It is similar to the mangalsutra worn by Hindu ladies and is worn around her neck. However, among Sikhs, the bride only wears this thread on exceptional occasions. Chuda (wedding bangles) are more important to Sikhs than any other symbol of marriage. A wedding without chuda is like a house without doors or windows - incomplete. The tradition of wearing the mangalsutra dates back over a thousand years when it was first introduced by the Guru Nanak during the 15th century. He adopted it from the Hindus and began using it as a way of honoring his goddess wife Ruksana. The thread used for the mangalsutra comes from the gutkha plant which is found in some parts of India and has a sweet smell when burned. Today, many commercial brands sell threads that are supposed to be equivalent to the one used by the Guru. Even though it is not compulsory for Sikh women to wear the mangalsutra, it is recommended that they should use an equivalent thread so that they do not cause disrespect to their husband if they cannot afford one. There are different versions about why Sikh women stopped wearing them. Some say that it is because they were worried that if they wore it then their husbands might think that they were trying to imitate Hindu women which was not appropriate. Others say that after the 1947 independence war when India became a secular country, the practice died out.