Every girl dreams of her wedding day someday or the other. From her outfits to accessories, she has imagined it since her childhood. For a Pahadi Bride, Nathuli is one such quintessential accessory. The Pahadi bride’s outfit is incomplete without Nathuli. The traditional Nathuli or Nath is the traditional jewellery worn on the nose mainly by the married women of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. It gives a unique identity to Pahadi women amidst the whole crowd.
Traditionally, the Nathuli jewellery symbolizes the marital status of a girl. Nathuli is generally worn by women on all auspicious occasions such as the Haldi ceremony, Hawans, etc. While all Naths are beautiful, one that stands out and is famous worldwide is the Tehri Nath. The artisans of Tehri are famous for creating delicate and intricate patterns of design. One of the remarkable characteristics of Tehri Nath is that it is bigger than the average Nath with the same carat of gold.
Usually, the Kundan work with a floral pattern or the peacock pattern Nathuli is more in demand. The Kumaoni Nath, on the other hand, is much simplistic and smaller in size. In the earlier times, the size of Nath was a symbol of the economic condition of the bride’s family. According to the tradition of Uttarakhand, a bride’s maternal uncle gifts her the famous Nathuli before her wedding processions. It is a symbol of prosperity. Even though the traditional design is evergreen, the modern era prefers something lightweight and smaller size. The brides now come up with various ideas to create a unique Nathuli design for themselves, and the designers cater to their demands. Nowadays, there are over 50+ types of Tehri Nath designs present in the market.
While the Uttarakhandi Nathuli was indigenous to the Garhwal and Kumaon region earlier, now even Non-Pahadi brides use Nathuli on their big day to enhance their beauty. With modernization, once a statement of marital status, now Nathuli has become an ordinary ornament like the jhumka and worn even by unmarried girls as a fashion statement as well. The authentic values associated with Nathuli are slowly becoming obscure. One must never lose touch with their cultural values even with ever-evolving time. Nathuli is not just a piece of jewellery; it is the pride of every Uttarakhandi woman.