Araimudi

The Araimudi (araimuti) (Tamil: அரைமுடி, araimūḍi) is a small silver metal plate shaped like a heart or a fig leaf formerly worn by young girls in Tamil Nadu, India.[1][2][3] "Arai" means loin and "mudi" means cover.[4] It called as 'Alamadi' and 'arasilai' by Muslims of eastern Sri Lanka.

The Araimudi (araimuti) is worn by adolescent Tamil girls.

The araimudi is also known as the "Genital shield" and an araimudi was mentioned in the "Guide to the principal exhibits in the Government Museum, Pudukkottai", by M. S. Chandrasekhar, published in 1966 as being displayed in an exhibit in the Madras Government Museum.[5]

"A Manual of the Salem district in the presidency of Madras, Volume 1" said "The children sometimes, to the age of ten years or more, go in a state of nudity, relieved perhaps by a piece of string round the waist which sustains the "araimudi" or heart-shaped piece of silver, which calls attention to what it purports to conceal."[6]

The "Madras district gazetteers, Volume 1, Part 1" said 'Little girls, up to the age of about 3, wear nothing but the little heart-shaped piece of silver suspended by a waist-cord (arai- mudi) " which calls attention to what it purports to conceal."'[7]

"Percival's Tamil-English dictionary", edited by P. Percival defined Araimudi as "அரைமுடி arai múḍi, A small plate of gold or silver, appended to the girdle of female children, for the sake of decency".[8]

Miron Winslow's dictionary, "A comprehensive Tamil and English Dictionary of High and Low Tamil" defined araimudi as "அரைமுடி, s. A small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts."[9][10]

Abbe Dubois's book "Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies", translated from French and edited by Henry Beauchamp stated that "Even the private parts of the children have their own particular decorations. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield or codpiece on which is graven some indecent picture ; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it is meant to decorate."[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] "Description of the character, manners, and customs of the people of India; and their institutions, religious and civil", also written by Dubois said "The children of either sex are likewise ornamented with various trinkets of the same form, though smaller than those of grown persons. They have also some that are peculiar. As all children in India go perfectly naked till they are six or seven years old, the parents of course, adapt the ornaments to the natural parts of the body. Thus, the girls have a plate of metal suspended so as to conceal, in some measure, their nakedness. The boys, on the other hand, have little bells hung round them, or some similar device of silver or gold, attached to the little belt with which they are girt. Amongst the rest, a particular trinket appears in front, bearing a resemblance to the sexual part of the lad."[18]

Until the 1960s in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka girls wore the Araimudi.[19][20]

