Types of Amulets

Based on the purpose, there were two distinctive type of amulets - negative and positive. Negative amulets provided protection by repelling the negative forces, while the positive ensured the fulfillment of desires like marriage, wealth and the birth of a son. Interestingly, the number of negative amulets worn is much higher than the positive ones. With such a long tradition of jewellery it is nearly impossible to differentiate between amuletic and ornamental or customary jewellery, since, more often than not, the users themselves are unaware of the difference. They just seem to continue wearing them as per their tradition. As is apparent, amuletic jewellery is a widely popular practice among the rural folk who are not only illiterate, but also live a life full of hardships. Amulets are worn specifically as well as integrated in the ornaments generally worn around the neck. Such integrated ornaments, like many others, present a unique similarity between the cultures of the Thar Desert covering Rajasthan & Gujarat,the Sahara Desert covering the Middle East and,the Great Gobe covering North Africa. However, special sanctity is attached to wearing an amulet without integrating it in an ornament when it is worn for a specific purpose, as generally, the amulets integrated in ornaments are not activated. An amulet is activated and empowered by a priest or a shaman after performing an elaborate ritual. Like the statue of a deity, life is infused in the amulets through a special ritual, Pranpratistha or Abhishek, without which they can not posses any power. It is performed individually for each user, which is why it loses its divine power when it loses contact with that individual. For a different user the ritual has to be performed again to regain its lost magical power.