Kasu Mala

Kasu means coin in Malayalam — specifically, the small gold coin imprinted with the figure of the goddess Lakshmi. A Kasumala is a garland of these coins, strung together into a chain, worn close to the throat or laying on the upper chest. The lengths vary — some carry forty coins, some ninety-six, some a hundred and eight (the sacred number).

Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, prosperity and household abundance. To wear a Kasumala is to wear her blessing literally — to walk into a marriage with the goddess herself layered against the skin. In Kerala bridal tradition, the Kasumala is among the first pieces purchased for a daughter, often years before the wedding itself. Many families begin contributing coins to a Kasumala from a daughter's birth, accumulating the weight slowly until the wedding day.

Each coin is die-struck from a sheet of 22-karat gold using a hand-cut die that reproduces the Lakshmi figure. The coins are then drilled at one edge and chain-linked — the linking is delicate work; if the chain is too tight, the coins sit flat and refuse to catch the light. Too loose, and they overlap awkwardly. A senior karigar walks a fine line.

The Kasumala is the most-photographed Kerala bridal piece. It is worn at the muhurtam moment, layered above the cream of the kasavu mundu, often paired with the Palakka and the Manga Mala. After the wedding, the bride wears it for the seventh-month ceremony, the first Onam, and the first Vishu of her married life.