India’s fascination with gold spans thousands of years. The earliest reference to gold in Indian texts is found in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest known religious books of mankind, where gold is equated with sunlight. In the Vedas, which are a collection of ancient Hindu scriptures, gold symbolized immortality and power.
Gold was also used for making statues and ornaments – especially in the royal dynasties. The first recorded use of gold for currency purposes dates back to 600 B.C. when King Alyattes of Lydia (part of present-day Turkey) minted coins using electrum – a naturally occurring mixture of gold and silver.
The first attempt at making India self-sufficient in gold came during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, who invaded the kingdom of Magadha (present-day Bihar) and acquired the secret for extracting pure gold from local rivers. This event marked the beginning of India’s golden era, as it began exporting large quantities of pure gold abroad.
India’s love affair with gold reached new heights when it was discovered that its melting point is much lower than that of any other metal. This meant that Indians could make intricate designs by hammering thin sheets of gold into place. You can just look up today’s gold rate in Sivakasi or any for any other place to see how the gold prices are soaring every day. See more. So here is a short list of the most prominent uses of gold in Indian culture:
1. Religion
The religious importance of gold in Indian culture is the primary reason for India being the world’s largest consumer of gold. Gold jewellery is given special importance in Indian weddings, birth ceremonies and festivals.
In India, gold has always held a lot of significance in religious practices and customs. In Hinduism, gold ornaments are offered to various deities during religious festivals like Diwali and Dussehra or other auspicious occasions such as when the first child is born in a family or when a new home is built. Hindu temples across India offer gold as an offering to their gods and goddesses. The Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh witnesses devotees offering over 40 kg of gold every day, which is then melted into three-foot-high statues of deities like Venkateshwara.
The Dhanteras festival celebrated by Hindus on the 13th day after Diwali (the festival of lights) is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) where people buy new items made from gold such as coins, rings, earrings, necklaces etc.
Gold is also given importance in Islam, Sikhism and Jainism as well.
1. Superstitions
According to some superstitious beliefs, wearing gold can ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. In fact, there are even certain places in India where unlucky people can’t enter because they’re believed to be protected by a wall made out of pure gold!
2. Family heirloom
Most Indians consider gold a family heirloom and therefore pass it down the generations. This is also one of the reasons why the prices of gold don’t fall down as their value is stored.
3. Investment purposes
Gold is considered a good investment option for the future. It is seen as insurance against uncertain times. Indians invest in gold to safeguard themselves against monetary crises. If you google gold price today Sambalpur or Jaitpur to see for yourself how people are investing heavily in gold.
