Silambu

The silambu (Tamil: சிலம்பு, Malayalam: ചിലമ്പ്) is an anklet worn and used in a variety of contexts on the Indian subcontinent.

A statue of Kannagi holding a silambu.

Etymology

According to Jeyaraj, the word 'silambu' is derived from the verb 'silambal', meaning 'to make sound'.[1]

Description

The silambu is a hollow anklet filled with beads that produce noise when the wearer moves or dances.[2] It may be worn on the ankle or the leg. When worn on the leg, it is termed kālchilambu in Tamil.[3]

Some varieties of silambu are made of copper and use iron balls to produce sound.[4] Others are made of silver.[5]

In dance

Nautch performers wore silambu.[2]

Kandyan dancers may wear silambu.[4]

In Tamil Nadu, a traditional dance called kai silambu aatam is performed in temples during Amman festivals in which the dancers wear or hold silambus in their hands, which make noise when shaken.

In literature

The epic Silappatikaram is structured around the character Kannaki's attempt to sell her silambu, and takes its title from the name of the anklet.[6][7]

In festivals

Silambu are sometimes placed on cows' legs during the Pongal festival.[8]

In religion

Shiva in the dancing pose nataraja sometimes wears a silambu on his ankle.

Silambu may be used in Theyyam worship.

  • Anklets, Tamil Nadu
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See also

Notes
  1. Jeyaraj 1999, p. 39.
  2. Sambamoorthy 1976, p. 6.
  3. Sambamoorthy 1976, p. 23.
  4. Banerji, Projesh (1959). The Folk-Dance of India. Allahabad: Kitabistan. pp. 189–190.
  5. Marcuse, Sibyl (1975). "Silambu". Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary. New York: Norton. p. 476.
  6. Chakravarti, A. (1944). Jaina Literature in Tamil. New Delhi: Bhāratīya Jñāpītha. p. 51.
  7. The Śilappadikāram. Translated by Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra. Oxford University Press. 1939. p. 1.
  8. Sambamoorthy 1976, p. 24.

Sources
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