Kalyan Wiki
Mullamottumala
Nature has always inspired art and literature. Beautiful sceneries on canvas bring joy and admiration. Nature has also inspired designers. Floral designs have dominated jewellery making since time immemorial and are still in vogue. Necklaces, earrings, finger rings, pendants, nose rings etc. with Floral designs have always been popular.
Flowers are offered to deities during worship in almost all religions. Certain flowers such as marigold, jasmine, rose, lotus, hibiscus etc. are more common.
Jasmine flowers because of its white colour and the beautiful fragrance, is associated with purity and divinity. Hence they are offered to deities during worship. Jasmine flowers also symbolize love and romance. Many women wear strands of Jasmine flowers on their hair, especially during marriage functions. In South India and certain parts of North India, wedding garlands are made from roses and jasmine buds, and the mane of the bride is decorated with layers of chains of jasmine buds and flowers. Jasmine is also an aphrodisiac, so the bed of a newly married couple is often decorated with jasmine flowers. It's no wonder that jasmine flower is also an inspiration for bridal jewellery.
Mullamottu mala, which means 'Jasmine bud necklace, is an integral part of Kerala bridal jewellery. It consists of repeated motifs of an elongated or rounded jasmine bud to form a beautiful necklace. It is usually a middle chain or a long chain resting on the chest. It may also end in a large pendant to accentuate the necklace. Some are embellished with red rubies or coloured gemstones at the base. Designers have been reinventing this classic with many contemporary designs and pendants to please the young brides.
Another variation is the Pichimottu mala. Pichi flower is a variation of the Jasmine flower. The buds are slightly narrow and elongated as compared to that of the 'Mulla'. Pichimottu mala has motifs of the pichi flower bud and falls under the same umbrella as Mullamottu mala.
