Indian Wedding

The Vokaliga community of Karnataka, a southern state in India, consists of mainly agriculturists and landowners. Therefore many of their wedding rituals follow the rural traditions strictly. But like several other communities, the Vokaligas have adapted these rural traditions to the urban ones and mostly their weddings are now conducted in wedding halls.

On the ‘Nischitartha’ or engagement day elders from the groom’s family go to the bride’s house with auspicious items like jaggery, rice, betel leaves, nuts and an old jewelry on a copper platter for the bride. After consulting an astrologer an auspicious date is fixed for the wedding upon mutual agreement. This function is performed in the absence of the boy and girl. When the groom’s people depart the bride is seated on ‘hasemane’ (wooden stool) to receive the gift items just brought by the groom’s party in her sari ‘pallu’.
In the ritual ‘Chapparashastra/achandi’ held one day prior to the wedding, a ‘mandap’ or canopy also known as ‘chappara’ is erected in the courtyard or in front of the bride’s house with great pomp and care. Traditional musical instruments like drum, trumpet-like instrument ‘halege’ and ‘shruti’-a type of harmonium –are placed in a row at the central point of the canopy. All females of the bride’s group place a banana leaf, betel leaf, jaggery and a sweetmeat called ‘thanbitu’ next to each instrument and bless them after which they conduct a ‘puja’/prayer by applying milk, vermilion and flowers to these instruments and also an ‘aarti’. This ritual called the ‘chapparashastra’ is performed on all days except Tuesdays and Saturdays. The officiating priest sprinkles sacred water on the house and the ‘chappara’/canopy’ to bless the entire proceedings. The same ceremony is held in the groom’s house as well. Then the bride and the groom are taken to their family temples respectively to offer prayers. On return the bride sits on the ‘hasemane’/wooden stool while the elders make small white bundles that contain coins in various denominations. Each bundle is assigned a purpose and hung up in front of the house. This ritual is performed to invoke the blessings of all the deities to ensure the smooth going of all the wedding ceremonies.
‘Kelneeru’ is a unique ritual in which the bride sits on a small stool wearing an old sari and all the ladies anoint her body with a paste of turmeric and coconut oil. After bath three or five ladies take her to a well or pond closely where the bride conducts the ‘Ganga Puja’, a prayer’ to purify the water. The ladies then fill tiny earthen pots with this purified water and take them to the house. There they offer ‘Gau puja’, a prayer for the cow that are fed with rice and jaggery and later perform ‘Tulsi Puja’ too. These ladies also plant a jackfruit sapling along with ‘navratna’ stones (9 semi-precious stones).
Other womenfolk in the house wash the feet of these ladies, bless the earthen pots containing holy water and place them in ‘puja’/prayer rooms with reverence. A similar ritual with a difference is held in the groom’s house also. They prepare two baskets known as ‘kuke shastra’-one contains silver items, gold jewelry and saris and the other rice, jaggery, nuts and coconuts, ready for the next day. The bride and the groom receive blessings and gifts from the elders on this occasion.
‘Varapuja’ marks the welcome accorded to the groom when he arrives at the bride’s residence in all his splendor with the ‘kuke shastra’ and the ‘mangalsutra’ (a yellow thread or a gold chain with a small gold pendant strung to it). The bride’s father receives him with a diamond ring and a gold chain and feeds him with honey and ‘ghee’ (clarified butter).After performing the traditional ‘aarti’ on him, the groom is escorted to the wedding ‘mandap’/canopy.

Now the wedding ceremony known as ‘Lagna’ begins and the bride enters the ‘mandap’/canopy accompanied by her maternal uncle. The bride and the groom stand opposite each other and are separated by a screen known as ‘antrapate’, a white silk sheet. They sprinkle ‘jeera’ (cumin seeds) and jaggery on each other while the ‘pujaris’ chant Vedic mantras.

The bride usually wears a traditional off-white ‘navari’ sari, (a nine yard sari) with a red border and zari works on it. This gorgeous sari is highlighted by a chic matching ‘choli/blouse’ and fine traditional gold jewelry in varied designs. The head is adorned with the trinkets like ‘mang-tika’ along the hair parting, ‘surya’ and ‘chandra’ on the sides of it and ‘moggu jade’ along the plaited hair. She wears ‘jimki’ (a circular piece embellished with pearls and stones) on her ears and necklaces, such as ‘kasinsara’ made of small gold coins with figure of Goddess ‘Laxmi’ on them and ‘addige’, a 2-3 layered thick chain with ruby-studded pendants around the neck. ‘Mangalasutra’ known as ‘karimani’ consists of alternate black and gold beads with two ‘mangalya’ pendants. She has gold and green glass bangles on her hands, ‘oddiyana’-waist band, a gold band worn on the ‘choli’ sleeves known as ‘baji/ bandh and ‘kaladdige’, thick rounded gold or silver anklets.
The groom’s outfit consists of silk ‘veshti’/dhoti, edged with ‘zari’ border, worn in the traditional style and white ‘maguta’, a shirt-like silk top. He also wears ‘valli/pitambar’, a long cloth of the same material as the dhoti, draped over his shoulders and an ornamental turban of gold embellishment called ‘pheta’. He holds a stick, sanctified in a holy place, in his right hand.

When the curtain is removed the bride and groom exchange garlands. The bride’s parents keep the auspicious ‘mangalsutra’ on a coconut which is taken to all family members and guests for their blessings. This coconut is kept on the bride’s hands and then in the groom’s. This moment is considered as the actual ‘muhurtham’, the moment of union as suggested by the heavenly stars. Now the groom ties the ‘mangalsutra’ around her neck. Tying her sari ‘pallu’ to his ‘shalya’ in the marital knot, the couple makes three circles around the ‘mandap’/canopy. After this they go out to look at the sun that acts as a witness to the wedding.

Some Vokaliga families follow the rituals ‘homa’ (lighting the sacred fire) and ‘Saptapathi’ (taking the seven steps around the fire) as found in any other Hindu wedding. The couple receives blessings from all the elders by touching their feet.

Now the time has arrived for the bride to bid farewell to her family members and friends. When she reaches her husband’s house, she tips over a small measure of rice and enters the house with her right foot first.

All the wedding ceremonies come to an end with an elaborate dinner followed by cocktails hosted by the families to introduce the couple to other members of the community, friends and colleagues.