Temple jewellery of the south

Originally cast and beaten for temple deities — the bronze and gold ornaments adorning Chola and Vijayanagara-era sculptures — temple jewellery was secularised over the centuries first by royalty and then by Bharatanatyam dancers, who needed sturdy, heavy, dramatic jewellery for stage.

The aesthetic is unmistakable: heavy gold, raised relief, motifs of Lakshmi, peacocks, swans, and sacred geometry. Stones are minimal — uncut rubies and emeralds set flush, never prong-set diamonds.

Today, designers reinterpret temple work in lighter weights for daily wear, often with mixed metals and minimalist surrounds. The form is so iconic in South Indian wedding aesthetics that mid-century studios essentially preserved the technique unchanged.