are thus represented in the kalash. After the pitcher is ceremoniously filled, it is placed by five persons in the maroh. These five persons include the priest, the bride/ bridegroom at their respective places, the parents. Then the bride/bridegroom puts five turmeric roots, one betel nut and sawaiya (one Rupee and twenty five cents) into the pitcher. The priest chants some sacred mantras. After applying oil and vermilion to their mid-hair parting, five married women whose husbands are alive, apply ‘tika’ (dot) of vermilion on the pitcher. After that only the pitcher is ritually tied with a suta dyed in turmeric. An earthen plate with some grains of rice is placed over the pitcher by these five married women. Then an earthen oil lamp is kept lit on this earthen plate over the pitcher, near the harish. This lamp is to be kept burning throughout the marriage ceremony, day and night till the bride arrives at her in-laws’ house. It symbolises Lakshmi, goddess of light and prosperity. The lady of the house or her assistants, have to keep vigil throughout the night to see that oil/ghee is not lacking in the lamp and that there is no danger of the lamp being extinguished.

 If a coconut is placed on the kalash, then the grains of rice are placed on the chawka below it beautifully arranged in geometric designs, pleasing to the gods. The earthen oil lamp too is placed near it.

Index Alphabetical [Index to Pages]

Matri Puja

Worship of the Mother Energy is performed in the maroh before the sacrifice is performed. This is known as Gawri Puja. Gawri’s name is mentioned in numerous Bhojpuri songs in all her epithets e.g. Sato Bahani, Devi, Kalimai. Sitala mata etc. After the ceremonious installation of Gawri in the maroh, the other deities of the family shrine are worshipped. The priest uses betel nuts or other symbols to represent Gawri at the ritual space on the chawka.

 The Mother Energy and her son Ganesh- the remover of obstacles, are ceremoniously installed at the same time. Seven oval shapes of flour paste or clay are made on the floor near the family shrine . Vermilion is applied to these. Ghee is applied to each.

Betel leaves, betel nuts and rice are offered to them. Lamps are lighted, camphor burnt in front of each. These seven shapes are representatives of the Sapta Matrika the seven mothers or the Sato Bahani, the seven sisters. If this installation is not done in the house, then the family does the puja at the local Kalimai. And, if a visit to the Kalimai is not possible, then a sankalpa (resolution) is made mentally, following a manas puja (mental worship).

Nav-Graha Puja  (Graha Shanti Puja- Yajna)

After the kalash sthapan and matri puja, the Nav-Graha Puja is held in which the planets are propitiated. Graha means planet. Nav means nine. Nav Graha Puja means the propitiation of the nine planets. It is very essential in all pujas to propitiate the planets. They are represented in the maroh by nine bamboo poles. Eight are fixed on the sides in a circular or square pattern and one is fixed in the middle representing the marriage pole. Actually, it is to this marriage pole that the harish is tied. The marriage pole is the pillar of marriage representing the solidity of the new household life to be entered upon. Earth too is a planet. In fact, nothing is essentially bad. But obstacles and obstructions are found in the atmosphere in both tangible and intangible forms that prevent the cosmic harmony of the self with the Greater Self. The Graha Puja seeks to harmonize these negative elements in physical phenomenal things that are seen and heard.

The aim of the Graha Puja is to remove all the planetary obstacles that may not be visible to us physically but which are very much manifest in the atmosphere. The removal of these planetary obstacles from the bride’s and bridegroom’s paths helps to make their new life a smooth one. Nothing is left to chance. All preventive measures are taken to protect the bride and bridegroom, and ward off evil or negative influences that may upset this important rite of passage.  This planetary rite is therefore performed to avert any attendant danger on all transitional periods of life. Radiation from different planets has a certain effect on a person’s emotions, feelings and character as do their movements. They therefore mark man’s destiny. 

The planets are therefore requested to grace the occasion and give their blessings, a little before the nuptials are performed. The Nav Graha Puja is performed symbolically on the Vedi. The planets, for a temporary puja, are represented by betel nuts, or by little bamboo staffs, nine in number, to which are tied yellow, red, green, black and white miniature flags. Akshat (rice) is offered to each. They are invited to take their asana  (seats) with due reverence. The invitation extended to the planets and the deities is as respectful as that extended to one’s guests. They are allotted a prominent place on the chowka throughout the duration of the ritual.

Kul Devta Puja

The ladies of the house do the act of worship of the family gods and goddesses, known as kul devta/devi. The kul devtas are worshipped daily through the following rituals;

1. Sandhya             - Lighting of the lamp

2. Vandana             - Prayer

3. Jaap                    - Mental recitation of matras with or                          without   counting of       beads

4. Tap                      - Sacrifice

5. Homa                  - Lighting of sacred sacrificial fire which

                                   the self is offered

Through these various media, God is remembered and concentration is strengthened. Not all these procedures are observed throughout the Hindu community, but orthodox Hindus make it a point to have strict observances of all the puja rules. On such occasions as marriages in the family, mental affirmations known as sankalpa are made so that all goes well till the end of the ceremonies.

The kul devta/devi vary according to the particular traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation and from kul to kul. Among the Bhojpuris, Devi in her varying forms is popular.

But other gods and goddesses such as Hanuman, Ram, Sita, Shiva, Krishna and Radha, Ganesh, also find their place in the family shrine. The kul devta is allocated a little corner in one of the family rooms away from public glare. A little curtain delimits the sacred site of the gods and goddesses. The shrine can be either on a little shelf or on the floor in a corner position. If this room is too small and is not convenient as the kohbar or nuptial anteroom, then a lamp is lighted in a corner of a room to be converted into the kohbar.

 The family makes daily offerings of flowers, incense etc., to the kul devta. If this is not possible, then one member of the family does so on behalf of all others regularly. In the evening at sandhya, dusk   - an earthen lamp with ghee or oil is lighted in front of the kul devta/devi/s. After a mental or verbal prayer, and veneration with folded hands, the curtain is drawn and the gods are expected to retire. Bells are rung to ‘awaken’ the gods and goddesses, during the daily routine.

