Bharatanatyam Jewellery: A Guru's Guide to Every Ornament

Search for Bharatanatyam jewellery online and nearly every result is a shop. Sets, prices, rental offers, wholesale lots. What you rarely find is an explanation of what the ornaments are, why a dancer wears each one, and where it sits on the body. At Sridevi Dance Academy in Lexington, Kentucky, we teach that nothing on the stage is accidental, and that includes the jewellery. This guide is for students, parents, and diaspora families who want to understand Bharatanatyam jewellery before they buy a single piece.

A note before we begin: names for individual ornaments vary between regions and families, and Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada terms often overlap. We use the names most commonly heard in Bharatanatyam studios, and your own guru or family may use slightly different ones. That is normal, and it is part of how the art has travelled.

Why a Bharatanatyam dancer wears jewellery at all

Bharatanatyam is a visual art. The audience reads the dancer from the face, the hands, the eyes, and the lines of the body, often from a distance. Ornaments serve that reading. Gold and red catch the stage light and make the head movements (shiro bheda), the neck movements (griva bheda), and the eye movements (drishti bheda) easier to see. They frame the face so that abhinaya registers clearly from the back of the hall.

There is a second reason that is less about visibility and more about meaning. In the tradition, the dancer is not simply a performer in a costume. She is presenting a sacred art form, and the adornment is part of that offering. Temple jewellery is often described as drawing on the way deities are adorned in temples, which is where the name comes from. The look is dignified and ceremonial rather than decorative in a casual sense.

Bharatanatyam jewellery: the head and hair ornaments

The head carries the most recognisable pieces. The forehead ornament, commonly called nethichutti, sits along the parting and hangs onto the forehead, usually with a central pendant. It draws the eye to the centre of the face, which is exactly where a dancer wants attention during abhinaya.

Along the hair parting you will often see the sun and moon ornaments, known as surya and chandra. Many dancers wear them at either side of the parting, so they balance the face symmetrically. At the back, a hair disc, often called rakadi, and a long braid ornament, the jada, decorate the plait. Together with fresh or artificial flowers, these make the head one continuous composition from the forehead to the end of the braid.

Practical point for parents: the head set is the heaviest and most fiddly part of the look. A well-fitted set should be secured with pins and ties so that it does not shift during rapid shiro bheda, jathis, or turns. A piece that slides is not only distracting for the audience, it is a safety concern for the dancer.

Ears, neck, and chest

Bell-shaped earrings, widely called jimikki, are standard. Their size matters: oversized earrings fight with head movements, while very small ones disappear under stage lights. Most guides recommend choosing a size that stays visible without swinging heavily.

The necklaces are layered. A shorter, close-fitting piece sits at the base of the neck, and a longer haram hangs over the chest. Some dancers add a third, middle-length piece. The aim is a clear vertical rhythm down the upper body, which also frames the hands when they rise to the chest in hastas such as pataka or mrigashirsha. If you want to see how those hand shapes are formed and used, our guide to hastas covers them in depth.

Arms, waist, hands, and feet

The upper arms carry armlets, usually called vanki, which sit above the elbow and emphasise the line of the arm in araimandi and in extended positions. Bangles cover the wrists and forearms in matching colours. These matter in abhinaya because the wrist is the pivot of nearly every hasta, and bangles that are too loose slide up and down and blur the shape of the hand.

At the waist, a belt called oddiyanam holds the costume pleats in place and defines the line between the upper body and the legs. Beneath it the pleated fan of the costume opens in the aramandi, the half-seated position that forms the foundation of Bharatanatyam. Our guide to the essential stances explains why that position is so central to every adavu.

Finally, the feet. The ankle bells, salangai, are strictly part of the instrument rather than the ornament. They are sewn in rows onto a pad that is tied around the ankle, and their sound marks every rhythmic stroke the dancer makes. Many dancers and teachers treat salangai with great respect. In many studios, students touch them to the eyes before tying them on, and they are never thrown or left on the floor. The hands and feet are traditionally also decorated with red dye, which outlines the hasta and the footwork for the audience.

Kemp, gold-plated, and imitation: how sets differ

When you shop, you will meet several terms. Kemp, or kempu, refers to the red stones that give classic temple sets their warm colour. Some sets use white or green stones for contrast. Gold-plated sets use a base metal with a gold finish, while imitation sets use cheaper materials with a similar look. Handmade sets use a more intricate setting but are heavier and cost more. We do not recommend a particular brand or maker, and we do not give price ranges, because they change often. What we can say is how to judge a set.

Look at the weight, because a student will wear the set for a long recital. Check the clasps and backing, because skin reactions to cheap metal are common among young dancers. Check the colour balance, because red, gold, and a single secondary stone colour photograph cleanly. And check that the piece suits the dancer's face and costume colour, since a heavy set on a small child can overwhelm her.

Buy, rent, or borrow: a practical guide for families

For a beginner or a child who is growing quickly, renting or borrowing a set for early performances is sensible. Many families in the diaspora share sets through the local community, and a studio often helps with this. For a student heading toward a solo debut such as the arangetram, owning a complete set that fits and is comfortable becomes more important, because the dancer will rehearse in it before the performance.

If you are in Lexington or anywhere in the US, ordering online is common, since specialist suppliers are not on every street. Allow time for delivery and for adjustments, and try the set on with the actual costume before the performance date. Ask your guru before purchasing. She knows the costume colour, the stage lighting, and the dancer, and she can save you from a costly mistake.

Wearing and caring for the set

Dress in a fixed order. Costume and belt first, then the necklace layers, armlets and bangles, then earrings, then the head set last, so that nothing catches on the hair. A dancer who is dressed carefully is calmer on stage, because she is not worried about a loose clasp.

After the performance, wipe each piece with a soft dry cloth, let it air, and store it flat in a lined box, with the delicate stones facing up. Keep sets away from damp and from perfume or hair spray, which dull the finish over time. Treat the set as part of the dancer's equipment, in the same way a musician treats an instrument.

The deeper point: ornament serves the dance

In our classes, jewellery is introduced late, and always after the dancer understands the form it will accompany. A student who knows her adavus, who can hold the aramandi, and who forms her hastas cleanly will look right in simple ornaments. A student who cannot will not be rescued by an expensive set. The tradition places the discipline first and the ornament second.

That is also why we teach theory alongside technique. When a student understands why the nethichutti sits where it does, and why salangai is respected, she stops treating the costume as dress-up and begins to treat it as part of the offering. That shift in attitude shows on stage.

If you are considering classical dance for your child or for yourself, we would be glad to meet you. Our classes run in person in Lexington, Kentucky and online for families across the diaspora, and each batch is led by a single guru in the guru-shishya parampara. You can explore Bharatanatyam classes or schedule a trial class to see how we teach, and you can find more guides from the studio on our blog.