Curator and art historian Katherine Anne Paul examines the ornate carvings and jewels in this exquisite golden necklace, which represent the mythic creation of the Kathmandu Valley, the five cosmic Buddhas, or the Hindu gods Vishnu, Kumari, and Kartikeya. This piece of ritual jewelry is unique to Nepal and rich with Buddhist and Hindu symbolism. Girls, women, and boys wear such necklaces to commemorate significant life events or during festival parades, while others would ornament statues.
In Indian religious traditions, darshan means a glimpse or sight of the deity, often during pilgrimage, visit to the temple, or when the deity is brought out from a temple during a festival. It is believed that in these encounters, the deity also sees the worshipper via the consecrated statue. In Buddhist traditions, darshan is often interpreted as blessing, and sometimes can also refer to a meditative visualization or vision of a buddha or deity.
In Buddhist context, donor is a person who contributes to or commissions a religious work of art. This act is intended to increase merit on behalf of the benefactor and is dedicated to the benefit of all. It is also usually done for a specific purpose, such as longevity, prosperity, or well-being; to advance religious practice; or to ensure a good rebirth of a deceased relative, teacher, or friend. A similar practice is also known in Hinduism and Bon.
Gilding is a metalworking technique in which a fine golden surface is applied over a statue made of bronze. In Newar metalworking workshops, gilding is typically done with fire and mercury, which gives sculptures a warm finish (but is poisonous for their makers). In Tibetan contexts sometimes gold dust is mixed with glue and applied with a brush (often called “cold gold”), especially to a deity’s face to gain merit.
In Nepal, the Kumaris are prepubescent girls who are selected as the incarnation of the great goddess Devi, or the divine feminine principle shakti. These girls live in palaces in the center of Kathmandu and other Nepalese cities, where they perform rituals, bless devotees, and are carried out on palanquins in jatra processions. When the girl experiences her first period, she leaves the palace and resumes life as a normal person, and a new Kumari is selected.
The Newars are traditional inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The Newars speak a Tibeto-Burman language (Newari) and practice both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Newars are inheritors of one of the oldest and most sophisticated urban civilizations of the Himalayas, and Newar arts and artisans have been celebrated all across the Himalayan world since the Licchavi period.
This distinctive tayo-bizakani necklace is unique to the Newar people of Nepal (fig. 1). Newar forms of worship may embrace both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, rituals, festivals, and divinities, as is evidenced in the potential special occasions when this necklace may be worn as well as how the symbolism of the necklace is interpreted. In this context, multiple—even divergent—interpretations of the same items should be embraced.
Physical Construction
Multiple hands created and assembled the necklace. Ideally fashioned from high-carat gold, but usually created by fire to a stronger base metal, the hollow hexagonal pendant (reminiscent of a banana) is called a tayo in Newari.
Thirteen snake heads (nagpas in Newari) are each crowned by a golden gem, while a coral bead dangles below—demonstrating they are guardians of riches. Sheltered by the snakes are two greenish-turquoise pieces inset into inverted tear-drop shapes. Called paleswan-ha in Newari, they have been interpreted as lotus leaves or mangoes.
Four smaller, light-blue turquoise pieces are set into individual beaded borders produced by the granulation technique. The gem nestled between the wider portions of the paleswan-ha signifies a sacred five equated with five directions, five colors, five gems, and Five Tathagata (pancha-rashmee in Newari). Another gem is placed between the narrower ends of the paleswan-ha above a crescent inset with crystal—a typical sun and crescent moon motif, a feature not present in all tayo-bizakani examples.
The necklace support, called biza in Newari, is here made of twelve repoussé panels, each displaying a peacock with fanned tail feathers. The two rounded end panels that join the front pendant are inverted to visually connect the floral border. All are sewn to a red-cloth-covered support.
The circular clasp, called paka in Newari, features a twenty-petal flower with an undulating single dragon poised in its pericarp. The double-ring fastening allows flexibility in fit—from the neck of a small child to a larger-than-life statue.
