{"id":6537,"date":"2023-01-13T16:08:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T16:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/?p=6537"},"modified":"2023-01-13T16:10:43","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T16:10:43","slug":"kodava-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/kodava-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Kodava Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Coorg wedding, or mangala as it is known in the Kodava language, is a joyful celebration, much like most Indian marriages. It is a joyful occasion filled with food and dancing that is highly anticipated by family and friends. The lack of Brahmin priests and procedures that solemnise a conventional Hindu wedding impresses tourists from outside of Coorg. Instead, prayers are presented to the ancestors at the sacred lamp, and the elders, whose blessings are sought, direct the wedding ritual. The Coorg wedding is rather uncommon because of these straightforward yet significant gestures and a few peculiar procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, a traditional Coorg wedding lasts for two days, with the festivities perhaps extending into the early hours of the third morning (if the dancers at the Ganga puje dance all night long!). The day before the wedding, when preparations are made for the big day, is referred to as the Uur kuuduva or Karik muripa day. The Muurtha, during which the bride and groom are blessed by everyone present, the Sammanda kodupa, during which the bride is granted rights in her husband’s home, and the Ganga puje, during which the bride is welcomed and acknowledged as a member of the groom’s family, are the most significant ceremonies that take place on the wedding day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-2.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the past, the bride and groom had their Karik muripa and Muurtha ceremonies simultaneously and separately in their respective ainmanes (ancestral homes of okkas or patrilineal clans), where they were blessed by their loved ones. A’single’ muurtha is a type of muurtha that is hosted individually for the bride and groom. The bride would then be granted Sammanda rights when the groom travelled to his bride’s home in a procession with a select group of his family and friends for the dampathi muurtha (common or “double” muurtha for the bride and groom together). After that, the Ganga puje would be held at the residence of the groom after he had led his bride there in a procession. This custom is still infrequently used today, albeit the ainmane has been replaced with a wedding hall that is reserved for the event by each side. In these situations, the bride’s and groom’s parties issue separate invitations, and most invitees (aside from close relatives) only get to witness the bride’s or the groom’s muurtha (depending on who sent the invitation) and never get to see the wedding couple together! Nowadays, the karik muripa, muurtha, and dampathi muurtha rites are held simultaneously for the bride and the groom at a common location for convenience’s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WEDDING EVE – Uur Kuuduva\/Karik Muripa:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-3.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Kodava-Wedding-4.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The day before the wedding, the groom gets attired in a long-sleeved white kupya (a traditional Coorg man’s wrap-around knee-length coat), which is fastened at the waist with a crimson and gold silk chele (sash). His head is covered by a red silk scarf with white checks. The bride is traditionally attired in an off-white sari with a gold border (or, more recently, a coloured sari), worn in the Coorg style (with the pleats tucked in at the back of her waist and the end of the sari fastened over her right shoulder), along with a long-sleeved blouse and a vasthra (long embroidered veil), tied back at the nape of the neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-5.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Kodava-Wedding-6.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the wedding home, members of the bride’s and groom’s okka and uur (village) congregate. The men assist in building the pandal, a temporary roofed structure for the wedding, while the women assist in chopping vegetables (karik muripa) and helping the cooks prepare for the following feasts. Following the wedding preparations, the groom is guided to the muurtha site’s sacred hanging lamp by his best man, or bojakaara. He prays to the okka gods and his ancestors, and his mother adorns him with a pavala maale (a necklace made of gold and coral beads) to signify that he is the groom. The bridegroom then asks for his parents’ and the elders’ blessings by touching each person’s foot three times and putting his palms to his forehead. The bride performs the same ceremonies under the direction of her bojakarthi (matron of honour). The bride’s mother marks her as a bride by tying a pathaak around her neck. A gold coin pendant with the image of a cobra’s hood at its top hangs from a short chain of coral, gold, and black beads on the pathaak. The wedding song is sung by four men as they beat dudis (drums) while the volaga, the traditional Coorg wedding band, plays outside the hall. After that, everyone present enjoys a lavish dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


WEDDING DAY:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-7.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Kodava-Wedding-8.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The groom is led by his bojakaara for his customary shave in the early morning. Barbers shave the groom’s facial hair after applying milk on his face. The bridegroom is brought to a sacred bath after shaving, where his mother and two married women each pour one pot of water on him. The Groom gets ready in the traditional attire following the holy wash. The bride dons a red long-sleeved shirt, a red musuk (veil) that covers her head and face, and a red silk sari with gold spots and a border. She is dressed in customary Coorg gold jewellery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Baale Birud<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-92.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the walkway that leads to the reception hall, a row of nine banana plant stems is anchored vertically. The banana stems were chopped by the bride and groom’s maternal uncle, who also led them to the wedding location. When the groom is prepared, the band begins performing and continues doing so until the groom arrives at the wedding location. The basket, which contains items like coconuts, bananas, and puffed rice, is chosen by the bridegroom’s sister or cousin. When the bride’s father and other relatives met the groom and his family at the wedding location, they welcomed them and provided refreshments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Dampathi Murtha ceremony<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-10.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Kodava-Wedding-11.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On a small stool, the bride and groom are seated. The mother first blessed her children, then the father did the same. Following that, both sets of parents declared their children to be a married couple. The elders of the family then blessed the Childs, fed them rice and milk, and showered them with rice. The visitors all adhere to this. It will take several hours to finish this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wedding feast & dancing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-12.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The guest is invited to the wedding meal after the blessing ceremony is finished. Family members assist in serving the meal to the visitor. Women typically receive priority service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ganga Puje<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-13.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the evening, this ceremony is followed by a reception at the home of the groom. This ceremony represents the bride becoming a member of the groom’s family and helping out around the house. The bride then takes off all of her jewellery and wears nothing except a silver ring. It represents a woman who is married. After worshipping at the holy lamp, the bride moves to the well, where she first prays, sprinkles rice and sugar, and then fills the pot with water. The bride then takes the water out and puts it in tiny silver pots. The bride, the two sisters of the groom, and the silver pots are carried to the wedding location. The holy water was there when the bride arrived at the wedding location, where she was kept under the sacred lamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kombarek Kootuva<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kodava-Wedding-14.jpg\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The bride is sitting with her veil on a wedding night. The bride’s veil is removed as the groom enters the chamber, makes a brief prayer to the holy lamp, and then presents her with gold bridal jewellery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Coorg wedding, or mangala as it is known in the Kodava language, is a joyful celebration, much like most Indian marriages. It is a … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[5,15,380],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6537"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6537"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6556,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6537\/revisions\/6556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectvenue.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}