- Source: Dejhoor
Dejhoor (or Deji-Hor) is a dangling ear ornament worn by Kashmiri Pandits married women, from the day before they are wed in holy matrimony.
The jewelry is placed in the cartilage piercing of the ear in a red thread and later the thread may be replaced with a gold chain known as an ath bought by her in-laws at their house. The thread or chain is about 8-12 inches. The bottom part is athur, which will be of gold, gold /silver threads or pearls, is added attached to the dejhoor. The ornament is not worn by Muslim Kashmiris or any other Hindu community.
It symbolizes union between two Kashmiri Pandit families.
The dejhoor ornament is always hexagonal and it symbolizes a yantra denoting Shiva and Shakti.
An interpretation of the term Dij is that it represents "dvija" and is thus the female counterpart of a yajnopavita in the Brahmin community.
Its function is similar to that of a mangal-sutra or sindoor in other regions of India. However a dejhoor is provided by the girl's family and worn even after the death of the husband.
See also
Culture of Kashmir