 In some families, a whole room is delimited as a family shrine known as Puja Ghar, the House of Worship. These families are more particular in their daily rituals and perform elaborate morning and evening worship in their Puja Ghar.

The Arya Samaj families do not have a kul devta or devi shrine but perform daily rounds of sandhya morning and evening. They also light a traditional earthen oil lamp on a little shelf where a symbol of Om is kept. Once every week, they perform the havan or homa, also known as yajna, around the havan kund. Offerings of rice, sandalwood, flowers, incense, camphor, ghee, havan samagri (sacrificial ingredients), sweet rice puddings, halwa or suji are made. The whole family sits round the kund and participate in the homa. After the food offerings are blessed by Agni, they are shared among the congregation. Devotional songs are sung by the family members. An elderly member of the family sometimes makes topical discourses of moral or religious significance. On the occasion of marriage in the family, a havan is conducted by a priest before the hardi ceremony, and before the barat proceeds to the bride’s residence.

Nariyal (Coconut) Puja

The coconut is a satvic fruit. It is sacred, pure, clean, and health giving, endowed with several properties. The coconut has been of great ritual significance in Hindu ceremonials both in North and South India since time immemorial. The coconut has three parts:

1. The outward                    - the pulp

2. Outer core                         - cover shell

3. Inner core                          - fruit or milk

This fruit and water is as untouched and pure as God residing in the inner self of man. This is why the coconut is an ever-present ritual item. Among the Marathi Hindus, it is customary to give a coconut and a betel nut to invites as a marriage or ritual invitation. It has the same importance in Tamil Hindu communities.

 The coconut is like the Dwijati, the twice born, issued from

1. The mother’s womb and

2.  Saraswati Ma – Intelligence.

The twice born becomes so after initiation with the sacred mantra and sacred thread. The coconut too, after its first birth is now invested with Pran Pratishtha, new life with the help of the sacred mantras, symbolising the fullness of life. Both the bride and the bridegroom are entering a new life to serve (1) Dharma,  (2) Society and  (3) the Nation. They should be alert, wise and awakened. Coconut is a sign of auspiciousness and alertness. The same ritual welcome is made to the coconut as to the other deities.

Other Ritual Materials

After the kalash sthapan, other utensils of domestic utility are placed near the harish in the maroh. These are:

 1. The sil and lodha -                     grinding stone

2. The dal ghontni -                          wooden cream churner

3. The onkri-musal -                         wooden pestle and                                                             mortar

4. The senura -                                the vermilion box

5.   A lota of water

In former days, a potter’s wife was ‘paricha’ with the above items before they were placed at the ritual site on the chowka. This action symbolises good omen in the new married life. The above mentioned utensils are all items associated with domesticity. The pairs of sil-lodha and onkri-musal signify union, being in pairs. The pestle is useless without the mortar and so is the grinding stone without the grinder. They go by pairs. Similarly, the householder’s life is incomplete without either wife or husband.

Moreover, these utensils were used to grind the dal, the hardi and the dhan for (1) the rituals and (2) for the marriage featst. They had therefore to be blessed and kept in a ‘clean’ place. Today, they have only a symbolical value and are still kept at the chowka in the maroh. Though the sil-lodha are still brought from the kitchen or backyard and kept near the Vedi, the onkri-musal has been replaced by a miniature ‘spice’ mortar and pestle. A suta dyed in turmeric is tied around the grinding stone, the pestle, the mortar, the cream churner etc., as a protective cord (Raksha Sutra). These materials are not removed from the maroh until the marriage is over.

Homa

After the various gods and goddesses have been ceremoniously invited to take their respective seats to grace the site of the nuptial ceremony with all due respect, prayers and offerings, the homa is performed. The fire is lighted in the havan kund or sacrificial basin placed in the Vedi made from the clay, brought symbolically during the matkor ceremony. The homa is the symbolical sacrifice performed during the pre-wedding and also during the main wedding ceremonials.

 The sacrificial offerings are made in the names of the gods and goddesses consecrated initially at the ritual space. The nature deities of the Vedic period also are honoured so that the atmosphere is purified and made auspicious.

 Fire assumes a great importance in all the Hindu sanskaras (sacraments). It is in fact the most permanent constituent of the sanskaras. Every Hindu rite was/is performed in the presence of Agni (Fire) the Great Witness. In fact, Agni was worshipped as the domestic deity by the Aryans, during the Indo-Iranian period.

Agni was the ‘Grihapati’ the lord of the house. It was a constant companion to the householder in his secular as well as sacred life. And the importance Agni assumed in the Aryan’s domestic sacrifices may have developed in a given geographical and environmental context. In the cold winters of the northern countries from where the Aryan tribes may have originated and afterwards moved to the Gangetic plains, fire must have been their constant companion. Dr. Rajbali Pandey says: “The family hearth was the first ‘holy of the holies’… The fire that was kept burning in every house became a perpetual sign for all influences that bound men with family and social relations, and became the centre of all domestic rites and ceremonies.” He further adds: “The Romans and the Greeks also made the hearth the centre of religious faith and rite.”

Fire is one of the five essential elements in life. Without fire, there is no heat. It is a symbol of Energy. Fire also lights the domestic hearth. Traditionally, food is cooked with fire. The kitchen is the heart of a house to this day. When families that have lived jointly separate, the first conspicuous sign is a separate chulha, domestic hearth. Separate chulha means separate economy and budget. It is a sign of partition. Thus fire is symbolical of family life, of unity and social relations.

Fire also burns all the impurities of the ego in man. In the sacrificial fire, the bride and bridegroom burn all their impurities and make themselves fit for the responsibilities of a new life. Agni is also representative of the Fire of life that creates union of man and woman. Fire is also lighted at the last journey of man to consume and absorb his decaying body.