Conceptual Construction
The scholar P. Bajracharya describes the symbolism of the necklace in relation to the founding legend of the Kathmandu Valley, citing the famed Newari text Svayambhu Purana, in which Bipawsi Buddha planted a lotus seed in the great lake of Nag-daha. The lotus blossom emanated the five colors (pancha-rashmee) of the Five Tathagata Buddhas: , , , Amoghasiddhi, and . The bodhisattva sliced open a valley to release the lake’s waters. The wise Shantikaracharya constructed Svayambhu stupa to enshrine the pancha-rashmee of the lotus. While the tayo illustrated here is hexagonal (as are many), Bajracharya describes octagonal tayo that correlate to the four sides and four corners of the Kathmandu Valley. Furthermore, Bajracharya notes that the tayo’shollow body may contain ankhe (five unbroken rice grains to represent the Five Tathagata Buddhas) or Navaratna—nine gems—representing the Five Tathagata Buddhas and the Four (Arya Tara, Saptalochani Tara, Mamaki Tara, and Padhmani Tara) of Svayambhu .
Although the décor of the lappets (the paired sides of the necklace) varies among tayo-bizakani, the peacocks featured here have multivalent affiliations. Viewed through a Buddhist lens, the peacock is paired with Buddha Amitabha. The peacock is also the animal affiliated with the goddess (popularly worshipped by Buddhists and Hindus in Nepal through Navadurga celebrations, where Kumari is one of nine goddesses embodied in masked dance festivals). Similarly, the popular Newar Kumar (also known as ) rides a peacock. The dancing peacock (preening for a mate) is affiliated with love. Finally, peacock feathers are also emblems of Vishnu—particularly in his form as . All these associations are relevant to the cultural uses of the necklace.
Cultural Constructions
Two broad categories of wearers are adorned with tayo-bizakani: people and statuary (fig. 2). Perhaps the most familiar individuals wearing tayo-bizakani are the prepubescent girls who are elevated as the living goddess Kumari until their first menstruation. As befits a deity, when appearing in public, Kumari is adorned with many pieces of jewelry, including this distinctive tayo-bizakani. This has misled some to title the necklace as a Kumari necklace. But it is only one facet of use for the distinctive necklace. Young Newar girls of appropriate social ritually marry the god , called Ihi in Newari. Wealthy girl brides wear distinctive hair ornaments, earrings, and necklaces that many include but are not limited to the tayo-bizakani. The tayo-bizakani may also be worn by the girls to celebrate barha tayegu, their first menstruation. Later, tayo-bizakani may adorn brides for their marriage to a human bridegroom. When individuals reach the auspicious age of seventy-seven years, seven months, and seven days, both men and women may celebrate with the rite called jyatha jako in Newari ( in ) that provides passage to the land of the gods. Women may wear tayo-bizakani for this rite, but not men. It is intriguing to think that the portrait statues of a mature donor couple dating to 1804 at Kwa Baha in Patan, in which the woman is portrayed wearing a tayo-bizakani, may celebrate the couple’s Jya Jhanko.
Boys also wear tayo-bizakani when dressed to process in public parades for Gai Jatra or Krishna Janashtami. Celebrated in the month of Gunla (August–September), the festival of Gai Jatra commemorates life-giving cows while memorializing recent family deaths (fig. 3). The festival of Krishna Janmashtami honors Krishna’s birth (an of Vishnu) on the eighth day of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in the month of Shraavana or Bhadrapad (around August or September), when boys are adorned as princely Krishna.
Fig. 3.
Children Wearing tayo-bizakani for Gai Jatra; Kathmandu, Nepal; August 27, 2018; photograph by Nabaraj Regmi/Alamy Stock Photo/PGPHTB
In all these celebrations, wearing tayo-bizakani marks moments where humans are temporarily spiritually elevated—as the goddess Kumari, to mark the life rite of menstruating, in becoming a bride, as promised access to the gods for the aged, to mourn the dead, and to celebrate life, including a divine birth. The elevation is a complement to employing the tayo-bizakani to adorn the divine that is consecrated within statuary.
