Ear-piercing is an age-old tradition in South India and Sri Lanka, which is practiced even now.
Elongating ear lobes IS also a practice in some ethnic groups in South India. It is NOT for renunciation. The earliest literary attestation we have is from porunarāRRuppadai (பொருநராற்றுப்படை) where a dancing woman (in a group of wandering bards) is described as having elongated ear lobes; her ears are compared to the handle of a scissors. I may not be using the right term, sorry. So … I think it must have been a pan-indic practice to grow long ear lobes. Regards, rajam > On Dec 30, 2021, at 11:41 PM, Asko Parpola via INDOLOGY > <[email protected]> wrote: > > A very rich collection of references to the ear is: > > Bollée, Willem B., 2010. Remarks on the cultural history of the ear in India. > Pp. 141-167 in: Balbir, Nalini (ed.) 2010. Svasti: Essays in honour of > Professor Hampa Nagarajaiah for his 75th birthday. Bangalore: K. S. Muddappa > Smaraka Trust. > > On p. 145 Bollée discusses the form of the ear, starting with “Karṇa > ‘Longear’ (?)” and “Vikarṇa ‘With widely extended ears’” … “Long ears are a > positive mark of Mahāvīra (…); such people, however, are to be excluded from > the sacrifice to the dead.” … > > Best wishes for a Happy New Year 2022, > > Asko Parpola > > >> On 31. Dec 2021, at 8.32, Allen Thrasher via INDOLOGY >> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >> If the particular work of art shows a large piercing or rather a hole in the >> ear, it must intend to communicate that he used to have large and heavy >> earrings, which he renounced. This does not necessarily mean that his ears >> were not also naturally pinayata. > > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
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