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The Great Indian Wedding is a myriad of colors, that makes it vibrant and festive
and remain forever, as colorful impressions in the memories of the bride and the
groom as well as of those who are a part of it.

The beautiful wedding attire of the bride


plays a mammoth role in beautifying the entire wedding. Each and everyone
looks forward to the Bridal outfit. Be it the Red Zardosi border Banarsi sari or the

gorgeous Lenhangas of the North, Cream and Red bordered Panetar in a Gujarati
wedding or the dark GreenPaithni saris in Maharastra or even the traditional rich
bordered Mysore andKanjeevaram from south, they all glam up the Indian
wedding.
India is a country with varied heritage and customs, but every Hindu believes in
the sixteen sanskaras (sacraments) that make the life of the individual noble
and prosperous, with the most important sanskara being 'vivaha' (marriage). It's
a ceremony whereby two souls are brought into union spiritually, mentally and
physically in the scared bond of matrimony. As per the shastras, the groom is
considered to be Mahavishnu Svarupaya Varahaya ie The great Vishnu himself
and the bride is believed to be Godess Lakshmi.

The marriage ceremony always begins


with 'Ganesh Puja' with the belief that Lord Ganesha dispels the darkness of
ignorance and removes obstacles. This is followed by 'Navgrah Shanti
Puja' performed separately by parents of the bride and the groom. Pre-wedding
rituals require the bride to tie a holy thread on her wrist which is meant to ward
off all evil spirits, symbolizing a kind of a protective armor for the bride. For the
groom, the holy thread comprises of the various Gods .. 'Indra', 'Soma',
'Chandra' and 'Agni'. From there on, the groom prepares himself for a new
chapter in his life as a householder or 'Grihasta'. The ceremony also involves the
bride and groom being anointed with a fragrant paste made out of turmeric

powder, curd, sandal-wood and scented water in their respective


houses. 'Mandap Ropan' or 'Vedi' formation takes place at the bride's house
where four pillars (made out of bamboo) are erected at four corners and are
blessed. It is under this mandap that the agni parikrama takes place.
On the day of the wedding, the groom is welcomed by the bride's parents to
their house with 'arti' after washing his right foot (or just the toe) with five
substances considered holy (viz milk, curd, ghee, sugar and honey). At an
auspicious hour, the bride is ushered in by her mother or maternal uncle as per
the tradition for 'Kanya Daan' which symbolizes 'parents giving away their
daughter to the groom and his family along with the consent for the marriage
ceremonies to begin'.
After the 'Kanya Daan' ritual, the parents of the bride proffer her hand to the
groom and officially request him to accept her as his bride, also known as 'Pani
Grah'. In return the groom usually offers clothes and jewelry to welcome her in
his life.

'Agni' or the sacred fire, central to all


Hindu religious ceremony, is invoked and offerings of wood, grains and ghee are
poured in.Agni is considered to be the "mouth of the Gods" and the Gods obtain
our offering through this medium. Agni Parikrama the central part of the Hindu
marriage ceremony requires bride and groom circumbulate the sacred fire
four ..seven times depending upon the various communities. Fire acts as a
divine witness to this sacred contract of marriage between the couple.The
groom fills the parting right above the forehead with 'sindur' (vermilion) and
places a dot of the red powder on her forehead as a symbol of declaring her to

be his wife. At this time, he also ties a sacred thread around her neck
- Mangalsutra - to signify their marriage. Usually this thread is covered with gold
and black glass beads, though in essence, it can be made of anything auspicious
including cotton and silk depending upon the customs in various parts of India.
The priest blesses the couple and the guests shower the couple with their
blessings along with flowers and rice.
The bride leaves her parents and friends to commence a new life with her
husband. She is given a warm welcome into her new home and is believed to
have brought along with her prosperity and good fortune into the house. She is
blessed by all the elders in the family and is introduced to everybody.
Depending upon the customs and traditions, a number of small ceremonies
continue happening within family and close friends in order to acquaint the bride
to her new family and to make the entire affair a happy and lively experience for
the newly wedded.
Photo Courtesy: Priyanka Sachar

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