In Telugu wedding ceremony, special emphasis is laid on spirituality. Each ritual has a lot of significance. Wife is considered to be the ardhangini, as in better half of her husband. Read on to explore information about Telugu matrimonial customs & traditions…

Telugu marriage rituals:

Pre Wedding Rituals

    * Muhurtam
    * Pendlikoothuru Ceremony
    * Snathakam Ritual
    * Kashi Yatra
    * Mangala Snaanam Custom
    * Aarti
    * Ganesh and Gauri puja

Wedding Rituals

    * Kanyadaan
    * Jeelakarra Bellamu
    * Madhuparkam
    * Sumangli
    * Tying of the Mangalsutra
    * Kanya Daan Akshata Ceremony
    * Saptapadi
    * Sthaalipaakam Custom

Post Wedding Rituals

    * Grihapravesh Ceremony

Post-Wedding Telugu Ritual

Grihapravesh Ceremony
Grihapravesh ceremony is a post wedding Telugu ritual in which the bride is taken to her husband's house. She is given a warm welcome by the groom's family members, as she steps into her new home for the first time. Thereafter, like it happens in Hindu ceremonies, the bride is shown the way to her room. After that, the bride takes a bath and dresses up in a new sari.

Pre Wedding Telugu Rituals

Muhurtam
An auspicious time for marriage also known as muhurtam is chosen. Weddings generally don't take place in the months of Aashad, Bhadrapad and Shunya.

Pendlikoothuru Ceremony
In the Pendlikoothuru ceremony, turmeric paste and oil is applied to the bride and groom's body. This is done to make their skin look more beautiful. After bathing, they are given a new set of clothing to wear. The bride is adorned with flowers and jewelry.

Snathakam Ritual
Snathakam ritual takes place at the bridegroom's residence before the muhurtam. As a part of this custom, the groom is asked to wear a silver thread on his body.

Kashi Yatra
The bridegroom after reciting the Vedic verses pretends that he is heading his way to Kashi. He shows that he is no more interested in becoming a householder. He stops and comes back only when the bride's brother persuades him to assume his responsibility as a householder.

Mangala Snaanam Custom
As a part of Mangala Snaanam custom, the bride and groom are required to take an auspicious bath on the wedding day. The aim is to purify them and make them prepared to perform sacred rites.

Aarti
Oil is applied to the bride and groom at their respective houses. Thereafter, the family members get together to perform Aarti. They pray to Lord to give wisdom to the bride and groom to lead their life happily.

Ganesh and Gauri puja
Before the wedding ceremony, the groom does Ganesh pooja in the mandapam.

Telugu Wedding Rituals
Kanyadaan
Kanyadaan is the ceremony in which the girl's family hands over their daughter's responsibility to the groom. The bride is seated in a bamboo basket and taken to the mandapam by her maternal uncle. The bride and groom are separated by placing a curtain between them. The couple is not allowed to see each other till the completion of their wedding ceremony. The bride's parents then wash the groom's feet, assuming him to be a form of God.

Jeelakarra Bellamu & Madhuparkam
The priest recites the wedding shlokas from the Vedas. Thereafter, the couple is asked to apply the paste made from cumin seeds and jaggery on each other's hands. This is referred to as Jeelakarra-Bellamu custom. Bitter taste of cumin seeds and the sweetness of jaggery cannot be separated. And applying this paste communicates that the relationship of the wedded couple is unbreakable and inseparable.

As a part of Madhuparkam ritual, the bride dresses up in white cotton sari with red border. And the boy wears white dhoti with red border. White is the color for purity and red is for strength.

Sumangli
Sumangalis are the ten married women that accompany the bride. Out of them, six hold plates containing a mixture of rice and turmeric powder. Small-lit lamps are placed on the remaining plates. They are made from a mixture of rice flour, sugar and milk. Rice represents abundance and lit lamps indicate sweetness and light.

Tying of the Mangalsutra
Mangalsutra is a golden chain with alternate black beads that is worn by married ladies in India. In the Telugu wedding, the bridegroom puts Mangalsutra around his wife's neck and ties three knots.

Kanya Daan Akshata Ceremony
In the Kanya Daan Akshata ceremony, the bride and groom put garlands around each other's neck. People witnessing this occasion come forward to bless the couple. They shower flower petals and turmeric colored rice (Akshata) on them.

Saptapadi
As a part of Saptapadi ritual, the groom and bride walk seven steps together around the fire, while chanting mantras. At the time of Pheras, the bride's sari is tied to one end of the groom's dhoti.

Sthaalipaakam Custom