With the performance of the Agni Hotra, lighting of the sacrificial fire, the family gods are pleased and the house becomes auspicious and blissful. The environment is purified and exudes sweet fragrance. The homa is performed with special wood, the choicest, either sandalwood or mango twigs. Pure ghee (purified butter) from cow’s milk is used to nourish the fire as the woods burn in the havan kund to the tune of mantras, chanted loudly by the presiding priests. All the family gods, pleased, pour their blessings on the bride and the bridegroom. Homa is performed during the tilak ceremony, at the hardi ceremony and during the main nuptials, on the wedding day

Related articles
Mantras - Sacred Fire

Hardi 

There is an undeniable sanctity attached to Hindu customs and traditions and this is no less true in the case of the hardi ceremony. The hardi ceremony is the application of turmeric paste on the bride and the bridegroom at their respective homes. The word ‘hardi’ in Bhojpuri means turmeric. It is known as haldi in Hindi from the word Halad in Sanskrit. The term is given also to the ceremony of applying the turmeric paste. The custom is mentioned in ancient marriage manuals and is known as ‘Haridra Lepana’ (applying or smearing with turmeric).

Smearing the bride and bridegroom with an ointment of turmeric root paste and mustard oil is an old Indian tradition popular in all Indian states. By virtue of its yellow colour, turmeric stands as a spiritual plant giving a divine glow. Yellow is also an auspicious colour.

Hardi is also applied at the time of the janeo or upanayana sanskar. That is why a boy who has taken the janeo may also apply the hardi on the bride/ bridegroom even if he is still a bachelor. When ascetics take the path of renunciation, they are smeared with turmeric paste to denote their new life of Sanyasi (monk).

At the time of the moondan sanskar head is massaged with hardi paste to denote the rite of passage. At the last rites of man, the antyeshti, too, the dead body is usually smeared with turmeric paste. In several Hindu communities, hardi is applied at various stages. In the Tamil Hindu community, young girls, on reaching the age of puberty, have a ceremonial massage of turmeric paste especially on their face and limbs. They carry on this custom every time they have a ritual bath. Tamil Hindu married women whose husbands are alive when changing the protective cord of their marriage jewellery – the Tali, every year, have a massage of hardi on their face, hands and body in general.

Hardi is also noted for medicinal properties. Hardi paste in milk is a good medication for sore throats and chest colds. When one has bodily injuries or bruises, the grandmothers recommend an application of ground raw turmeric roots. Domestic animals like goats etc. are actually treated by village folks with green turmeric paste when injured.

There are three main reasons for applying the hardi at the time of marriage.

1. It is the tradition of the kul (family), the rit riwaaj. The kul devtas and devis are worshipped with turmeric.

2. The time of marriage is a crisis period. There is a change is man’s life cycle. To ensure a safe passage into the new stage, the hardi is applied to protect the bride/bridegroom against evil forces and strengthen her/him in the face of challenges in the Grihasthashram (householders life). The Veda mantras that are pronounced help to create the right atmosphere and strengthen the bride and bridegroom.

3. According to the Ayurvedic tradition – hardi keeps away diseases.

The hardi is a beautifying process that beats even the modern cosmetics system. It has been beautifully incorporated in the Hindu rites and rituals. The hardi colour gives a special golden glow and lustre to the body of the bride/bridegroom that defies description.

The hardi ceremony is usually held on Saturday nights after the Swistakrit Homa is performed. The turmeric paste is first offered to the Harish by the officiating priest so that its protective force is further strengthened with the recitation of sacred formulae.

The hardi used at the girl’s and the boy’s place is the same that was mixed and separated during the tilak ceremony. Each party separates the hardi roots in the Lagan Kholai (lagan kholna) ceremony in which five married women whose husbands are alive sort out the hardi and dub grass. The boy’s and girl’s phouphous (father’s sister) at their respective place make a paste of the hardi and mustard oil. The mustard oil enables the hardi to penetrate deeper in the skin pores. The oil gives warmth and strength when rubbed on the skin and also gives a shine. The phouphou receives a neg or token money for the job well done. The ground hardi is initially kept in a katori at the foot of the harish in the maroh over the chowka. In the Hindu tradition, even the beautifying process needs the blessing of the gods. The officiating priest takes a bunch of the dub grass, applies it to the katori (container) full of turmeric paste, touches the harish with it before applying it to the eight limbs of the bride’s/bridegroom’s body, the head and the heart. These eight limbs are the shoulders, the knees, the feet and the hands.

The elderly ladies of the family and women of the neighbourhood bring out their choicest hardi songs from their repertoire to accompany the hardi ceremony. They sing:

“Pehle hardiya more bipre chadhawe lan, pacche sajan sablog.” 

“First of all, the priest applies the hardi, afterwards all others.”

It is the officiating priest who has the honour of applying the hardi first of all, and then the others follow suit, led by the bride’s/bridegroom’s father on behalf of the men-folk and the bride’s/bridegroom’s mother on behalf of the womenfolk.

The hardi ceremony is an occasion for much teasing. The atmosphere is a relaxed and pleasurable one. Overzealous friends and relatives rub an overdose of the turmeric paste on the face of the bride/bridegroom. The bride and bridegroom sitting quietly and patiently have no say in the matter. They have to bear all the pranks and mischief of their relatives and friends with a smile.

Only married men and women are allowed to apply the hardi on the bride/bridegroom. As mentioned earlier, those bachelors who have undergone the janeo ceremony are entitled to apply the hardi, however.

How is the hardi applied? First of all a coin or a note depending on one’s generosity, is rotated five times round the head of the bride and bridegroom in a clockwise direction, to remove all the malevolent eyes. This coin/money is put on a plate at the feet of the bride/bridegroom. Later, it is collected by the attendant of the maroh or the barber who assists the priest. After the priest has applied the hardi on the bride/bridegroom, he is followed one by one by the paternal male relatives, and the maternal male relatives beginning with the grandfather, father, brothers, brothers-in-law, uncles, nephews, cousins and friends. After the last of the male members has applied the hardi, it is the turn of the female members of the family to do so, led by the bride’s/bridegroom’s mother. This ceremony is accompanied by the singing of hardi songs adding the name and relationship of each person applying the hardi.

