For centuries, ornaments have served many purposes apart from wealth collection.
One of purpose Ornaments also serve is to remove any anonymity, proclaim caste, religion and ethnic identity, and even distinctly communicate an individual’s persons region of origin. This is particularly the case among tribal and pastoral communities.
One such piece of ornament is this Hasli, which is particularly worn by the Fakirani Jat women of Kutch, Gujarat
The Jats of Kutch are a cattle breeding nomadic Muslim community, found in the Kutch region of Gujarat in India. They are one of a number of communities of Maldhari pastoral nomads found in the Banni region of Kutch.[1]
The Jat, or Jath claim descent from ancient pastoral tribes of the Indus delta (Indus River Delta) region of Sindh, where some members of the tribe still reside. Jath of Kutch and Sindh are different from Jats of north India.
The Kutchi Jat women of all ages wear a distinct silver torque/ Hasli / Hansuli.
image source: Kimberly Coole
image source: Leonid Plotkin
Today a handful of skill artisans make this style of Hasli.
At Aham Jewellery, we work closely we a small family of artisans from Anjar, who have specialised in making this Hasli and have learnt the art from their fore fathers.