References
  1. Tamil to English Dictionary "Meaning of 'iravirekku'" (Meaning of இராவிரேக்கு)
  2. "TAMIL TO ENGLISH DICTIONARY இராவிரேக்கு - iravirekku - [irāvirēkku]". Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  3. "அரசிலை aracilai". Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  4. Asiff Hussein (2007). Sarandib: an ethnological study of the Muslims of Sri Lanka. Vol. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Asiff Hussein. p. 267. ISBN 978-9559726227. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 110 The term appears to literally mean 'loin (arai) cover (mudi)' 4,1 Winslow ( 1862) gives araimuti as 'a small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts'. Dubois (1906) who observed that the private parts of the children of theOriginal from the University of Michigan Digitized 3 Sep 2008
  5. Government Museum; M. S. Chandrasekhar (1966). Guide to the principal exhibits in the Government Museum, Pudukkottai. Printed at Super Power Press, for the Director of Stationery and Print. p. 93. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Pamla malai (coral necklace), kasais, lead and glass bangles, lead rings for toes, ear and nose screws, and also the araimudi (or the " Genital shield ") worn by young female children are included.Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 6 Jun 2011 Length 129 pages
  6. A Manual of the Salem district in the presidency of Madras, Volume 1. Vol. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Printed by E. Keys, at the Government Press. 1883. p. 141. Retrieved 16 April 2012. The children sometimes, to the age of ten years or more, go in a state of nudity, relieved perhaps by a piece of string round the waist which sustains the "araimudi" or heart-shaped piece of silver, which calls attention to what it purports to conceal.Compiled by Henry Le Fanu Original from Oxford University Digitized 6 Jun 2007
  7. Madras (India : State) (1918). Madras district gazetteers, Volume 1, Part 1. Vol. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Printed by the Superintendent, Govt. Press. p. 109. Retrieved 11 November 2012. Little girls, up to the age of about 3, wear nothing but the little heart-shaped piece of silver suspended by a waist-cord (arai- mudi) " which calls attention to what it purports io conceal." They are then promoted to a miniaturo " female " clothOriginal from the University of Michigan Digitized 14 Mar 2005 Archived 2012-12-03 at archive.today
  8. P. Percival (1993). P. Percival (ed.). Percival's Tamil-English dictionary (reprint ed.). Asian Educational Services. p. 14. ISBN 8120608194. Retrieved 16 April 2012. அரைமுடி arai múḍi, A small plate of gold or silver, appended to the girdle of female children, for the sake of decency ;
  9. M. Winslow (1989). Winslow's a Comprehensive Tamil and English Dictionary (3, reprint ed.). Asian Educational Services. p. 40. ISBN 8120600002. Retrieved 16 April 2012. அரைமுடி, s. A small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts.
  10. Miron Winslow (1862). Acomprehensive Tamil and English Dictionary of High and Low Tamil. MADRAS : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY P. R. HUNT, AMERICAN MISSION PRESS, 167, POPHAM'S BROADWAY: Hunt. p. 40. Retrieved 16 April 2012. அரைமுடி, s. A small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)Original from the Bavarian State Library Digitized 21 Mar 2011 Length 976 pages A COMPREHENSIVE TAMIL AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF HIGH AND LOW TAMIL, BY THE REV. MIRON WINSLOW. D.D. AMERICAN MISSIONARY, MADRAS. ASSISTED BY COMPETENT NATIVE SCHOLARS: IN PART FROM MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS OF THE LATE REV. JOSEPH KNIGHT, AND OTHERS. MADRAS : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY P. R. HUNT, AMERICAN MISSION PRESS, 167, POPHAM'S BROADWAY. 1862. Copyright Secured.
  11. Jean Antoine Dubois (1899). Henry King Beauchamp (ed.). Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies (2 ed.). Oxford PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS BY HORACE HART, M.A. PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY: Clarendon press. p. 336. Retrieved 16 April 2012. They have many other baubles of the same kind2. Even the private parts of the children have their own particular decorations. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield or codpiece on which is graven some indecent picture; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it is meant to decorate.Original from Indiana University Digitized 11 Jun 2009 Length 730 pages HENRY FROWDE, M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK HINDU MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES BY THE ABBÉ J. A. DUBOIS TRANSLATED FROM THE AUTHOR'S LATER FRENCH MS. AND EDITED WITH NOTES, CORRECTIONS, AND BIOGRAPHY BY HENRY K. BEAUCHAMP FELLOW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS ; MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY WITH A PREFATORY NOTE BY THE RIGHT HON. MAX MÜLLER AND A PORTRAIT SECOND EDITION Oxford AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1899
  12. Fernando Henriques (1961). Love in action: the sociology of sex. Panther Books. p. 70. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield or cod-piece on which is graven some indecent picture; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it is meant to decorate.Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 3 Oct 2007 Length 432 pages
  13. Robert Briffault (1969). The mothers: a study of the origins of sentiments and institutions, Volume 3 (reprint ed.). Johnson Reprint. p. 284. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield, or cod-piece, on which is graven an indecent picture ; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of the member it is meant toOriginal from the University of Virginia Digitized 15 Aug 2008 Length 841 pages
  14. Edward Alexander Powell (1929). The last home of mystery. The Century Co. p. 67. Retrieved 16 April 2012. parts of small children have their own particular adornments. Little girls often wear nothing save a gold or silver shield or cod-piece on which is graven an indecent picture. A boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it pretends to conceal.Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 26 Oct 2006 Length 332 pages
  15. J. A. (Jean Antoine) Dubois. Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies. (page 34 of 72) (PAINTING MARKS ON THE BODY 333)
  16. HINDU MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES THIRD EDITION OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1906
  17. Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies. Retrieved 16 August 2020 – via archive.org.
  18. Jean Antoine Dubois (1862). Description of the character, manners, and customs of the people of India; and their institutions, religious and civil (2 ed.). MADRAS : PRINTED AT THE ASYLUM PRESS, MOUNT ROAD, BY WILLIAM THOMAS: J. Higginbotham. p. 163. Retrieved 16 April 2012. The children of either sex are likewise ornamented with various trinkets of the same form, though smaller than those of grown persons. They have also some that are peculiar. As all children in India go perfectly naked till they are six or seven years old, the parents of course, adapt the ornaments to the natural parts of the body. Thus, the girls have a plate of metal suspended so as to conceal, in some measure, their nakedness. The boys, on the other hand, have little bells hung round them, or some similar device of silver or gold, attached to the little belt with which they are girt. Amongst the rest, a particular trinket appears in front, bearing a resemblance to the sexual part of the lad.Original from University of Minnesota Digitized 18 Feb 2010 Length 410 pages DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTER, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIA ; AND OF THEIR INSTITUTIONS, RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL, BY THE ABBE J. A. DUBOIS, Missionary in the Mysore. Second Edition, WITH NOTES, CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS BY REV. G. U. POPE, Head Master of the Ootacamund Grammar School, and Fellow of the Madras University. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH MANUSCRIPT. Madras : J. HIGGINBOTHAM, MOUNT ROAD. Law Bookseller and Publisher. LONDON—MESSRS. ALLAN AND CO. CALCUTTA—HAY AND CO., THACKER SPINK AND CO. BOMBAY—CHESSON AND WOODALL. 1862.
  19. Asiff Hussein (2007). Sarandib: an ethnological study of the Muslims of Sri Lanka. Vol. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Asiff Hussein. p. 267. ISBN 978-9559726227. Retrieved 11 November 2012. Little girls of the Eastern districts such as Amparai are also said to have formerly worn a cache-sexe plate in the shape of the Indian Fig leaf (Ficus Religiosa) known as araimudi 450 to cover their private parts. The ornament made of silver or ...Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 3 Sep 2008
  20. "Dress and Ornamentation among the Moors page 33" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
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