“Pehle hardi more baba
Chadhawe lan…
Pache sajan sab log
Pehle hardiya mere
Chacha chadhawe lan
Bhaiya chadhawe lan…
Moswa chadhawe lan…
Pache sajan sab log…”

 “First of all my father will apply the hardi… first of all my uncle (father’s brother), first of all my uncle (mowsa; mother’s sister’s husband), first of all my brother will apply the hardi…then all others will do so”

The close relatives and friends smear the bride’s/bridegroom’s face copiously with the hardi paste. Her/his sister-in-law, bhavji (elder brother’s wife) is in attendance by her/his side to wipe off the dripping oil and remove the excesses of turmeric paste from her/his face and mouth. It is all accepted lovingly and with a smile. There is no reproach.

No one is allowed in the maroh with his shoes on. The place is sacred and has been duly sanctified. In applying the hardi, the fervent desire or wish of one and all is to bless the young one with all the happiness that can be conjured, in the future conjugal life. A special feeling is created in the mind with the application of hardi, strengthened by the sacred mantras chanted a little while earlier.

The dub grass used in applying the hardi is also of some significance. This grass grows almost anywhere, is lush green and spreads quickly. It is a symbol of prosperity. It is strong and stands for fastness. A bunch of dub grass is unbreakable. And the marriage too is expected to be as durable as the dub grass.

As has been mentioned earlier, the hardi was formerly applied for a whole week, just after the tilak ceremony, and the lagan (wedding) was fixed. The mixture of hardi, mustard oil and a bath of curd, besan paste known as ubtan, massaged on the limbs of the bride/bridegroom makes them strong and healthy allowing all the hygienic and medical properties to be absorbed in the pores.

The curd has cooling properties. All the ingredients used help to produce a shine on the bride’s/bridegroom’s body that is so far unmatched by any beauty parlour treatment.

When all the relatives and close friends have applied the hardi to the bride/bridegroom at their respective places, five married women of the family, whose husbands are alive do the chumawan rite with grains of rice. After this, the mother of the bride/bridegroom carrying a lota of sacred water leads her daughter/son back to the kohbar. All along the way, she sprinkles water from the copper/steel vessel with mango leaves to purify her daughter’s/son’s path and remove all obstacles. In the kohbar, the bride/bridegroom soaked in hardi from head to toe with golden glow, first does gor lago (bow down) to the kul devta/devi or Lakshmi (the oil lamp in the corner). This lamp, like the one near the harish in the maroh will be kept burning till the wedding is over. Actually a little clay from the matkor ceremony is kept here, on which the oil lamp is kept alight.

After the pao puja, the bride/ bridegroom stay in the kohbar. They should not be touched or kissed by anyone. They do not move around or out of the kohbar unattended. They are given a steel knife or a pair of scissors to wear on the body. They are accompanied even to the toilet and have to keep the steel object all the time on their body. It is a protective device and wards off evil forces. The bride/bridegroom in fact are to lead a life of asceticism till the chaturthi karma/chowthari, observing continence, wearing simple clothes (they do not change their turmeric dyed clothes) and no jewellery etc. They sleep on the floor, on a mat. Formerly this was made of kush grass. They eat vegetarian meals and in some families only sweet food. They are to make all these observances so as to be able to enter the new life with full vigour and a pure heart, mind and body.

The hardi day has a nostalgic, enchanting atmosphere about it, heightened by the lilting strains of hardi folk songs sung by women creating an amorous longing in the heart of one and all. The hardi day has a special place in the social functions of Mauritius. Hardi is a traditional, folkloric rite.

Hardi Songs

1.
Koyireen koyireen
Beti sukumari ho
Koyireenje hardi oupajaye la
Beti suhageen ho
Kekar sir hardi chadhe la
Chadhe ke suhagan ho.

“O farmer’s wife, my daughter is very dear to us. O farmer’s wife who cultivates the turmeric, my daughter is on the point of reaching the marriage status, the hardi will be applied on her body and this will give her the marriage status.”

2.
Sone ke katoriya mein
Pisal hardiya
Hardi chadhawe lan baba ji
Hardi chadhawe lan chacha ji.

 “In the golden katora the paste of pounded turmeric is kept. Father is applying the turmeric, chacha (uncle) is applying the turmeric.”

Hardi Dinner

The hardi dinner is the most impressive and grandiose social feast in the Hindu community enjoyed by one and all. When one is invited to a Hindu wedding, one impatiently awaits the day of hardi. It has become a day of joyous social gathering where relatives and friends, who do not usually have the opportunity to meet each other and have a relaxed chit-chat, look forward to having a good time. One is certain to meet all distant and near relatives as well as family friends. The hardi dinner is a must. No guest is allowed to go home without having eaten the traditional puri and kacchu. The hardi ceremony may still be on, while guests are requested to go to the makeshift dining pavilion to have the hardi dinner. Even if one has missed the hardi ceremony, one is still entitled to a dinner and to be entertained with honour to the hardi feast, no matter what the time may be.

Since early morning on that day, huge chulhas (hearth for cooking foods) are lit for the large-scale preparation of the various food items to be served to the guests.

Several people, men and women, help in the preparation and cooking of the nuptial food. Some help in peeling the vegetables and still others do the actual cooking in large sized cauldrons, dekchis and other vessels. Firewood is used for the cooking. We have mentioned already how the chulha is ceremoniously lit by the lady of the house. Food is cooked in large quantities to feed all the guests and even those who drop in casually. Some parties may receive three hundred guests, others may have eight to twelve hundred or more guests on a single night. Tables and chairs are hired from caterers for the occasion. No hired servers are needed. Family members and friends, young men and women, boys and girls belonging to all ranks of life and profession, and even children all in their best attire, vie with each other and move around like colonies of ants or busy bees to serve food to the satisfaction of the guests.

