The Amukta: Sacred Necklace of the Divine Form in Hindu Sculpture In the vast and precise vocabulary of Hindu sacred art, every ornament worn by a deity carries doctrinal weight. The term abharana, derived from the root bhr meaning to bear or to sustain, signals that divine jewellery is not decorative excess but a carrier of cosmic meaning. Among the many ornaments catalogued in the Shilpashastra texts, the amukta holds a distinguished and carefully defined position. It is the close-fitting necklace that encircles the throat at the kantha-desha, fastened at the back, resting snugly at the collar line without falling over the chest. Its very name implies something that cannot be removed easily, something bound to the body, intimate to the form it adorns. Placement in the Hierarchy of Ornaments The classical texts are deliberate in establishing a hierarchy among neck ornaments. The Sritattvanidhi classifies three distinct forms: the kanthi, which is a simple strand close to the throat; t...