The Kanayadaan is that part of the marriage ceremony in which the girl's family gives her away to the groom. Her maternal uncle carries the bride-to-be in a bamboo basket to the mandapam. The bride and bridegroom are separated by a curtain placed between them. They are not to see each other until after the marriage ceremony. The priest invokes the blessings of the ancestors belonging to the last seven generations of both families. The bride's parents wash the groom's feet in a gesture that symbolises their belief that he is a form of God to whom they now offer their daughter's hand. 

<< Back

After the priest recites the wedding shlokas from the Vedas, the bride and groom apply a paste of cumin seeds (jeera) and jaggery on each other's hands. This is known as Jeelakarra-Bellamu. The slightly bitter cumin and sweet jaggery when ground together turn into an inseparable mixture. Communicating that the bride and groom are supposed to become inseparable through life's bitter and sweet times.

 << Back

For the Madhuparkam, the bride wears a white cotton sari with a red border, while the groom dons a white cotton dhoti, also with a red border. White signifies purity and chastity, while red is a colour that represents strength.

 << Back

The girl is accompanied by ten married women (Sumangalis). Six of them hold plates full of rice and turmeric powder mixed together. The remaining hold plates with small lamps made from a mixture of rice flour, sugar and milk. Rice, the staple crop of the south, signifies abundance. The lit lamps represent sweetness and light, two qualities that the bride brings with her to this new phase of life. 

<< Back

The curtain between the two is removed at this stage. Prayers offered, the groom ties the two strings (each with a golden disc representing the mangalsutra) separately around the girls neck, with three knots to represent the strength of their union on every plane - physical, mental and spiritual. The groom holds the bride's hand and gazes at the pole star or Dhruva (represents constancy) with her. The couple also look towards the stars Vasishta and Arundhati (part of the Great Bear Constellation, known as Sapta Rishi or Seven Sages). These stars, always visible together, have come to symbolise an inseparable couple.

<< Back

Having tied the mangalsutra, the couple now exchange garlands. Those present at the wedding shower their blessings on the couple by sprinkling flowers and turmeric-coloured rice (Akshata) on them.

<< Back

'Saptapadi' or seven steps are what the couple takes together. During this, the bride's saree and the groom's dhoti are tied together at one end in a knot. The groom prays for life-long blessings with each step - with the first step he prays for food that nourishes them, with the second step he prays for strength, with the third for help in honouring their vows, with the fourth for a comfortable life, with the fifth for the health of their cattle, with the sixth for a life that survives the seasons, and with the seventh for help in fulfilling religious duties. During this ceremony, saris, ornaments and other gifts are offered to the couple and to other family members.

<< Back

The groom slips silver toe rings on the bride's feet. The girl is also adorned with a string of black beads, to protect her from the evil eye.

<< Back