Pair of gold ear ornaments, Pampadam

These extravagant gold ear ornaments were gifted to a young woman by her parents on her wedding day, as part of her dowry. They are of two types, pambadan (seen here) and thandatti. Neither form has a clear design lineage and their forms may ultimately relate to the asymmetrical ear ornaments worn by Shiva, the tutelary deity of the Vellala Nadar caste, the landed-owning gentry of Tamil Nadu. The pambadam sometimes has elements that evoke the rearing hood of cobra, when it is called nagapadam. The goldsmithing is of a high standard and the designs unique to these communities. They have a concealed hinged device allowing the ornament to be opened to secure it in a distended earlobe. Although giving the appearance of having considerable weight, they are in fact lac-filled and surprisingly light.