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JAINISM AND DEMOCRACY
of religion also. The greatness of deities is compared on the basis of the material of the image, the ornaments and the loftiness of the peak of the temple. Dress and Ornaments :
The ceremonial uniform of a kstriya (a member of warrior race) is simply humerous. It is incomplete with a sword in the girdle which is without any utility in the present.
The ornaments and the female dress present a. shameful history. In the ancient and medieaval India. royal houses were generally at war with one another. In their attacks they used to captivate hundreds of women of the defeated territory who were kept in the harem as captives. While moving out they were required to cover their face with a veil and were guarded strictly. Sometimes they hoved in a tent so that even their toes of feet were not visible. In the present this practice is deemed as a sign of nobility. It might be a nobility or a sign of brutal strength on the part of the warrior who looted them. But on the part of the female it is a shame, a remanant of the inglorious captive life.
Similarly the ladies of noble families in Rajasthan wear heavy ornaments on their hands and feet without any aesthetic justification. Probably they are the remainders of handcuffs and fetters.
The customs and racial traditions are not an exception, India is a nation of customs and ceremonies. The life of a citizen is over burdened with them. These customs are of two types. Those related with the in
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