The guests are invited to take their seats group by group and by turn, after each group has finished. The tables are quickly cleared and made ready for the next batch. And nobody is hurried. People take their own time and eat at leisure, conversing and cracking jokes. Everybody is all smiles and relaxed. Those who have not had their food yet wait patiently for their turn.

The men-folk talk mostly of the hot issues or events of the day. Usually, politics is a prime topic. The women, on the other hand indulge in light gossip. Family matters, dress and fashion and also politics.

The food is served hot and steaming on leaf plates. It is a most practical way of serving food. In North India, the leaf plates are made of dried sal leaves, pinned together with little wood pricks or wooden needles. In South India, banana leaves are used. The tradition of eating on banana leaves is most probably of South Indian origin as bananas are luxuriant growth in South India.

Banana leaves are used as plates in some hotels in Singapore and are fast becoming an exotic feature in Mauritian seaside resorts, satisfying the tourist’s cravings for exotics. The banana leaves are never bought. Someone in the family or friend provides the leaves or makes arrangements for the large-scale supply from somebody’s farm. The leaves are cut, washed and stacked ready for use. The banana leaves are convenient and practical, for the simple reason that they do not cost any money. They are clean and pure and are easily disposed of after use. The banana leaves are used only once and are thrown away after a dinner. The food is served from special containers, which volunteer helpers carry along and replenish as needs be. Everybody eats with his fingers and of course uses the right hand. No one is expected to eat with forks and spoons from a banana leaf.

The hardi food consists of:

1. Puris These are served hot. Hosts of helpers, male and female, help with the kneading of the dough – both from white flour and wheat flour, and the making or belona of the puris and afterwards the chano or frying in huge carahis.

2. Konhra Pumpkin

3. Aloo Potatoes

4.      Kadhi badhi Dall balls in gravy, cooked with curd and spices. They are made either in besan or gram dall.

5.       Kela sabzi Raw bananas are grated and cooked in turmeric, spices etc.

6.       Kacchu  ‘Songe’

7.       Gros Pois  Broad beans

8.       Chutney or murabba Rougaille of tomatoes (a tomato spiced paste), the murabba is sweet pickles or crystallised fruits.

9.       Chouchou  Crystophene. Depending on the season.

10.   Cauliflower curry Depending on the season.

11.   Badhi  Gateaux piments – spiced chickpea balls.

12.   Takkar Tamarind thick syrup prepared in sugar, jeera and elaichis and slices of pineapples for flavour and taste.

13.   Kooncha  Mashed mango and fruit cythere mixed with spices and seasonings.

14.   Pickles  Either suran. Mango or fruit cythere and/or chillies.

15.   Rice  Rice is a must

Rice is served hot like puris. While the first course is made of puris and all the main curries and pickles, the second course is made of rice and curries, the third course is the takkar and the fourth course may be dahi. The sweet course consists of dessert of sweets such as gulab jamoun, barfi or ladoos. The fourth and fifth courses are optional nowadays, depending on the choice of individual families.

Pickles are a must and are served all along the first and second courses. While one is eating, several helpers go round with their containers full and shout “Kacchu? Puri?” meaning “Any one for a second helping of kacchu or puri?” etc. One can have as many helpings as one’s appetite demands. Nobody feels it is impolite to do so nor is anybody hesitant on this day. It is a big feast, enjoyed by all. Children are those who enjoy and savour hardi delicacies the most. They have fun. Hardi feasts are remembered long afterwards. Despite the huge variety and bulky preparations, the various food items are tastefully prepared and leave a nostalgic taste in the mouth for quite some time.

Index Alphabetical [Index to Pages]

Distribution of Soaked Grams

The tradition of giving a ‘khoincha’ of soaked grams is an old one in the Gangetic belt. This custom persists till today. The gram is soaked overnight and kept in two huge bamboo baskets. In the Bhojpuri region of India, the distribution of soaked grams is associated with the matkor ceremony. The soaked gram is chadhao to devi also. After the matkor ceremony, the soaked gram is shared among the women who go along for the digging of the clay ceremony. In Mauritius, the soaked gram is distributed to all women who have come to the hardi ceremony. Formerly, the soaked gram was distributed to the women who came for the singing sessions on Friday nights.

Two baskets, full of soaked grams, are placed at the gate. Nowadays, the women are dazzlingly dressed and nobody is willing to take the soaked gram in the khoincha (loose end of the sari).

The host family therefore makes a practical arrangement for ready-made plastic bags of soaked grams neatly sealed at the top and handed over to each departing guest. There is a wisdom in this custom. The overnight soaked grams are germinated and modern home science proves the nutritional value of germinated pulses. Pulses are rich in protein. This is folk wisdom.

Post Hardi Dinner / Gamat

After the hardi dinner, guests are entertained to a gamat (merry making; enjoying) or a mehphil (musical entertainment).

  If no such arrangements have been made, loud film music is played and sometimes an amateur musical band is hired. Guests make their own little groups, linger on and socialise until they feel like going home. It is traditional in some families for the boys of the family to sing till late. 

Mehendi

When the bride has had her hardi ritual and already taken her ‘dinner’ in the konbar, always keeping a steel penknife or scissors on her person, she is joined by her sakhi-sahelis or friends. One of them, who is adept in applying the mehendi, starts the intricate and beautiful joy-giving art of applying the magical herb paste on the bride’s hands, palms and feet. The paste is made of green leaves of the plant known by the same name and finely crushed on the stone grinder. Nowadays, ready-made mehendi powder is obtained from the market, imported from India.

The mehendi is the traditional Hindu colour of auspiciousness, joy and celebration. But more than that it is the bridal herb par excellence. It evokes a world of beauty, leisure and sensuous womanhood. It exudes tenderness, softness and a mystery as mysterious as the heart of a woman.

Mehendi is the Indian word for henna, a common garden shrub, dull to look at in the words of a botanist. But this simple shrub provides one of the finishing touches to the bride’s shringar on her wedding day, and for maidens and married women alike on festive occasions. This ordinary looking plant produces a redness of the reddish-orange hue that is obtained when its leaves are crushed. The botanical name for mehendi is lawsonia inermis or lawsonia alba.

