RAJPUT WEDDING CUSTOMS & RITUALS
RAJPUT WEDDING CUSTOMS & RITUALS
Rajputs
traditionally have their own distinct individual rituals of marriage, as
marriage is one of the most important events in life. It is relation which is
created for seven generations between the two families of the bride and the
groom. Rajputs are the only clan perhaps who have carried forward the tradition
of the royal family weddings, the grooms' riding of elephants and the brides'
decked up in diamonds and other precious stones. The Rajput marriages, as a
rule, are grand traditional affairs.
» Pre - Marriage Ceremonies :
Engagement, Ganpati Sthapana, Pithi Dastoor, Mehfils, Janeva Ceremony,
Palla Dastoor, Toran
» Marriage Ceremonies :
Granthi Bandhan, Paani Grahan, Phera Ceremony, Satapadi, Bidai
Matchmaking
Rajput
gives special attention to the matchmaking aspect of the marriage. The match
between a boy and girl is made by taking into consideration many important
facts. The family is the first and the foremost significant of all factors.
Every care is taken to ensure that the alliance is perfect. The status of the
families has to be at par. It is also very important that the bride and the
groom hail from separate clans. The horoscopes have to be approved and matched
by the family astrologer. Rajputs prefer to marry within the community only.
However, exceptions are made if either the bride or the groom comes from a
royal family.
Wedding
Costumes
Bridal
Wear
The
Rajput bride wears a resplendent traditional Rajputi poshak (The Bridal
dress) for the wedding ceremony that is usually red in colour but you will
also find orange, yellow, gold or pink poshaks being worn. There are certain
traditional items of jewellery worn by the bride for the occasion that also
have their own significance.A bright parrot green is a particular favorite of a
particular Rajput clan. A lot much jewellery adorns the bride as well. There
would be the Rakhdi (a circular piece of jewellery for the forehead), the
Sheesphul as headgear, the Aad as a thick neck hanging, hanging earrings,
the Timaniyaan (a choker studded with uncut diamonds), the Chooda (a set of
ivory and gold bangles), the Bajuband (gold and stone-studded armlets) at elbow
on arms, the Poonchis and the Bangdis as thick golden bangles in arms, the
Hathphuls on hands, the Pajeb or Payal (gold anklets) and the Bichhiya (gold
toe-rings for the feet) and finally, there is the Nath (the stone-studded
nose-ring).
Interesting
Facts:
·
The 'Rakhdi', a circular piece of
adornment worn on the forehead in the parting of the hair signifies that the
bride must 'walk on the straight line' while the danglers on her ears advise
her not to listen to gossip.
·
The 'Timaniyaan', which is a
choker encrusted with uncut diamonds, tells her that she should always bow her
head in humility.
·
The 'Chooda' that is a set of
ivory and gold bangles, reminds her to give to charity.
·
The anklets tell her to put the 'right
foot forward' while the nose ring reminds her not to spend more than her
husband can afford.
·
The wedding dress and the Aad is gifted
by the groom's side to the bride.
Groom's
Attire
The
traditional attire for the Rajput male includes a long coat in golden color -
known as the Achkan or Sherwani. There is the very majestic saffron turban worn
along with a Chudidaar (tight salwar) and Binota or Juti (regal shoes).
Surprisingly, the groom too wears some eye dazzling jewellery, such as those of
special jewellery, the Serpech to be worn on the turban. There are a necklace
to be worn around the neck and a Kammarband at the waist. He keeps a sword in
his hand for the ceremony.
RITUALS & CUSTOMS
BEFORE WEDDING
Rituals
Before Marriage
Tilak
or Tika
This
is the official engagement ceremony wherein only the male members of the girl’s
family go to the boy's house. Only the bride's father, brother and other male
relatives take part in this ceremony. Women are altogether prohibited and not
even the bride is allowed to attend her engagement – is called the Tika/ Tilak
- ceremony! The ceremony, as its name suggests, has the girl's brother
applying the Tilak to the groom's forehead. The men from the girl's family
usually present the boy with gifts such as a sword, other presents, clothes,
sweets, fruits etc. This ceremony makes the engagement or alliance official.
Ganapati
Sthaapana
Few
days prior to the actual marriage, takes place the Ganapati Sthaapana, are
performed wherein either the bride or groom's parents perform a
"Havan" to propitiate the gods and an idol of Lord Ganapati is
installed. Only after the "Sthaapana" do other ceremonies commence.
These are held as very important as it takes place in lieu of the ring
ceremony. All ceremonies commence only after the sthapana (installation).
