The northern state of India, Uttarakhand is known for its rituals and traditions. The traditional outfits worn during folk dances by the people of Uttarakhand. People are here deeply rooted with their traditional values whether it is Traditional Ornaments, Traditional sweets like Suwal and traditional jewellery. Women love to adorn jewellery as it enhances their beauty and makes them look beautiful. Every woman is fond of accessories. Here, we are letting you aware of a traditional ornament of Uttarakhand, Pahunchi.

This traditional ornament is similar to the bracelet. It is made up of three to five strands of finely worked gold beads filled with lac (wax) studded together and the strands are tied together by Zari. Conch shell shaped beads are used in Pahunchi to tug in red colour Shaleel which is used as a base. It weighs from 20-50 gm in gold.

It is considered that Uttarakhand people are migrated from Rajasthan during Mughal period, therefore, Pahunchi is quite similar to the bracelet of Rajasthan. This traditional ornament is a symbol of married women. Indian women whether old or young is fond of jewellery due to which shaleel fabric is used to make it more comfortable to wear. Use of shaleel in pahunchi differentiates this ornament from other states. The red colour symbolizes the colour of matrimony and signifies veracity and purity.

Pahunchi has some health benefits too. It regulates the blood pressure. It is available in both silver and gold metal. Earlier silver Pahunchi is worn by women as people were not rich enough. Now Pahunchi of gold is adorned by women. Size of the beads indicates the status of the family. The bigger the beads, wealthier a person is.