The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-08
THE BRIDAL NEckLET.
Hindoo Girls Are Betrothed With
 Thali Instead of Ring.

From the London Telegraph.
 In many parts of India Hindoo girls are welded not with a ring, but with necklet. or thali. At the wedding of the daughter of a leading native at Moul- mein there were present among the nu- merous guests Hindoo maiden and her lover. whose suit so far had not progress ed to his satisfaction. While the we'd ding ceremony was In progress the young man suddenly went to her, and before anyone suspected what his object was, pulled out a thali from his pocket and quietly tied 1t around her neck Of course there was hubbub and parental lamentations over this dramatic episode, but so great is the veneration for the thali among Hindoos that no one dared to remove it from the neck of the aston ished maiden. All concerned, therfore, repaired to the Marianne Temple, where the act was ratified, and the maid who went to the wedding of her friend fancy free left the scene as the legal wife of a bold and successful husband. A correspondent writing to the Pioneer on the general use of the thali. says:
 'I was the guest of a Christian fami- ly of position in South India which had so far departed from the ordinary rule which prevents women from appearing before strangers that the mistress of the house had deputed her young daughter
 n-law to represent her as hostess. The young lady was profusely decked with jewelry, some of which was unique in
 it's nature, and she had not the slightest objection to it's being admired. At din- ner l was suddenly struck with the ab- sence of the wedding ring from her fin ger. and on my asking her the reason she shyly pointed to her neck. This seemed somewhat strange. but l thought that probably for some reason she had attached the ring to the chain she was wearing around her neck. I could, how ever, see no trace of 1t, and felt some what puzzled till her husband explained that no wedding ring is used on the occa- sion of a marriage. but for 1t is substi- tuted the thali, to which my hostess had drawn my attention"
 Among the Dravidians of South India the thali plays the same part as the we'd ding ring among Christians in other parts of the world. No marriage can be sol emnized without 1t. It is a small piece of gold leaf In the shape of a cucumber seed. which Is attached to a necklace of worsted thread or silk. The Brahmins. who celebrate their marriages accord ing to Vedic rites, have adopted it's use and after the sacred fire is prepared and worshped with oblations of glee the blessings of the gods Is invoked. and lfit tlidl lS titu dTOullu lHe neCk or the bride by the bridegroom. and then the couple go around the sacred fire The Mohametan converts, like the Christians. find it hard to give up the little jewel with the happy associations, and 1t may be seen adorning the necks of their wo- mankind. But. though the thali Is an in- dication that the girl Is married found much to my surprise. that in some in- stances 1t did not necessarl imply that she was the wife of any particular ind- vidual Within the precincts of the tenn pie I once met an attractive looking wo- man, dressed very gracefully and decent ly, and amid the rich jewelry with which she was adorned the thali was displayed somewhat obtrusively. I took her to be a member of some highly respectful fam fly. but was surprised to learn that she was deva-dassi (handmaiden of the god). and was in fact a dancing girl at tached to the temple. There is a spe cial caste of these women. who as soon as they grow out of girlhood, are taken to the temple, and. with much ceremo nial, are formally married to a sword or a god, the thali being tied round their neck by some man of the caste. This class Is sometimes recruited from girls belonging to the Boyas, Bedaurus and certain other castes. who. In the absence of male issue, dedicate daughter to some deity, who they believe win give them sons.