The Kerala Jewellery Glossary — Kasumala, Palakka, Nagapadam & More
പന്ത്രണ്ട് പരമ്പരാഗത കേരളീയ ആഭരണങ്ങൾ — ഓരോ പേരിനും ഒരു കഥ.
Names you’ve heard, stories you haven’t. Twelve traditional Kerala ornaments — the meaning of each name, the myth it carries, the hands that make it in Palakkad, and the place it holds in a Kerala life.
Not twelve words — twelve things a Kerala woman actually wears. കാസുമാല · ജിമിക്കി · വള.
Every Kerala family uses these names — Palakka, Nagapadam, Kasumala — and almost no one is told why. For seventy-one years the explanations have been given across our counter, one bride at a time. This is the Glossary those explanations became: what each name means, the myth it carries, how the piece is made, and the moment in a Kerala life that calls for it.
Walk the index.
Palakka Mala
The seed of the Pala tree, set in gold — a Kerala mother's first gift.
Read → നാഗപടംNagapadam Thali
The hood of the serpent, in gold — a Kerala family's quiet shield.
Read → കാശു മാലKasu Mala
The garland of coins, of Lakshmi — a Kerala bride's dowry made visible.
Read → മാങ്ങ മാലManga Mala
Mango-shaped, stone-set — the fertility piece of every Kerala bride.
Read → മുല്ലമൊട്ട് മാലMullamottu Mala
A garland of jasmine buds, in gold — for purity, for new beginnings.
Read → പൂത്താലിPoothali
A flower in pendant form — a Kerala homemaker's signature.
Read → ചെറുതാലിCheruthali
The marriage knot itself — the gold the bride wears for life.
Read → കരിമണി മാലKarimani Mala
Black bead and gold — the married Kerala woman's quiet armour.
Read → ലക്ഷ്മി മാലLakshmi Mala
The goddess's coins, in heavy garland — a household's wealth made visible.
Read → പവിത്ര മോതിരംPavithra Mothiram
The sacred ring of woven gold — once for the temple, now for the householder.
Read → ജിമിക്കിJhimki
The bell-shaped earring — the classic Kerala ear, in any decade.
Read → ഒഡ്യാണംOddyanam
The ceremonial waist belt — the heaviest piece a Kerala bride will wear.
Read →Read the story.
Then hold the piece.
Every ornament in the Glossary is made at our own benches on Coimbatore Road. Message us, and we will have the real thing ready on the counter.