturizer, primer, and toner… all in one!

What’s more?

Apart from offering build-able coverage to hide some of the ugliest blemishes, it can also treat them.

Now, talk about a perfect double threat!

A Simple Hair Brush

Nothing ever beats the classics, right?

A simple hair brush is a necessity at all times if you ever want to make sure your hair looks stunning everytime. We’re in winter, and the weather is somewhat unpredictable. Winds low at seemingly anytime and you’ll need to have a brush around to make sure that you can fit your hair and keep it in shape.

Moisturizer

Part of the consequences of this weather is the excessive dryness that comes with winds. This dryness can affect your hair and cause breaking at certain parts. Once you’ve put some moisturizer on it, you can keep it healthy and hydrated at all times.

The Company’s Reputation

Whenever you intend to purchase dancing jewelry, perhaps the most important factor to consider is reputation. You need to make sure that the company you’re buying tis jewelry from is reputable and that they have a pretty good standing with the society. In every brand, people look for two things the most; trust and reputation. For instance, if you’re getting something from Chanel or Avon, you can pretty much e sure of the fact that you won’t be getting a fake or something that’s just a knock off.

To ensure the reputation, here are few tricks that can help you;

• Make sure that you perform a thorough and detailed look at the website of the company or shop. Examine their pedigree an decide for yourself (this tip usually applies to companies that you might not be sure of)
• You can also make a request to see the documents of the products and other adequate confirmations of the fact that the product you’re purchasing is in fact of the highest quality.
• You can also make a comparison between a wide array of jewelry companies in order to ensure that you are making the right decision.

Customer Reviews

As far as making a purchase on your jewelry is concerned, it is also of utmost importance that we mention the significance of reviews. Regardless of whether the feedback you see is positive or negative, it is always important that you take a look at company reviews before you make a commitment to purchase jewelry. See what previous clients have been saying and look at the experiences that they’ve gotten for better assurance, you can have the chance to view a wide array of companies and review sites that will provide;

• Fair reviews on some of their jewelry products.
• A genuine idea that will point you to those to avoid and those who you can approach.

Online Sales

The internet could well be your best bet, especially as there is a plethora of deals and bargains that you can find there. If you’re looking for bespoke and hand-made jewelry, then you might want to look on the internet. There is a wealth of sites like souq that are available to you on the internet and due to the freedom of choice that you have, you can take advantage of things like;

• Flash sales.
• Discounts: You can also get amazing price discounts on various items, especially n holiday periods. However, if you get discount codes from various companies, it could also help you quite a lot.
• Deliveries and pickups should also be considered. How long will it take to get to you? How much should you expect to pay for deliveries?

Price

Price is also another important factor, as everything depends on the budget available to you at the end of the day. Determine how much you will like to spend on your jewelry and stick to that, especially if you’re working with a pretty tight budget. When buying a piece of jewelry, make sure that you consider the following;

• Is the product within your budget and financial capability?
• Can you find a cheaper and effective alternative?

About The Author

Rachel Stinson has always had a knack for writing, food, fashion, and places. Blogging has combined all four for her with an added bonus of enthusiastic audiences. She expertly analyzes real estates, restaurants and online fashion stores with respect to pricing and people involved and can express her opinions in an unhesitant, engaging manner for all matters.

Rudraksha Beads and Rudraksha Malas

Rudraksha beads have a tremendous significance in Hinduism and are dedicated to Lord Shiva. Rudraksha Mala is a necklace made from stringing together the Rudrakhsa beads. Lord Shiva is depicted as wearing the Rudraksha mala.

A typical Rudraksha mala is made of 108 beads. The sizes of all Rudraksha beads in the mala are the same. The number “108” is important here. A complete Rudraksha Mala has 108 beads, which is why it is important that you should only buy 108 Bead Rudraksha Malas.

Types of Rudraksha Beads

There are many types of Rudraksha beads such as those with 1 to 21 Mukhis or faces, 1 to 14 Mukhis and 15 to 21 Mukhis. 15 to 21 Mukhi Rudraksha beads are very rare. 4, 5 and 6 Mukhi Rudraksha beads are far more common and easily available.

Benefits and Uses of Rudraksh Malas

#1: The Rudraksha mala is used in the reciting of various Mantras and in the chanting of japas. It is used in meditation to chant the name of Lord Shiva and other Gods.

#2: There is a deep religious significance to the Rudraksha. There is a Hindu belief that wearing the Rudraksha mala on the neck pleases Lord Shiva and that it washes off all the sins committed in this life and your past lives.

#3: Wearing the Rudraksha is believed to change the karma of the believer. It leads the person into a more purposeful path, a path of truth and honor, and helps them get over the many obstacles in their life.

#4: Rudraksha has a special significance in combating stress. It eliminates all tension and worries you may have had from work or from your relationships and gives you great peace of mind. It helps remove the dark thoughts from your mind and leads you into the path of light.

#5: Wearing the Rudraksha helps bring clarity to your thoughts. It sharpens the mind and improves your power of intuition and perception. It makes you more aware of your surroundings and the people around you, so that you can react calmly and forcefully to any situation.

#6: The Rudraksha creates a powerful circle of protection around you, which keeps away all forms of negative influences, removes the obstacles in your path to progress and removes all sorts of dark thoughts. That is why it is highly recommended that those suffering from anxiety and depression and other psychological disorders should wear the Rudraksha mala.

