Etymology of Sehrā

© Abhishek Avtans

There’s an idiom in Hindi /Urdu jīt kā sehrā bandhnā जीत का सेहरा बँधना which translates as ‘to get the credit for a win‘. Newspaper reports about election results frequently use this idiom to connect the person/s behind a particular electoral win. While जीत jīt (victory) is ultimately connected with Sanskrit word जितिः jitiḥ (victory, winning), sehrā is an interesting word. Sehrā सेहरा (also सिहरा sihrā) is a nuptial headwear made of flowers or a head-dress worn by the bridegroom at the time of marriage. Sehrā is also the name of marriage songs which are sung by bride’s or groom’s relatives as the groom is garlanded. Seahrā can also be made of pearls, precious stones. synthetic flowers, golden ribbons, feathers and beads instead of flowers, and the number of strings is usually in odd numbers.

In English, sehrā can be compared to a chaplet which is a headdress in the form of a wreath made of leaves, flowers or twigs woven into a ring. Seahrā is an important part of Muslim marriages. For a Muslim marriage ceremony called nikāh निकाह, sehrā is a veil made of flowers worn on the forehead by a bridegroom or a bride to cover his or her face at the time of nikāh. According to William Crook (1896), it was worn to avert evil eye from the marrying couple. Because of its frequent occurance in Muslim marriages, some scholars have mistakenly assumed that Sehrā is of Persian or Arabic origin. Although the word Sehrā is ultimately connected with Sanskrit word शेखरः shekharaḥ (a crest, chaplet, tuft, a garland of flowers worn on the head;). Some other scholars like Ram Chandra Verma derived it from a compound of sir सिर ( head) + hār हार (garland), while others like Shyamsundar Das derived it from शीर्षहार shīrṣahār (top garland) or शीशहार shīsh-hār (head garland).

References

Das, Syamsundar. Hindi shabdasagar. Navina samskaran. Kasi: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, 1965-1975.

Crooke, W. (1896). The tribes and castes of the north-western provinces and Oudh in 4 volumes. Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing.

Crooke, W. (1907). Natives of northern India  / by W. Crooke. Archibald Constable.

मानक हिन्दी के शुध्द प्रयोग / Manak hindi ke shuddh prayog – नई दिल्ली / New Delhi राधाकृष्ण प्रकाशन / Radhakrishna Prakashan 2000 – 179 p. – Vol 4 .