Growing up in Mumbai, it was easy to identify a GSB woman by the coral (pavle) necklace she wore — the KashiThali, more commonly pronounced Kasthali. True to stereotype, we GSBs are an impatient lot: we speak fast and love shortening words, so KashiThali naturally became Kasthali in everyday speech. More common in GSB families from South Kanara and less so in North Kanara.
Traditionally, a Kasthali is made of gold and consists of twelve coral beads, two black beads, and a square gold pendant at the centre known as the thali. The size of the coral beads does not matter. This form is typically worn by married women. Widows wear a modified version without the black beads and the thali, in which case it is referred to simply as Pavle Kanti — a coral necklace.
Almost every married GSB woman will have a Kasthali. It is customary for this jewellery to be made by the groom’s family, with the groom placing it around the bride’s neck during the marriage ceremony. In the North Kanara GSB tradition, the groom’s family gives another mangalsutra instead of Kasthali.
In more recent times, as both gold and coral have become increasingly expensive, simpler versions have emerged — with fewer coral beads or smaller ones — adapting tradition to modern realities.
What continues to intrigue me, however, is the name itself. Thali in South India refers to the pendant worn by married women, but how did Kashi become part of it? Did the design originate in that sacred city, or is the name a linguistic evolution — perhaps derived from kansha (bronze), a golden-hued metal that may have been used before gold became prevalent? Like many cultural artifacts, the Kasthali carries not just ornamentation, but layers of history waiting to be uncovered.
What began, for me, as a familiar marker of identity opens up many such questions when looked at more closely. The Kasthali is not just a piece of jewellery; while its form may change with time, cost, and convenience, its presence continues to signal belonging and continuity.