History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c34.s1.10

v1.c34.s1.10

*Bracelets*: The armlets or bracelets were commonly worn by men and women of the Sunga period. They seem to have been made of gold and encrusted with precious gems. The bracelets were known as *Valayas*. According to the *Gāthāsaptaśati*, the *valayas* were considered as a symbol of auspiciousness for the ladies whose husbands were alive. The bracelets seem to have been named after the material employed and sometimes even after the workmanship. For example, the *Ratnavalayas* (*Mūdrārākṣasa*, Act IV, 5 p. 192) were the bracelets set with precious stones and cerals, the *Saṅkhavalayas* were made of conch and the *Jalavalaya* (*Gāthāsaptaśati*, I, 80) were the bracelets showing perforated workmanship. The bracelets made of ivory were also in vogue. The most elaborate bracelets, as worn by the Yaksa, Yaksis and Naga figures at Bharhut, consist of spirals of ten coils each, with a jewelled plate on the outside of the wrist and on the inside a curious arrangement of four perpendicular wires attached to a loop, for keeping the spiral closed (Cunningham, 1962).