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Pendants and Amulets Pendants are decorative and
are thought to be used as ornament mainly hanging with a necklace, on
the other hand amulets are believed to have a magical as well as curative
value and are thought to protect their possessors from the evil eye or
bad luck. In the Kaushika Shutra, it is stated that an amulet in
the form of a ship ensures safe voyage. From the Vedic times, the axe-shaped
amulet was used to restore an unjustly slandered man to honour. Tortoise-shaped
amulets were symbolic of longevity. Amulets had been used for ritual purpose
also. Large number of amulets were found on the chest of Egyptian mummies.
It has been observed in mummies displayed in the British Museum
that there is specified place on the chest of a mummy for specific
amulets. However, the main purpose of amulets is protection from
diseases or winning over enemies or obtaining strength and virile
power for attracting the opposite sex or propitiating angry deities
and the like. It is not always easy to know the exact purpose
of many amulets. There are several references of amulets in the
Atharva Veda and its gloss the Kaushika Shutra and
other Vedic literatures.
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Bird pendant |
Pendants and amulets were in use in the subcontinent
since Harappan period. Many archeological sites like bangarh,
chandraketugarh,
mahasthangarh,
wari-barteshwar
etc in Bengal have yielded a variety of amulets and pendants of different
materials. Semi-precious stones were popular materials for amulets and
pendants. However, the common shapes are axe, adze, drop, heart, boat,
tooth, point, crescent etc. Such amulets and pendants have been reported
from many sites in the subcontinent as well as in the world. The nature
of the amulets and pendants from Bengal has exposed a cosmopolitan character
of those sites.
Soft stone amulet
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Boat pendant (Agate) |
Tooth pendant (Quartz and Amethyst) |
It is a matter of great regret that, amulets and pendants from
Bengal have not yet been exhaustively studied. There are several
private collections in different parts of Bengal and reserve collection
in Museums that are awaiting a proper study.
[SS Mostafizur Rahman]
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Axe pendant (Carnelian) |
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