Pithi/
Baan Dastoor
This
is an exquisite ceremony which takes place at both the bride and the groom's
places. This ritual applies to both the bride and the groom. It would continue
till the final wedding day. Once the 'Pithi Dastoor' starts, the bride and
groom are forbidden to leave their individual homes. It consists of relatives
applying turmeric and sandalwood paste to the bride or groom. The Pithi Dastoor
takes place on a large scale at the bride's house. For the occasion, the bride
has to wear an orange Rajputi dress. She is made to come under a silken canopy,
which is held with the help of swords at the four corners by four ladies. These
ladies eventually belong to the same clan. Then she is brought to the ladies gathering
and these ladies then apply the paste to her. The ceremony performed for the
bride is quite detailed when compared to the groom's and is an all ladies
affair. The pithi at the groom's place is held on a minor scale.
As
we all know, music is an integral part of Indian weddings and Rajput weddings
are no exception. During the 'Pithi Dastoor','Dholans' or women
singers with 'Dholaks' sing auspicious pre-wedding songs and
generally these Dholaks are present throughout the wedding
celebrations. The Dholans sing songs pertinent to each occasion
livening up the festivities in the homes of the bride and groom.
The 'Shehnai' and 'Nagara' players also are crucial to
their weddings but they play in the courtyard or the garden.
Mahira/
Bhaat Dastoor
A ceremony common to the families of
the bride and groom is the 'Mahira Dastoor' and is performed by the maternal
uncle (Mama) of the bride or groom. The maternal uncle and his family make a
grand entrance and are traditionally received by the bride or groom's mother.
He gives gifts such as clothes, jewellery and sweets to the entire family and
this is a symbolic function as it seen as a brother's duty to help his sister
in her child's marriage due to the considerable expenditure that will be
incurred.
Bindori/
BindoraThe Bride or Grooms are invited on
meals by their friends and relatives called Bindoriand Bindora respectively.
Nikasi
In a
Rajputi wedding, the groom wears a Safa (Pagdhi) or headgear which is tied up
by the sister's husband. The groom also wears 'Pecha', 'Kalgi' and 'Tani'. A
Sehra is tied on the pagdhi. The sister in law (brother's wife) of the boy
applies Kajal in groom’s eyes. Later, groom's sisters tie golden threads to the
reins of the mare in a ceremony called 'Vaag-Gunthai'. While the sister is
performing the ritual, her husband holds the reins of the horse. As a custom,
the groom pays a visit to the temple first before proceeding to the girl's
house.
Baraat
A
Rajput’s Baraat is different from all other Indian baraat styles, where the
groom dresses in a gold "Achkan" with a "chudidar" or
"jodhpurs" with "jootis" and the traditional orange turban
on which is adorned a piece of jewellery specially meant for the turban called
"Serpech". Around his waist is tied a "Kammarband" and a necklace
adorns his neck. It is elegant, poised and individualistic. For one thing, the
Rajput Baraat is again an all men's affair. Ladies do not take part in the
procession. The groom's marriage procession looks royal and majestic.
The
groom usually rides an elephant or a horse and carries a sword. Also, the
members of the 'baraat' also wear Achkans or Sherwanis with Jodhpur’s and
turbans, and proceed to the bride's house. Of course, there is no dancing and
all members either ride horses or elephants with swords. As much as that there
is no dancing as the baraat progresses through the street. The horse is an
important animal for the Rajputs, so the groom must ride the horse at some
point in the procession.
Padla/
Samela Dastoor
The
Padla/ Samela Dastoor is a custom quintessential to the Rajputs. The 'Padla
Dastoor' is a custom followed only by the Rajputs that may be performed a day
prior to the wedding or on the actual wedding day and involves the bringing of
gifts to the bride, like a collection of many Poshaks, jewelry items,
accessories, make-up kits, shoes etc from the groom, by relatives of the groom.
These have to be worn by the bride for the wedding ceremony.
Dhukav/
Toran
Finally
Baraat reached at doorsteps at Bride. The male members in the bride's family
receive the baraaties . The entrance of the girl's house is decorated with a
'Toran'. As a custom the groom hits the Toran with a stick of Jhaadi &
Sword. This ceremony is called 'Toranachar' and is symbolic of warding off the
evil eye. After this the girl's mother does 'Aarti' and 'Tilak' to the boy. He
is given a warm welcome by his mother-in-law by performing the traditional
aarti.
Marriage
Rituals
The
groom is taken by the bride's mother to the ladies section after performing the
traditional Aarti. He is then proceded towards the wedding Mandap. In all this
only a married male relative or a brother or a male cousin accompanies him. The
wedding takes pace as usual with the holy fire and the Vedic mantras. There are
the Saat Pheras also. The only exceptional thing about the whole thing is that
the bride has to keep her face hidden behind a long veil throughout the
marriage. It is mostly attended by the women folk of the family as the men of
the house remain busy tending after the barati and other guests.
