KASHMIRI PANDIT LADIES STILL USE' TEIK TAAL' IN MARRIAGE FUNCTIONS

                                                                      
                                                                                              

TEIK TAAL...

Teik Taal is a small piece of decorated cloth or special decorated appendage tied to apparel by Kashmiri Pandit women in a marriage or Yageopavit (sacred thread) ceremony. It is fixed (generally near the portion of saree or Pheran close to head)  in such a way so that it remains visible to all . Previously, TeikTaals were made of Kyemkhaab and Zarbaab cloth woven with expensive silk and golden threads by a Paetgor . The Paetgor shop was a part of Kashmiri Pandit society. A Paetgor would sell Attahuru, Teik Taal, Manan-Maal, Sheeshlaath, Zooji, Taranga, Kalpush, pins, buttons and all other material used by Kashmiri Pandit women for marriages and Yageopavit ( sacred thread ) ceremonies.

                                                                     

                                     

 Teik Taal is unique to Kashmiri Pandit culture only. Using a Teik Taal implies that the woman is a close relation and from the family wherein the marriage or sacred thread ceremony is taking place. Guests do not fix Teik Taal with their Sarees or Pherans (worn by Kashmiri Pandit women in the past). Teik Taals are distributed to ladies in a marriage function or Mekhala ( Yageopavit ) so as to provide a feeling of affinity , respect and closeness .

Kamal Hak has this to say :-

“I have read somewhere that Teik Taal is to be used only by the ladies of the same clan. It is specified that only the ladies with the same 'Guthur' (Gotra) as that of the family performing the ritual are entitled to wear a Teik Taal. That would mean only the ladies who have married into the particular extended family are privileged to use "Teik Taal". This is the reason why the married daughters of the family don't use the "Teik Taal" during such events in their Malyun or parental home. That apart, "Teik Taal" is not only a symbol of being recognized as part of the clan but more importantly a demonstration of a special status and respect accorded to the women in our past.”

 Noted Scholar Dr S S Toshakhani writes  this :

"Teik-Taal is more a ritual art than a religious ceremony. It is the figure of Sri'chakra over the rectangular configuration with vermilion or saffron paste and is painted on the top of the headgear of the ladies at the time of Yajno'pavit. As an option to the painting, a design of the Teik-Taal is cut on coloured or golden paper and then pasted on the ladies head dress. Teik-Taal shows how deeply Shaktism or Mother Goddess   cult had influenced the social and religious life of Kashmiri Pandits. “ 

 And It is the woman in any society, who ensures cultural and civilizational continuity through these customs and traditions. Long back, I was told by Vedic scholar   Vishnu Sharma Ji of  Rajasthan that during a Homa ceremony ( in Vedic age) , a mark of identification was tied to the  upper arm of the participants  . Is Teik Taal a continuity of this tradition? I am not sure.

( Avtar Mota) 

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.