Nose piercing
A piercing of the nostril, septum or bridge to wear a stud, ring or other jewel.
Also: nose stud, phul, laung
Nose piercing is old in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is described in the Bible, and in India is widely said to have spread in the sixteenth century, by the Mughal period. A small stud, called a laung or phul in North India and mookuthi in Tamil Nadu, is everyday wear for many women. Among the Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh, women once wore large wooden nose plugs. Nose piercing became widespread in Western fashion from the 1990s.