The Significance Of Toe Rings
While most of the young generation, might think that toe rings are just another accessory to adorn your body, but it is much more than that. Other than just the adorning part, it has a scientific reasoning as well. Wearing toe rings is highly practiced in India. It is worn as a symbol of married state by Hindu women just like the wedding bands in the west. Toe rings are called Bichuya in Hindi, Mettelu in Telugu, Metti in Tamil & Kalungura in Kannada, jodavi in Marathi. Tradition of wearing toe rings carries tremendous social significance for married women in India. Now-a-days, the toe rings are not just for married women anymore, a lot of unmarried girls also wear fashion jewellery toe rings and it has become a huge trend in the west.
Toe rings have been a part of the Indian culture since the Ramayana times, there has been a mention of Sita, when abducted by Ravana, threw her toe ring in the way, so that lord Rama could find her. So from the Ramayana times, till now, toe rings have been a part of a married woman’s jewellery box. In many different Indian cultures, the husband puts the toe rings on his wife’s second toe of both feet, during the wedding ceremony. They come in traditional as well as chunky designs and are usually made from silver or some metal alloys.
Though there is no documentation on when and why toe rings came into use but, according to the scientific reasoning, there are some health benefits of wearing toe rings. The reflexology scripts mention about treating gynecological problems by massaging the second toe. There is also a belief that the wearing of toe rings press on certain nerves that pertain to the reproductive system, which helps in keeping the system balance and healthy. By wearing these rings in both feet, it is believed, that the menstrual cycle course is regularized with even intervals. This gives good scope for conceiving to married women.
According to a recent discovery, it was found that two ancient Egyptian skeletons, dating back more than 3,300 years, which were each buried with a toe ring made of copper alloy. Whether the Egyptians wore it for adornment purpose or for some other purpose, are still unknown. The history of toe rings is a mystery but that should not stop you from wearing these little pieces of magic.
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