Mangalsutra for the married women |
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 Mangalsutra or the thread of goodwill is a necklace worn specifically by married women as a symbol of their marriage. Initially it was a thread that a bride and groom tied on each other's neck signifying their union in goodwill. Now, the groom ties it around his bride's neck to indicate that he receives her from her father.
The most common mangalsutra is made of two strings of small black beads with a pendant, usually of gold. The black beads are believed to act as protection against evil. Married women wear this to protect their marriage and the life of their husband. In southern India, the mangalsutra is called 'thali'. It is a small gold ornament, strung on a cotton cord or a gold chain.
 'Thali' is a Tamil word. It is the symbol of matrimony. It is known as 'Mangalsutra' in the North.
Tying a thali is the most important ceremony in Indian marriages. It is similar to the western custom of exchanging rings. Every Indian woman considers the thali as the most prestigious token of love offered to her by her husband during the ceremony.
 In Tamil Nadu and in a few other states, thalis are tied on a thick yellow thread. When the thread is worn out, they are replaced by a new thread. Generally, in the northern states mangalsutra is made of two strings of black beads. These beads are believed to protect the marriage against evil. Thalis of different shapes and sizes are used by different communities based on their particular customs. It is considered auspicious by married women and they wear it till their death or their husband's death.
 In olden days, even children used to wear thalis made with tiger teeth and tiger nail covered with gold. Thalis are of different types namely - embithai thali, amathali, kolunthu thali, variven thali and manikka thali. The concept is that every child who wears embithai thali will be protected from all kinds of evil. This thali is associated with the weapon of Lord Mahavishnu. It is believed that Lord Krishna wore amathali (shape of tortoise) and kolunthu thali (tender leaves).
Traditionally, a married woman never removed her
mangalsutra. Nowadays, however, this custom is not strictly applied, and not all married women wear a mangalsutra.
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