Mehendi is associated with marriage. The custom of applying herbal paste comes down from the Vedic period. Red is a colour of auspiciousness, of good omen.

In ancient India, the beautifying of a person was raised to an art. The senses were explored in all their subtleties to suit the responses of paint, perfume and jewels. Thus mehendi established itself as a beauty aid for women. It reached its height during the Chivalrous Age of the Rajputs and has been raised to a great form of art in Rajasthan. The warm dry climate of the north was conducive to the growth of the mehendi plant. “Every northern home cultivated its own patch of the short heavily leafed bushes”. There are many designs of flora and fauna, symbolical of birds, animals and geometrical shapes, which are on practice in different regions of Bihar, especially the Mithili and Bhojpuri speaking regions. In the Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Kashmir, the word ‘mehendi lagana’ signifies suhaga (marriage).

Vatsyayana in his work Kama Sutra has referred to the art of decorating the body with designs of different motifs. “In Sanskrit literature there is a reference of about fifteen different designs of mehendi such as the pushpakam (flower garland), makarkam (crocodile), vall (creeper), chakra (wheel), chitra (picture)” etc. The art of mehendi is very popular in Bhojpuri folklore.

In Mauritius, this ancient Hindu custom was lost because it was believed that it was only a Muslim custom. But gradually the Hindu brides, probably influenced by the many mehendi scenes in Hindi movies, have discovered the ecstasy, mystery and sensuousness of the magical effect of this Vedic tradition of embellishment. It is a tradition in India, on marriage occasions for the young maidens as well as married women of the family to decorate their palms, finger tips including the nails, the toes, the soles and sides of feet along with the bride, with intricate designs of mehendi dye. Beautiful, intricate designs are made with the mehendi on the palms as well as on the feet. The paste takes quite a few hours to dye. One has to keep applying oil or lemon juice on the dyed parts. The Rajasthani designs are the most intricate. The most auspicious design is the single circle on the palm denoting the Bindu or void of Hindu Tantric philosophy. The peacock, mango leaf motifs are also traditional Hindu designs.

It is said that the deeper and faster the colour of the mehendi, the greater will be the husband’s love for the young bride!

As red and saffron are the colours of celebration in the Hindu tradition, mehendi has come to occupy its rightful place in the sixteen processes of beauty techniques known as solah shringars.

Moreover, mehendi has a cooling effect. It has a distinct, delicate but subtle fragrance that is exuded for days after the dye has been applied. Applied in the hair, it gives it a resplendent glow and gloss after a hair bath, the best shampoo in fact! It is also believed that its aroma cancels the powerful pungent smells of onions and other condiments such as turmeric, garlic and ginger. And hence, when the bride prepares herself to assume her domestic responsibilities, she is not only beautifully bedecked and bejewelled, but also armed for the new chores awaiting her in her new life! The film song “Mehendi lagi mere hanth” indicates the impact of mehendi on the Hindu consciousness. Mehendi is also applied in India on the occasion of Holi, Diwali and exclusively by married women on the occasion of Karva Chawth when they perform a special rite for the longevity of their husbands, dressed in their bridal elegance. This tradition is almost lost in Mauritius but is still practised among the Trinidadian, Guyanese and Fijian Hindu women.

Mehendi, in the Hindu community, unlike the Muslim community, is applied to the hands and feet of the bride only and not to the bridegroom.

The tradition of applying mehendi links the present day Hindu woman to hoary past as steeped in mystery as woman herself. 

Pitr Neote

In the early hours of the main wedding day, at about three or four in the morning, the lady of the house is woken up, if she ever goes to sleep or has a chance to sleep at all that night! The whole night has been one of feasting, amusements and preparations. From one source, it is believed that this is the reason why raatjagahs (vigils) were held formerly, so that the families would keep awake throughout the night. The bride’s/bridegroom’s mother is woken up for the pitr neote ritual – offerings to the ancestors. In the maroh, the bride’s and the bridegroom’s mother at their respective places do the pitr neote ceremony.

Actually, in India, this rite is done at the local temple. But since temples are not always near the homes, the improvised temple in the maroh serves the purpose. Accompanied by the husband or alone covering the head with a veil, she crushes some gram and rice on the grinding stone with the right hand only. After this, the rice and gram mixture is placed in a little hole dug in the Vedi. This hole of gram and rice mixture is then covered with the grinding stone. The grinding stone is turned upside down, that is, it should not be used again now. The mother lights a camphor on a betel leaf on the grinding stone and then loosens the suta from it and the onkri musal as well. She then offers water to the ancestors before prostrating to them. She takes their ashirvaad, that is, their blessings. An invitation is extended by her to the ancestors to come to the wedding and bless the couple.

 Formerly the pitr neote used to be accompanied by women singing and drum beating. But the singing and drum beating have almost disappeared. Only a few families still carry on the tradition. Actually, this is equivalent to sandhya, and reminds one of what is known in the Bhojpuri belt in India as parati or morning songs. Says Chandramani Singh in her book Marriage Songs from Bhojpuri Region, “Elderly ladies from the family and the neighbourhood sing five songs in the morning and five in the evening to invite the gods and goddesses to participate… the idea is that marriage is such an auspicious occasion that every one should join…. Women sing that Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, all are you, our ancestors are you, you must bless the couple who are going to be wedded. She adds that not only the gods and natural powers, but the plants, birds and animals, in fact the whole creation, is invited to attend.  

Lawa Bhoonjana

After the Tilak ceremony the girl’s party brings back a bundle of unhusked rice, dhan, turmeric roots and dub grass. This is sorted out in the ceremony known as lagan kholana. The turmeric is crushed into a paste for the hardi ceremony. The unhusked rice is either kept in the maroh or at a distance in a neighbour’s house that has been made clean and pure. It may also be kept at the shrine of Vir Hanuman, also known as Mahabir Sami in Bhojpuri. In the early morning of the main marriage rites this rice is parched. This ceremony is known as the lawa bhoonjana. The daughters of the bride’s or bridegroom’s family  - sister of the bride, bridegroom or father’s sister – phouphou are eligible for the ceremony. After the parching of dhan, they get neg or token money or a gift of sari.

