Colours Of Paradise

Colours have different meanings for different cultures

- Susan Philip

In a nutshell

India is a land of vibrant colour. The sheer variety of the palette is eye-popping for the first-time visitor to the country. but there is more to it than meets the eye, literally. Colours in India are deeply symbolic. They usually have a religious significance, and particular hues are chosen not merely because they suit a person but because they tie in with a specific occasion.

Meaning and Deeper Meaning

Let us take a look at three basic colours and their significance to begin with – red, yellow and black. At one level, all three are colours of spices almost synonymous with India – the fiery chilli, the healing turmeric and the pungent pepper.

Red is a very complex colour in the Indian context. It is at once the colour of power and sensuality, and of purity and fertility. on the one hand, it is associated with the Goddess Durga, depicted as a fearsome force that destroys evil, her out thrust tongue stained red by the blood of the demons (symbolically, negative emotions such as fear, anger and jealousy) she has destroyed. on the other, red is the auspicious  colour worn by Hindu brides; and, later, kumkum, the red powder that is applied along the parting of a Hindu woman’s hair signifies her married status.

In India, yellow stands for knowledge and joy, and also for holiness. Indra, one of the Gods of the Hindu pantheon, is said to have woven the rays of the sun to make a garment for himself. Krishna and Ganesha, two of the most beloved deities, are usually depicted dressed in yellow. Turmeric is associated with prosperity and fertility, and by extension the colour is important in Hindu rites.