Religious rituals: A typical Hindu wedding

KARACHI:

Hindu weddings, according to Aly Maharaj Goyer, the pandit at Shiv Santosh Mandir, are very different from others.

The ceremony starts with the bride and groom entering the lagan mandap or wedding hall and exchanging a war mala (garlands of flowers) as the pandit recites verses from the Gita, Ramayana and Shiv Puran. The war mala is the first step of commitment taken by the bride and groom in front of their family and friends.

Next comes the kar jora, this is when the bride and groom hold their hands above each others’ and the pandit keeps a betel nut leaf between them along with some henna and rice.

Then comes the Pavitra Sharlok — the pandit recites verses on the meaning of marriage and explains the rights of a husband and wife. While this is going on, the couple is asked to stand up and do their phere, seven rounds around the fire. With each round, the husband and wife promise loyalty, dignity and responsibility to each other. The couple then sits down and the groom presents his wife with a mangal sutra — a black and gold necklace which symbolises their marriage. Then he proceeds to put a pinch of sindur (powdered red colour) on the bride’s forehead — or where her hair is parted. The wedding concludes with the couples going to elders of the family and getting their blessings.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2015.