Paambadam
Paambadam or Thandatti is an earring worn by elderly women in South Indian States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala.[1]
Designed in the shape of a snake hood, with two balls, two knobs, a square piece, and a tongue pieced together, the gold-coated earrings weigh about 50 g each.
Paambadam in Tamil means the hood of the snake(paambin padam).
The sheer weight of a paambadam enlarges the ear lobe, which has to be pierced with a special knife for gradual expression.
Paambadam would be worn with one or two others of similar size and weight, pulling down and stretching the earlobe considerably. The remarkable semi-abstract design actually incorporates animal forms, showing the head of a snake.
Currently, due to more modernisation, such earrings are not worn.
See also
References
- ^ "பாட்டிகளின் காதுகளை அலங்கரித்த பாம்படம்.. தண்டட்டிக்கு நினைவுச் சின்னம் வைத்த நெல்லை மாநகராட்சி." News18 (in Tamil). 28 March 2023.