pearl stone mala
Muthu Mani Malai(Pearl) would be found inside the water, that is inside the ocean. Muthu Mani Malai could be found commonly in jewellery shops, small as well as in big, and the price ranges from low to high, based on the quality of the Muthu (Pearl).
Muthu is also another name for Lord Muruga, and hence we could adorn Muthu Mani Malai to his pictures and idols. We could also hear few Tamil cinema songs which starts with the word “MUTHU”, for example, Muthu Kulika Vareergala (Come come and Join with us for collecting Pearl from the River), from the old Tamil Film Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi, and we could also hear a popular hit song, ‘Muthu Mani Malai’ from the picture Chinna Gounder, and from this, we could knew about the much gaining popularity of the great Muthu(Pearl).
Madurai City is famous for Pearl, since the ancient Madurai Kings were very fond of wearing Pearl as one of their favourite ornaments. Pearls are a type of material used in jewellery. They are obtained from certain organisms such as the pearl oyster, a type of mussel that lives in nature in water. Pearls have been a sought-after commodity since ancient times. Tamil Nadu is also famous for its ancient Pandinadu pearls. Pearls are also known to have been exported to Europe from there. Pearls are generally considered and valued as gemstones. Pearls are formed inside the water bodies. To reduce the irritation caused by particles entering the body of these organisms from the outside, a substance secreted by them is coated on the pieces. This process creates this valuable object called a pearl. The Tuticorin region has recorded the highest pearl production. It is often called the Pandiyan country of pearls.
Until the end of the 19th century, only naturally occurring pearls were used. People would go into the water and collect pearl oysters. This was called pearling. There are many places that were famous for growing natural pearls in ancient times. These include the Arabian Gulf, India, China, Japan, Australia, various Pacific islands, Venezuela , and Central America.
In Tamil Nadu, coastal towns like Thoothukudi were famous for pearling. In Sri Lanka, pearling took place in the Mannar Gulf region, which was part of the Jaffna kingdom. The kings of Jaffna and subsequent colonial rulers such as the Portuguese and the Dutch earned good income from this. Very few of the oysters collected in this way yielded pearls, making pearls rare and expensive.
In 1896, Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan developed and patented a method for growing pearls artificially. In this method, polished particles made from the shell of a mussel are wrapped in the tissue of another pearl oyster and inserted into the body of the pearl oyster. The oysters are placed in a cage and lowered into the water. It takes about three to six years for the pearls to develop.
The properties of pearls vary depending on whether they are formed in freshwater or seawater, the type of oyster that formed them, and the region where they were formed.
There are the following types of pearls:
1.Akoya pearl
2.South Sea pearl
3.Tahitian pearl
4.Freshwater pearl
Some types are rare and therefore highly valued.
“OM SRI MUTHU VADUGA NATHARE NAMO NAMAHA”
COMPILED BY
R. HARISHANKAR