Temple jewelleryfor rent.

Temple jewellery is the oldest register in a South Indian bridal wardrobe, and the most demanding one to wear. The motifs are drawn from temple sculpture — Lakshmi, peacocks, mango — and the pieces are built to be seen from across a hall rather than close up.

A full set is rarely one necklace. It is a short necklace at the throat, a long haram down the front, jhumka at the ears, and usually an oddiyanam at the waist, which is the piece that settles the whole silhouette. They are chosen together because they have to sit together.

This is the register that suits a muhurtham in lamp and flash light, and the one that carries the most gold. It is also the heaviest — which is worth knowing before the morning, not during it.