The parched unhusked rice is known as lawa or laja and is used in the main wedding rites known as Laja Homa. While the dhan is being parched, women sing songs. The lawa bhoonjana is done at the bride’s place only.

Hardi on the Wedding Day

In the old days, hardi used to be applied for several days. Modern bride or bridegroom may not be prepared to sit for, say a whole week, soaked in hardi in the kohbar. Therefore, the custom has been adjusted to the needs of a changing society. But the number has been symbolically retained. On the early morning of the actual wedding day, hardi and ubtan are applied seven times by five married women whose husbands are alive to the bride and bridegroom at their respective places before they have the ritual bath. Much cher-char or teasing takes place at this time between the family members of both sexes while applying the hardi and between the bridegroom and his bhabhis for example. This flexibility at the time of weddings in the rigid social rules of former times prevailing in Hindu families, allows for multiple pranks, teasing and intermingling between members of the opposite sex, for example between the devars and the bhabhis and the behnois and their salis.

[Note: Devar = husband’s younger brother. Bhabhi = elder brother’s wife. Behnoi = sister’s husband. Sali = wife’s sister.]

Mild flirtations are tolerated as there is nothing serious. Such happy occasions are capable of absorbing mild escapades. The Bhojpuri songs in fact, offer several examples of these relationships. It is a game that has come down from the distant past. Unlike the previous hardi night when friends as well as family members applied the hardi, at this time, only a few close family members participate in the ceremony.

Kunwar Pat Uttarna

There are several preliminary rites that are performed before the actual wedding rites take place. These are all preparatory in nature and effect. They are in fact a psychological preparation for the rite of passage. In the early morning of the wedding day, khir, a pudding of rice cooked in milk and sugar is prepared. The person who cooks the khir is given a neg (token money). She should be a married woman whose husband is alive.

The bride at the bride’s place and the bridegroom at his place are offered a dish of khir on a banana leaf. They sit with four children who have not reached puberty on a chattai (mat) in the maroh. Actually the khir should be cooked on a special fire made in the maroh itself. The bride sits with four girls and the bridegroom with four little boys. They should face the east. The group can also be brought in all to a figure of seven but should not be in even numbers. The woman who serves the khir rotates the food leaf plate of each boy or girl as the case may be four times over the bridegroom’s or bride’s head while asking him/her: “Kunwar pat uttaral?” meaning has your bachelorhood gone? When the food plate is rotated over the head of the little ones, each one says “No”. But when it comes to the turn of the bridegroom/bride the reply is “Han”, i.e., “Yes”.

After this rite has been completed, they all have their meals of khir or sweetened rice cooked in milk together. Children who participate in this meaningful ceremony are quite excited at being involved thus ceremoniously. This ceremony is known as the ‘kunwar pat uttarna’. It signifies the last stage of bachelorhood or maidenhood that is being symbolically terminated. It is in fact the last time of one’s bachelorhood as pure and untouched as the children who accompany one in the ceremony. The symbolical termination of bachelorhood is done in the company of children, symbols of purity.

Index Alphabetical [Index to Pages]

Pokhra - The Nuptial Bath

 Bath is an act of purification for the Hindus. Its most effective form is the Arghya, morning bath in the river. The bride and bridegroom at their respective places have their sacred nuptial bath before stepping into the married life. This is no ordinary bath.

Actually, this sanskar (sacrament) surely takes its origin in the rite known as the Samavartana. In the ancient times, the samavartana sanskar was performed at the close of the student life when, the student returned from his guru’s ashrama, after completing his education. It marked the termination of brahmacharya (celibate life). Samavartana means ‘returning home from the house of the guru’. It was also called snana (bathing) because ‘bathing formed the most important item of the sanskara’. Dr. Rajbali Pandey says that according to some anthropologists, bathing was meant for washing away divinity from the student. As a student, the brahmachari had a divine glow and lived in divine contact as knowledge is divine. Therefore before he returned to the mundane life, especially if he had to enter the household life, he had to put off this divine influence.

In the Sanskrit literature, learning was comparable to an ocean and one who was learned was deemed as having crossed the ocean of knowledge. He was also known as vidya Snatak. According to some scholars, therefore, the ceremonial bath at the end of the student life symbolized the crossing of the ocean of learning by him. But in the course of time, the samavartana lost its true significance and became merely a licence of marriage. Manu says: “Being permitted by the guru, one should perform the samavartana and marry a woman.”

“Having bathed, with the permission of his teacher, and performed according to the rule the Samavartana  - the rite of returning home, a twice-born man shall marry a wife…”

The samavartana sanskar was performed on an auspicious day fixed by the guru. The student shut himself for the first half of the day in his room so as not to insult the sun by his superior glow acquired from his learning. At midday, he came out of his room, embraced his guru’s feet and paid his last tribute to the Vedic fire.

Eight vessels of water were kept for him. The number eight denoted the eight cardinal points. It symbolised the honour placed on the student from all quarters on the planet. The student, therefore, drew water from one of the vessels and said: “The fires that dwell in the waters, the fire that must be hidden, the fire that must be covered, the ray of light, the fire that kills the mind, the destroyer of the body, the fire that kills the organs, these I leave behind, the shining one that I seize here…” Reciting other formulae he poured water from the other vessels and bathed, the bathing signified the cooling of the fire of austerity and penance a student had undergone during his studentship and prepared him for the comfortable life of a householder.

After the ‘grand bath’ the student removed his student outfit and wore new clothes.

“Having eaten some curd and sesame, he shaved, cut his nails and cleaned his teeth with an udumbara (fig) tree branch saying: ‘Array yourself for food. Here has come King Soma, he will purify my mouth with glory and fortune”.