At least six different divinities consecrated within statuary are documented wearing tayo-bizakani. Chandra B. Shakya’s excellent study of Buddha Dipankara and the Samyak Mahadan festival in Bhaktapur illustrates that four of the Five Tathagata Buddha images featured in the ritual celebration are adorned with a tayo-bizakani. This specificity underscores Bajracharya’s discussion of the necklace’s affiliation with the Five Tathagata Buddhas. Many examples display tayo-bizakani on statues of Buddha Dipankara, when processed in celebration of the Pancha Dan (Five Gifts Festival) celebrated during the month of Gunla (August–September), when Dipankara is worshipped as a previous buddha and patron of merchants and traders. The goddess Vajrayogini embodied in statuary within Sankhu Templehas has also been dressed with a tayo-bizakani.
In temple sanctums, other deities consecrated within statuary are adorned with tayo-bizakani. Bajracharya’s own family commissioned an inscribed tayo-bizakani in 1939 that beautifies Lokeshvara of Madhypur Thimi, Nepal, and is removed annually when Lokeshvara is ritually bathed. Although not all are photo-documented in his article, Bajracharya lists Rato Macchendranath (Bunga Dya in Newari), Seto Macchendranath, and Mina Nath, as well as the Lokeshvara of the cities of Chobhar, Bhaktapur, Madhypur, and Nala, as all wearing tayo-bizakani.
The tayo-bizakani may be interpreted as a profound representation of the Kathmandu Valley intended to connect wearers to the significance of this physical and spiritual site. Particularly for important life-cycle celebrations, there are numerous Hindu-Buddhist occasions for which a tayo-bizakani may be worn by both girls and women, as well as young boys, ranging from the Ihi divine-marriage ceremony, barha tayegu menstruation celebration, weddings, Jya Jhanko marking of significant auspicious age, Gai Jatra cow procession and memorial for the recently deceased, and the birth of Krishna. There are also numerous Hindu-Buddhist occasions when a tayo-bizakani adorns a range of deities of both genders in their human and sculptural forms, such as Kumari, , the Five Tathagata Buddhas, and Dipankara. Particularly for special occasions, when the deities are either formally worshipped in their stationary temples or processed outside, tayo-bizakani may be featured. The creation and donation of a tayo-bizakani, like other items of ornament and dress, to adorn consecrated statuary may be understood as a -making activity for the donors. Dressing the divine is a repeated act that provides multiple opportunities to make slight or great variations in selecting adornments. Re-dressing for ritual viewing at astrologically and liturgically significant times heightens the volume of merit accrued to the donors while simultaneously benefiting all viewers whose ritual viewing () is enhanced through such brilliance.
Footnotes
1
For a larger discussion of Newar jewelry artists that illustrates the creation in 2000 by Astaman Sakya of a tayo-bizakani prior to fire gilding, see John Clarke, Jewellery of Tibet and the Himalayas (London: V&A Publications, 2004), 60, fig. 42.
2
The number of snake heads may vary in such works but is always an odd number, typically ranging from five to thirteen.
3
For the lotus leaf interpretation and Newari terminology, see P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 70. For the mango interpretation, see Pratapaditya Pal, Art of Nepal: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection (Berkeley: Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with University of California Press, 1985), 140.
4
For a detailed description of granulation in South Asia, see Oppi Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India (New York: Abrams, 1997), 286–95.
5
P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 76.
6
The number of panels may vary. For more about the biza term, see P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 76.
7
Decorations for the paka vary, including motifs like dragons, butterflies, lions, and flowers. Other published examples of tayo-bizakani may be found in the Hong Kong collections Chengxuntang (cat. no. 21, pp. 46–47) and Mengdiexuan (cat. nos. 18–19, 44–47), as well as in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum.
8
P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 70.
9
P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 70.
10
For more about Navadurga masked dances in Nepal, see Anne Vergati, Gods and Masks of the Kathmandu Valley (New Delhi: DK Printworld, 2000), 66–110.
11
For a detailed study of Kumari, see Michael Allen, The Cult of Kumārī: Virgin Worship in Nepal (Kathmandu: Mandhab Lal Maharjan, 1996).
12
For more about Ihi, see Anne Vergati, Gods, Men, and Territory: Society and Culture in Kathmandu Valley (New Delhi: Manohar, 1995), 62–84.
13
P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 69–77, 76.
14
Gautama V. Vajracharya, Neil Liebman, and Laura Wein, Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual, Exhibition catalog (New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2016), 106–7, https://issuu.com/rmanyc/docs/nepalase_seasons_-_combo-_96_ppi; P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 77.
