The Dhaarmik Traditions - Indic Studies Foundation

ceremony. Worshipping the revered Ganesha who is the remover of all
obstacles. Similarly, the bride performs Gauri Puja and seeks blessings
for a blissful married life.
Wedding Rituals
A typical Telugu Wedding is full of joyous and colorful rituals. Please read on
to know more about Telugu Wedding traditions.
• Kanyadaan: A significant part of Hindu weddings, the Kanayadaan
is that part of the marriage ceremony in which the girl's family gives her
away to the groom. In a traditional Telugu wedding, bride's maternal
uncle carries her in a bamboo basket to the mandapam where a curtain
separates the bride and bridegroom. 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 symbolizes their
belief that he is a form of God to whom they now offer their daughter's
hand.
• Jeelakarra Bellamu: 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.
This slightly bitter cumin and sweet jaggery when ground together turn
into an inseparable mixture. The custom signifies that bride and groom
are supposed to become inseparable through life's bitter and sweet
times.
• Madhuparkam: For the Madhuparkam ceremony the bride wears a
white cotton sari with a red border, while the groom dons a white cotton
dhoti with a red border. White signifies purity and chastity, while red
color represents strength.
109