Odi Ungila: An untold tale of the Buntravani

A bridal essential from the Bunt Community who are inhabited in the Coastal region of Karnataka in the city of Mangaluru, is a beautiful ring called as ‘odi ungila’ which is a ring worn once a bunt lady is married. This ring a has an identity of its own in the Tulunadu people. A beautiful U or V shaped infinity ring which is commonly found in the market is very sacred and traditional representation for the bunts. It symbolises the commitment and the ups and downs of the institution of marriage but going through it together as a couple and hoping that their bond is remained together for all of eternity.

The ring is worn during a pre wedding ritual called the Muhuratha by the bride’s aunt. With the coming of new generations there have been different variations in the ring. In the olden days, the ring used to be only in gold but lately it is encrusted with diamonds. This ring holds the significance of a married woman and is as auspicious as a mangalsutra in other Hindu communities. This ring can be a V shaped ring or a U shaped ring depending on the wearer. Compared to the engagement ring, this ring is worn on the right hand on the ring finger. Most bunt women wear it daily and might have a different one for special occasions and you would hardly find a bunt woman without the ring. Celebrities like Aishwarya Rai Bachhan are often seen sporting the ring. Wether it is the red carpet or a scene from her movie, Aishwarya is hardly seen without one. It is mainly because very few people know about the significance of this ring and its importance to a married bunt lady and can be just called a regular ring. Being a girl from the bunt Community, I have grown up seeing and admiring my Mother’s and grandmother’s Odi ungila and have also envisioned how my Odi ungila will look like. In the earlier days, my grandmothers had a simple gold ring but in the past few years, they have also gotten it set with Diamonds. Recently, my cousins who have recently gotten married have created their own design and have two rings, one which is only gold and one with diamonds on it. The placement of the diamonds are very different from each other and has its own uniqueness. Each ring has its own story and represents the wearer of the ring.

I spoke to 3 of my family Members from 3 different generations and they all had a different perspective and take on what the ring means to them and how it defines their status as a married woman. First, i spoke to my grandmother, Indira Shetty for whom this ring represents solidarity and the purity of her marriage. She believes that a married woman should always wear the elements that represents her as a married woman to respect her marriage. Her mother had gotten her the odi ungila a day before and her aunt gave her the ring during the muhurutham. It was made of plain gold which she still wears, along with the new diamond one which she got as a gift by her daughter 4 years ago. She wears both of her odi ungilas on the same right hand ring finger. Then, I spoke to my mother, Archana Shetty who is from the second generation and has always loved her ring and feels that her ring makes her fingers look even longer. Compared to my grandmother’s ring, her ring is more in her v shape compared to her u shaped ring. My mother had a sharp V shaped ring with single diamonds on them.  Unlike my grandmother, my mother wear her gold ring daily and wears her diamond ring if she goes out. She feels the ring symbolises the essence of a married women and it also has a unique element compared to other marriage accessories of different religions and community.  The third person who I spoke to was my cousin Anushree Shetty who is from the 3rd generation of my family. She got married last year and wanted her ring to express herself. She got a gold ring made with a Bird on it which has spread its ring and forms a U shape. She always felt that a Bird represented her the best as it she always identified herself as a free bird and and has always been independent and felt that that will never change even after she gets married. Keeping that in mind, she got a bird made on her odi ungila. Unlike my grandmother and mother, she only wears it when she has to attend weddings as she is not used to wearing a lot of rings and prefers wearing it only during functions. For her the ring is more of an aesthetic accessory and doesn’t have that much of emotional attachment like the other elders of a family. The emotion one has varies from person to person. Every bunt lady has a different take on the odi ungil. Even over the years, the ring has changed its shape from the olden U shapes to a much sharper V shaped ring. For me, as a bunt girl, I have always admired and imagined myself wear that ring someday and wanting it to be the most beautiful piece of jewellery I’ve ever had.