15
For images of Gai Jatra, see P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 77. On Gai Jatra in Nepal, see Mary M. Anderson, The Festivals of Nepal (Calcutta: Rupa, 1988), 99–104.
16
For a description of Krishna Janmashtami, see Mary M. Anderson, The Festivals of Nepal (Calcutta: Rupa, 1988), 105–11. Gabriel’s photograph of a boy Krishna wearing tayo-bizakani, Hannelore Gabriel, Jewelry of Nepal (London: Thames and Hudson, 1999), 65, is reused in John Clarke, Jewellery of Tibet and the Himalayas (London: V&A Publications, 2004), 109, and Madhuvanti Ghose, Vanishing Beauty: Asian Jewelry and Ritual Objects from the Barbara and David Kipper Collection, Exhibition catalog (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2016), 32.
17
Chandra B. Shakya, Golden Faces of Dipankara Buddha, Samyak Mahadan Festival of Nepal: Excellence in Newari Arts and Crafts (Lalitpur: Mrs. Rita Shakya, 2014), 75–77, provides images of the Buddha from Prasannasil Mahavihara, Chaturbrahma Mahavihara (Balachhe), Mangal Dharmadip Mahavihara (Jhorbahi), and Sukravarna Mahavihara (Kothubahi).
18
For Dipankara worship, see Chandra B. Shakya, Golden Faces of Dipankara Buddha, Samyak Mahadan Festival of Nepal: Excellence in Newari Arts and Crafts (Lalitpur: Mrs. Rita Shakya, 2014), 76–77; Anne Vergati, Gods and Masks of the Kathmandu Valley (New Delhi: DK Printworld, 2000), 111–21. For Pancha Dan, see Mary M. Anderson, The Festivals of Nepal (Calcutta: Rupa, 1988), 80–81.
19
P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 77.
20
P. Bajracharya, “Tayo-bizakani: A Newari Ceremonial Necklace,” Arts of Asia 31 (2001): 72–75.
Further Reading
Gabriel, Hannelore. 1999. Jewelry of Nepal. London: Thames and Hudson.
Ghose, Madhuvanti. 2016. Vanishing Beauty: Asian Jewelry and Ritual Objects from the Barbara and David Kipper Collection. Exhibition catalog. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago.
Xu, Xiaodong. 2018. Xue mo ling long / Jewels of Transcendence: Himalayan and Mongolian Treasures. Exhibition catalog. [In Chinese with some English.] Hong Kong: Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
In Indian religious traditions, darshan means a glimpse or sight of the deity, often during pilgrimage, visit to the temple, or when the deity is brought out from a temple during a festival. It is believed that in these encounters, the deity also sees the worshipper via the consecrated statue. In Buddhist traditions, darshan is often interpreted as blessing, and sometimes can also refer to a meditative visualization or vision of a buddha or deity.
In Buddhist context, donor is a person who contributes to or commissions a religious work of art. This act is intended to increase merit on behalf of the benefactor and is dedicated to the benefit of all. It is also usually done for a specific purpose, such as longevity, prosperity, or well-being; to advance religious practice; or to ensure a good rebirth of a deceased relative, teacher, or friend. A similar practice is also known in Hinduism and Bon.
Gilding is a metalworking technique in which a fine golden surface is applied over a statue made of bronze. In Newar metalworking workshops, gilding is typically done with fire and mercury, which gives sculptures a warm finish (but is poisonous for their makers). In Tibetan contexts sometimes gold dust is mixed with glue and applied with a brush (often called “cold gold”), especially to a deity’s face to gain merit.
In Nepal, the Kumaris are prepubescent girls who are selected as the incarnation of the great goddess Devi, or the divine feminine principle shakti. These girls live in palaces in the center of Kathmandu and other Nepalese cities, where they perform rituals, bless devotees, and are carried out on palanquins in jatra processions. When the girl experiences her first period, she leaves the palace and resumes life as a normal person, and a new Kumari is selected.
The Newars are traditional inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The Newars speak a Tibeto-Burman language (Newari) and practice both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Newars are inheritors of one of the oldest and most sophisticated urban civilizations of the Himalayas, and Newar arts and artisans have been celebrated all across the Himalayan world since the Licchavi period.
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