Decoding Lingayat Community Wedding Traditions
The typical Lingayat community wedding has it all. Right from the Nishchay Tamulam, engagement ceremony, to the Gruhapravesham. Learn about all the rituals in detail, here!
If you, the soon-to-be newly married couple, hail from the Lingayat community, brace yourselves. Your wedding ceremony is bound to be an extravaganza of tradition and a time for friends and relatives to bond. It is a multi-day wedding affair which sees rituals based on spiritual beliefs and community traditions. Right from the erection of marriage booths for the couple to performing the auspicious Linga Puja, dedicated to lord Shiva, Lingayat wedding is a unique set of traditions to experience.
So what kind of rituals take place in a Lingayat wedding? Whether you are a Lingadhari or a curious soul who wishes to learn more about a Veerashaiva wedding, we have listed down all the rituals, from pre to post-wedding functions of the Lingayat community in India, for you! Take a look.
Table of Content:
- What is a Lingayat Community
- Lingayat Pre-Wedding Rituals
- Lingayat Marriage Day Rituals
- Lingayat Post-Wedding Rituals
What is a Lingayat Community
Rejecting the caste system of India, the Lingayat community, hailing from the state of Karnataka, follows traditions that date back to the 12th century. This community worships lord Shiva and follows the philosophy of Basavanna. Lingayatism believes in a casteless and socially equal society, where norms such as widow remarriage and inter-caste marriages are advocated for. This beautiful belief system makes the Lingayat community unique. This year, the famous Kannada and Telugu films actor and producer, Daali Dhananjaya, tied the knot with Dhanyatha in a traditional Lingayat wedding ceremony. The post-wedding reception celebrations were attended by renowned names of the film fraternity.
Lingayat Pre-Wedding Rituals
Nischay Tamulam - Formal Engagement
The traditional engagement ceremony for this community sees the bride partaking of coconuts, sweets and a traditional wedding ceremony saree from the groom’s family. More conservative Veer Shaivites or Lingayats are strict about the matching of horoscopes. If the horoscopes predict a fateful union; a mere formality, the exchange of gifts proceeds. In fact, horoscope matches, as done with the Lingayat community, are also seen in many other traditional wedding ceremonies - from the Marathi wedding ceremonies to the Tamil wedding rituals. The groom doesn’t leave empty-handed, having accepted sweets and a wedding dhoti from the bride’s side of the family. The wedding date is fixed amid brouhaha, and the celebratory phase follows. This Lingayat community tradition is the first tradition that starts the wedding ceremony.
1. Videghalne Ceremony - Erection of Poles
In this unique tradition, a wedding pole is erected in the homes of both the bride and the groom just a day before the wedding day, signifying that the wedding celebrations have now auspiciously begun. The priest officially announces the commencement of the wedding at this ceremony, and nuts, betel leaves, and flowers are distributed in celebration.
2. Gugul Ceremony - Blessings of Lord Ganesha & Lord Virbhadra
Any auspicious beginnings in the Lingayat community commence by first seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha. This ceremony involves seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha & Lord Virbhadra by filling two earthen pots with flowers, vermillion powder and ashes. These pots are then broken near a river or a pond, with elders seeking blessings from the almighty and the religious head or priest.
3. Lingadharanam - Worshipping Lord Shiva
Linga Puja is a ceremony where Lord Shiva's Shivling is worshipped, seeking blessings and a prosperous married life for the couple. Bel leaves, curd, ghee, Ganga water, milk, honey and flowers are offered to the Linga, with the priest chanting mantras followed by lighting of diyas and aarti to conclude the ceremony.
4. Kula Deivam Pongal - Worshipping the Family Deity
Each sub-group of the Lingayat communities believes in different deities and considers them as their family deities. Special Pongal dish, made of rice and jaggery, is prepared and offered to the Kila Deivam, or the ancestral deity of the family, seeking blessings for a prosperous family lineage with the couple coming into union.
5. Nandi Puja - Worshipping Nandi for Blessings
In this ritual, the beloved Nandi of Lord Shiva is worshipped in the ancestral homes of both the bride and the groom, seeking his blessings that all the wedding rituals take place without any hindrances.