Granthi-Bandhan/
Gathjoda
The
next step is 'granthi-bandhan' or tying the knot. In this the cloth tied around
the groom's waist is tied to the chunni of the bride. The ceremony is symbolic
of the union of two individuals. From this day they become one entity. Either
the sister of the groom or the priest does it.
Paanigrahan
This
is followed by the 'paanigrahan' ceremony. The groom takes the bride's hand in
his hand. It is again a symbol of this most pious union. It signifies that they
will now be together in good times and bad.
Then
the ritual of 'sindhoor' takes place where the groom applies a small dot of
vermilion, a red powder to the bride's forehead and welcomes her as his partner
for life. This signifies the completion of the marriage.
Pheras
Then the groom and the bride go around
the fire. This act is called 'pheras'. In a Marawadi wedding only four 'pheras'
are done in the mandap, rest of the three pheras are performed at the entrance.
Following the tradition, in the two pheras, the girl is in the front and in the
other two the boy leads
Sindurdaan
Sindurdaan
Later,
in a ceremony called 'vamang-sthpana' the groom requests the bride to sit on
his left side, because the heart is in the left side of the body. This
signifies that the groom is accepting the bride and is establishing her in his
heart. This is followed by sindurdaan ceremony wherein the groom fills the
bride's centre hair parting with sindoor or vermillion. Sindoor is considered
to be the most auspicious sign of a Hindu married woman.
Aanjhala/
Chhol Bharaai
Following
the 'aanjhala bharai' tradition, a bag full of money is put in the new bride's
lap by her father-in-law. This is his way of welcoming her into his family and
also to make her aware of her family responsibilities. The bride then
distributes a part of this money to her sister-in-law and her husband. After
this the new couple get up from the mandap. All the elders bless them when the
couple touches their feet.
Concept
of Seven Lives (Saat Janam)
It
is a relationship which is created for seven generations between the two
families of the bride and the groom. It comprises a ceremony for the Tilak
(engagement), the Ban (starting of the wedding ceremony), the Mel (the
community feast), the Nikasi (the departure of the Bridegroom party for the
wedding), the Sehla, and the Dhukav (reception of the wedding party at the
bride's place by her parents). Solemnisation of the wedding is referred to as
Sat Fere.
RITUALS
& CUSTOMS
AFTER WEDDING
AFTER WEDDING
Bidai/
Vidai
The
event of a bride leaving her parental home is marked by the bidai ceremony. A
coconut is placed under the wheel of the car and the moving car has to break
the coconut before proceeding further. The bride opens her veil before she
rides in the car and her husband gifts her piece of jewellery for revealing her
face to him.
Grihapravesh
Grihapravesh is actually the entry of
the bride into her husband's house for the first time. There take place the
essential puja and other rituals as the bride arrives at the Sasural
(father-in-law's house).There take place certain games between the bride and
the groom, those alike to the usual games that take place in other Hindu
weddings.
Pagelagni
The
day following the Griha-pravesh, the pagelagni takes place. This is a ceremony
where the bride, still in veil, is formally introduced to all the family
members of the groom who bless her and give her gifts. The veil is then finally
removed.
WEDDING CELEBRATIONS
Mehfils
The Mehfils are the main attractions of
the Rajputi wedding. A mehfil is a place where the ladies of the house assemble
for music and dance evening. There is of course a gent’s mehfil as well. At the
ladies mehfil, the women collect together at an enclosed courtyard or hall.
They are usually dressed in sparkling dresses of all colors. Then, they perform
Ghoomar, a famous Rajasthani dance number.
The bride at the mehfil is given the position of the guest of honor. Though she can also take part in the dance numbers but it is generally believed that she should not overdo it. As overdoing indicates that she is not a modest and well behaved girl.
The ladies mehfil at the boy's place is the same except for the groom being allowed to attend the only for ladies program. The men's mehfils at both the girl and the boy's places have a different flavor altogether. In these mehfils, professional singers are being invited to perform and these are exclusive all male parties.
Food
Rajput cuisine comprises vegetarian as
well as non-vegetarian fare. The Rajputs who are Vaishnavs, those that worship
Lord Krishna are strictly vegetarian and the cuisine includes the traditional
Rajasthani dishes like the daal-bati. Daal-bati is a dish of cooked lentils and
roasted balls of dough, served along with a number of dried or pickled berries
cooked in different ways. The warrior class among the Rajputs, those that have
warriors as their ancestors, take non-vegetarian dishes. The food is again diverse,
inclusive of the seafood and vegetarian dishes. Then, there are the tandoori
mixed grill with chicken, lamb, fish, and shrimp, and a smattering of curry
offerings.
The royal weddings extend to days and
are mind boggling. There are innumerable events and exhaustively rich. Even the
Rajput marriage of the bourgeois class is an elaborate affair - with scores of
traditional customs and rituals.