Mangalsutra
The mangalsutra is the necklace that marks a Hindu woman as married, tied around her neck by the groom during the wedding ceremony and then worn for life, though widows set it aside. The name means 'auspicious thread', and the simple gold and black-bead ornament of the north differs from the heavier gold pendant called thali worn in the south, where the tying ceremony is called mangalyam and is the most solemn moment of the wedding. The black beads are traditionally believed to protect the wearer and her husband's family from the evil eye, while the gold signals prosperity, and the number of k