#7: The Rudraksha charges your soul with great spiritual power, the power of the Divine Shakti. This makes the soul more radiant and more capable of expressing its divine power and wisdom. It helps create a strong connection between your soul and the positive forces in nature and the cosmos.

A number of people are today turning to Rudraksha beads and Rudraksha malas for success in their relationships, business and career and for the fulfillment of their desires. You are welcome to get in touch with us and place an order for Rudraksha beads and malas of your choice. All Rudrakshas sold by us are authentic and have been specially selected by experts. 

The jewelry used for Bharatanatyam dance and kuchipudi dance is commonly known as Temple Jewellery. There are different types of temple jewellery. The most authentic and expensive is made in the southern part of India by Artisans who's family is doing this for centuries. This is made of real Silver and plated/coated with Gold. We also have imitation temple jewelry which is less expensive than real temple jewelry. Instead of Silver, base-metal or Copper is used in this type of jewelry.

Imitation temple jewelry mostly made of base-metal is brittle and should be handled with care. In the recent past, many imitation temple jewellery manufacturers are using fiberglass as base material for some ornaments like belts, jada and headset. This material is very light and strong and easy to handle.

Some imitation temple jewellery has Copper as the base material, but it is heavy and expensive. Some dancers use stone jewellery, designer antique jewelry and artificial pearl jewellery for dance performances instead of Temple Jewellery. Kuchipudi dancers and some Kathak dancers use Temple jewellery for their dance performances also. Please visit us for all your Indian traditional Temple jewellery needs.

Keep your dance jewelry in a cool dry place wrapped in soft cotton cloth. After each performance, wipe the jewelry clean and store it. This will help to remove the sweat and other water particles. Do NOT drop the jewellery.

We are more than thrilled and happy to share this message and pictures from one of our happy prestigious customer. In October 2016, Ms.Kelli ordered several Bollywood style Kathak costumes from us. We delivered on time and after almost several weeks this is what we learned...

Many thanks to Kristina & Karen Carberry for choosing us as your costume designers.

Congratulations to the winners. 

Thanks to your valuable feedback and the pictures.

"Thank you so much for all of your help and expertise when it came to our costumes for the World Tap Championships! We brought home the gold for our performance "BOLLYWOOD" after competing against thousands of dancers from around the world. Attached is a photo of the group from the final round as well as after they announced us as the winners. THEY LOOKED SPECTACULAR!

- Kelli Carberry"

Ms. Kelli was kind enough to share a video also, which we would love to share with you. Please click on the link to enjoy the award winning performance of this world champions.

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanTapCompany/videos/1610129905950600/

I have designed and printed many brochures, event tickets, program guides and flyers as part of my volunteering work with many associations in and around Indianapolis. Usually, once we decide a program, the committee members will collect some pictures of the artists and I use publisher to put together the text and pictures. One or two committee members proof read it and suggest some design changes and then we will send to OfficeMax or Kinko's and we are done. All will be finished in a day or two.

But the Arangetram invitation is nothing close to it. We were waiting till last week to get the photo shoot done for the picture for invitation. By the way, photo shoot is another hurdle. Please read my blog on photo shoot to see what happened on that day and what you should or shouldn't do during photo shoot.

Back to invitations - first, come up with a budget. Most of us think printing in India is cheaper. Not true. My friend printed 200 cards for about 18000 Rupees and then paid extra to ship it here. About 2 dollars including the shipping for a 2 sided 8x6 inch card with envelope. Well, there is nothing other than name and address on the envelope. This is offset printing job though - the best quality print you can get for these type of jobs. Here in Carmel, we asked quote from two printers for 350 cards. One from PIP and another from my friend who owns a big printing business. PIP quoted about 600 dollars for a folded 4 page design with 10x7 inch card with digital print. The end product will be a folded invitation with 4 pages, each pages being 5X7 inch size. My friend quoted about the same price for offset printing for the same. Probably the best price one can get in USA. Both quotes included about 2 hrs of design time, provided we give all photos and art work etc...Obviously I went with my friend as it was offset printing and the price was cheaper. This worked out to about $1.75 per card for a larger card with offset. Most of the print jobs you get now a days are digital print outputs. Digital means high quality laser printers. These are cheaper and quicker, but the quality and originality of the color is incomparable with offset printing. Also since the paper or/card is being heated during the digital printing, when you fold, the ink will give way and card break at the folding line, resulting in a very bad appearance. Offset print will not do this to the card.

Selecting the background color, text color, border color and matching them with the envelop color is a time consuming process. Thanks to my wife and my daughter's dance teacher - they have much better sense of color than me. Make sure the content is readable and clear. Main content is the names of dancer, guru and the event date, venue and time. Make sure to add the RSVP email or phone number. We had designed in an RSVP functionality to my daughter's website and so it worked out fine. If you do not like boxed gifts, please say so in the invitation. Also if you are going to donate the proceedings to some charity, tell that also in the card. Also specify the start and end of the program - this will help your friends to plan that day correctly.

If you are planning for any chief guests, please start talking to them at least 6 months before the arangetram. They are busy people and their calendar gets filled very quickly. We are exactly 3 months away from the Arangetram. We started talking to dignitaries about 3 months ago and and just finalized now. This helped us to put their names in the invitation.

Make sure you have the dance costume and dance jewelry for the photo shoot. Another thing learned is about the background of the picture during photo shoot. Mostly black is good for pictures for brochure and invitation. But if you are planning for different backgrounds in your brochure, try to take some of the pictures with white background also.