Kalyan Wiki
Elephant Hair Ring
Elephants are one of the most magnificent living beings revered by many cultures in the world. In Hindu mythology too, elephants are widely associated with Lord Ganesha, the God of annihilation of obstacles and evils. Owing to such and many other symbolisms, the ring made from an elephant’s tail hair has garnered much reputation among the masses. It is widely known as the ‘Elephant hair ring’.
The ‘elephant hair ring’, is a sophisticated ring made with a few strands of hair from the tail region of an elephant. These strands are generally bent or knotted together with metal. It is quite difficult to make the ring owing to the thickness of an elephant’s tail hair.
The strands are not pliable when used in the normal state, but they have to be boiled to get softened. They are then moulded into the required design or shape, while they are still hot. Then they are combined with metals like gold and silver to make a beautiful piece of jewellery.
Elephant hair rings used to be a common piece of jewellery in ancient times. The significance of an elephant hair ring arises from the belief that it protects the wearer from illnesses and misfortunes.
In contemporary times though, owing to illegal poaching of elephants, most Governments have strict advisory on the collection of elephant’s tail hair. However, there are legal ways of collecting the hair, such as when elephants shed their hair naturally.
