A flexible gold bracelet strung on black cord with a screw attachment at the clasp, the paunchi is yet another instance of the organic shapes found in nature reflected in ornaments. Worn on both wrists, the Kodava paunchi (pronounced paunchë) is near identical to the silver lasan ke paunchian with loop and ball closures, representing cloves of garlic, found across parts of northern and western India, such as Punjab and Gujarat.
The form of the bracelet in Kodagu, however, is likened to the spiked skin of the jack fruit, documented in Kodava folk songs. Jack fruit grows is abundance in the region and is greatly valued in local cuisine and traditional medicine. The term paunchi refers to a close-fitting bracelet strung on cord from a distinctly north Indian vocabulary. The spiked design of the bracelet is also repeated in an extremely attractive necklace fitted close around the neck. We would need to look at the possible influence of Coorg’s Court traditions on jewelry. It needs further exploration to understand how this design found its way into the jewellery traditions of the Kodavas.