Marriages Rituals in Lingayat Community

Lingayat is one of the Unique South Indian Communities. This is seen mostly in Karnataka state of South India. There are worshipers of Lord Siva and pure vegetarians. They are very traditional and religious people with high values in life.

Lingayat community weddings also considered to be most orthodox weddings with full of rituals in place and generally these weddings go for 4 days to complete all the rituals. But these days they are not spending so much time in this busy world and expensive living styles.
So, if we look at rituals at marriages in the Lingayat community there are so many interesting factors:

Pre-wedding rituals:

Nandi:
This is a kind of seeking permission and blessing from God. The first wedding card is placed before God and taking blessings.
Kaashi Yatre:
This is where the guy gets renunciation from the world and want to lead his life away from everything so at that moment the girl’s family comes to guy and convince him to get married to their girl.
Deva Karya:
The ritual is on the day when the groom family comes to marriage location and the offering that the bride’s family gives to groom will be first kept at Lord Ganesh possession and then handed over to groom.

Wedding Rituals:

Mandap Puja:
The pooja is performed to make the venue of marriage a holy place to perform marriage and let God Siva present in marriage
Var Puja:
This means the worshiping of Groom, this happens when Bride’s father get groom to marriage hall and first wash his legs and give offerings of clothes etc. then letting him to get into the mandap.
Garlanding ceremony:
The maternal uncle of the girl carries girl to mandap along with her brothers when Veda mantras are being chanted with white cloth covering her. After she enters, remove the while cloth, then bride and groom garland each other
Giving away the bride:
This is a ritual again performed by bride’s father where he offers his daughter hand to groom hand with leaving water on and pandits chanting Veda mantras
Saptapati:
Seven steps of marriage where the bride and groom holding their hands will take rounds around fire. These are considered as first steps of couple together which will lead them to hold each other for lifelong in each step
Managalya dhara:
In this community at the time managalya dhara 5 women will be standing behind the bride holding her and giving chance for guy to tie managalya

Post Wedding:

Vidai:
Vidai which means sending girl to their husband’s home which is an emotional event and girl is sent with gifts and lots of love and blessings
Gruha Parvesh:
This is ritual at groom’s house where the girl is first time stepping into their house so will have a pooja performed and taking her into the home along with blessing of god

Overall the Lingayat community wedding ceremony looks very exciting and interesting with its right mix of traditions and systems.