গয়নার বাক্স : শিবাজীকালীন মারাঠি সমাজে ব্যবহৃত বিবিধ গয়নার সম্ভার/ The Jewellery Box: An overview of Different Types of Maratha Ornaments During the Age of Shivaji

Abstract

Jewellery has served as a means of self-adornment across cultures worldwide since ancient times, as confirmed by iconographic representations and archaeological findings. Beyond its role as a social, economic, and ritual marker, jewellery in the Indian context carried additional cultural meanings. For instance, certain ornaments continue to signify marital status even today. Although the techniques of crafting and designing jewellery have evolved considerably, the use of precious metals and stones has retained its enduring significance.

      This paper presents a brief overview of Maratha jewellery during the seventeenth century. The terminology describing ornaments for different parts of the body has been carefully drawn from a lesser-known seventeenth-century Sanskrit source on Maratha history—the Rajvyavaharakosha. Furthermore, the study undertakes a comparative exploration of Mughal cultural life as depicted in Abul Fazl Allami’s Ain-i-Akbari. By situating Maratha jewellery within this broader cultural framework, the paper seeks to enrich our understanding of the cultural history of a nation often remembered primarily for its military engagements during the medieval period.