6. Kashi Yatra Ceremony
The Kashi Yatra is a time for relatives and friends of the couple to regale themselves. It's role-playing time for the Lingayat community groom; he pretends like he has not found a suitable bride and will take a pilgrimage to Kashi. The bride’s uncle then shows a photograph of her to the groom, convincing him to stay back. Filled with jokes, the ceremony is nevertheless marked by traditional South Indian food and is a kick-off for the actual marriage ceremony.
7. Dev Karya Ceremony - Getting Wedding Items Blessed by Lord Ganesha
This is followed by another Pooja, in which everything to be used for the wedding ceremony is placed before an idol of Lord Ganesha, and a ritual follows. Relatives rub haldi on the couple. The entire ritual is called Dev Karya.
8. Pendlikoothuru
A famous Hindu ritual, known as Haldi in Northern India and Pendli Kuthuru in the Lingayat community, where turmeric paste is applied on the groom and bride by their families, blessing them with protection from the evil eye. It is also considered a phase where the couple are considered transitioning to the wedding with the commencement of this ritual.
9. Devaka Ceremony
Upon the groom's family's arrival, the bride's family welcomes them with a Devaka, which is a bamboo basket filled with auspicious items like betel leaves, turmeric, rice and water pots.
Lingayat Marriage Day Rituals
10. Mandap Puja - Cleansing of The Venue
The wedding ceremony is kick-started by a Pooja to spiritually cleanse the spot of the ceremony. Called the Mandap Pooja, this is presided over by the official priest for the wedding.
11. Var Puja - Welcoming The Groom
Traditionally, this ritual is looked upon as a purification ceremony to maintain piety during the ceremony. After this follows another ritual called the Var Pooja, in which the groom’s soon-to-be father-in-law washes his feet. The bride’s father performs an aarti before the groom and applies a tilak.
12. Varmala Ceremony - Exchange of Garlands Between The Couple
Upon the arrival of the bride at the mandap, escorted by her uncle, she is positioned facing the groom, but a raw white cloth separates both. The priest recites holy mantras to sanctify the Lingayat community wedding ceremony. Soon, relatives remove the white cloud, and the couple immediately garlands each other amid a wave of smiles.
13. Dhara Hardu - Father Gives Away His Daughter
Also known as Kanyadaan in Hindu culture, this emotional ceremony signifies a father handing over his daughter to the groom, marking that now it is the groom's duty to take care of the bride for life. In this ritual, the bride places her hand on top of the groom's right hand, and the bride's father then pours holy water on the top, concluding the ceremony.
14. Mangalsutra Ceremony - Tying of the Mangalsutra
The Lingayat Ceremony does not include a saptapadi ceremony. Instead, the groom simply ties the mangalsutra, consisting of black beads, around the bride's neck, with the assistance of five married women.
Lingayat Post-Wedding Rituals
15. Vidaai Ceremony - Farewell to The Bride
All the family members of the bride gather around the couple, blessing them for a beautiful and blessed married journey ahead, as the bride leaves the venue for the groom's home.
16. Gruhapravesham - Welcoming the Bride Home
Called Gruhapravesham, the bride enters the groom’s house for the first time after the wedding ceremony. His mother performs an Aarti, after which the bride kicks a copper pot filled with rice with her feet, marking her entry. This symbolises that prosperity is bound to enter the lives of the couple. The following day is marked by a visit by the couple to the bride’s abode, where they sojourn for a day, and the bride’s family rejoices at her return and feasts, making merry.
17. Matha Visiting Ceremony - Temple Visit
After an auspicious welcome of the newlyweds at their married home, they then visit a Matha (temple), where they seek blessings from the almighty and their religious head.
18. The Reception - Final Post-Wedding Celebration
And to conclude the wedding rituals with grandeur, a reception party is held by the parents of the groom to celebrate the union of the couple. All of the groom's family and friends, along with the core family members of the bride's side, gather to bless them and indulge in merriment over a spread of festive dishes. It may seem that the typical Lingayat community wedding reeks of customs and rituals, but it is actually a time of symbolic bonding as families come together to celebrate a new beginning. These simple customs showcase how the Lingayat community maintains a strong bond with its own ethos and still accommodates the visions of a new-age couple.
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