All the time, during his studentship, the brahmachari had practised continence both in food and speech. Many comforts and luxuries denied to him during the time of student life were now presented to him at the time of samavartana by the guru. First he was given a bath with fragrant water. Then ointment was applied to his limbs, and permission was granted by his guru for leading a worldly life. “Satiate my up-breathing, and down-breathing; satiate my eyes and satiate my ears” was the wish expressed by the student. The student was given new garments that had not been washed and received flowers and garlands. He was offered ‘ornaments, collyrium, earrings, turban, umbrella, shoes and mirror’ all of which were denied to him as a student. The teacher then offered to the student the madhuparka, indicating a great honour that was reserved only for a chosen few such as a king, a teacher and a son-in-law.

In the medieval times, it was established that the samavartana was performed when the marriage of the youth was already settled. Today it has no significance and is incorporated in the Upanayana or Vivah ceremonies. Nowadays, “it takes place before the marriage possibly with the Haridra ceremony”. And that also, it is hurriedly performed, the only remnants of the elaborate procedure “being the nath and the decoration of the person, and these also without proper Vedic mantras” says Dr. Rajbali Pandey. This holds true for India as for Mauritius.

Five married women whose husbands are alive actually help with the bath. In the old days, there was no bathroom either attached or detached. And since the Ganges was not available near one’s residence, a little pond was dug in the courtyard known as pokhra.

The pokhra is symbolically dug by the sister or phouphou of the bride/bridegroom. She gets neg (token money) for it. The Bhojpuri song goes thus:

Ke ouje pokhra khanawale
Ghaat banhawale
Kekar bharle kahar
Raja Dashruth pokhra khanawale
Ghaat banhawale
Kosila dei ke bharale kahar
Ta Ram nahale…

“Who had the pond dug, who had the steps leading to it built, whose servants are drawing water from it, Ram is taking a bath there, king Dashruth had the pond dug and, had its steps constructed, Kaushalya Devi’s servants are drawing water from it and, Ram is taking a bath there.”

A little plank is placed on the pond. The plank or wooden shaft is perhaps a remnant of the former plough shaft used by the Aryans during the Vedic periods. The shaft is symbolical, moreover of firmness. The strength of the wood is acquired by the bride/bridegroom in their new life. The bath ensures a healthy body, removal of germs, diseases and illnesses. All previous thoughts are cleansed, as was the original significance of the samavartana rite. The ritual bath prepares a youthful, vigorous and beautiful body and mind fit for the household life.

Before the ritual bath takes place, an oil massage is given together with a final application of ubtan. On the day of the bath the ubtan is composed of besan, gram flour paste, dahi (curd), adrak (ginger), jeera-ajawain (cumin and bishop’s seeds), sarso (mustard), lawang (cloves) and elaichi (cardamon). Bathing with milk is a royal luxury. The ubtan or paste mixture of the above mentioned ingredients is rubbed all over the limbs of the bride and bridegroom by five married women who are suhagan (whose husbands are alive). This is a similar rite as that performed in the ancient days.

In fact, Gobhila Grihya Sutra prescribes that on the eve of the wedding, after the bride has been washed with water mixed with the paste of kilitaka, barley and beans, a woman who is affectionate towards her should sprinkle her head thrice with sura (wine) of excellent quality so that her whole body including her intimate parts get wet. Some commentators cannot accept sura as wine but rather interpreted it as water. Today, lustral water is brought from the boy’s bath water as a token of love (the sneh-jal). Is it a residual rite of the early Vedic period? A mantra was recited at that time:

“O Kama! (god of love), I knew thy name,
Intoxication thou art my name”

With this mantra the name of the bridegroom was uttered, at the end of which swaha was said.

To this day, women whose husbands are alive, accompany the bride to the bathroom, to give her a ritual bath. In fact the whole body is to be given a bath by these women of the family whose husbands are alive.

Manava Grihya Sutra (1.8.11) points out that the bride should be sprinkled over with water poured from a brazen vessel. This was part of the Indrani Karma rite. If wine was used in the early Vedic period, it got modified later on to water as symbolic gesture so as to give the bride the fullness of womanhood i.e., the Mahanagni as mentioned in the Atharva Veda. Sura was prescribed for the continuation of fertility and prosperity through the woman in the family of the performer. The origin may be even pre-Vedic when Mother cult was prevalent.

In the old days, chemically produced soaps were not available. Nowadays, the bride and bridegroom have their baths straightaway in the bathroom and use perfumed soap. In some families, to this day, chemical soaps are not used in ritual baths.

The elaichi (cardamom) and lawang (cloves) in the bath ingredients of ubtan are to add fragrance to the paste so that after the bath the youthful body of the bride/bridegroom radiates and exudes fragrance. Women sing songs while the ceremonial bath is given. Much teasing and marriage jokes are cracked at the time. The bridegroom especially is quite perplexed and has to muster all his courage in the company of the five married women!

The bridegroom has his bath first of all, at a ritual time fixed before the bride has her bath. During the bath, the bridegroom bends his head on his mother’s lap so that the bath water that drips from his head or body is collected in a ceremonial earthen pot known as chulia. This water arrives with the marriage party to the bride’s place or is despatched to the bride by the nao or nainin, the barber or barber’s wife a little earlier. The bride’s hair is ceremoniously washed with this sacred water. In the Vedic times, sacred Ganga jal (water from the Ganges river) was used. The symbolical gesture is to unite both the bride and the bridegroom while they have ‘bath’ from the same sacred water also known as ‘sneh-jal’ i.e., love water.

Najjar Uttarna

After their nuptial bath, the bride and the bridegroom at their respective places, go through a custom known as ‘Najjar Uttarna’. Five married women whose husbands are alive fill an earthen pot with embers and place it in front of the bathroom or pokhra. The five married women including the bride’s/bridegroom’s mother oincho (rotate) over the bride’s/bridegroom’s head with a handful (right hand) of jeera (cumin), ajawayan (bishop’s seeds) and sarso (mustard). Each in turn rotates these seeds five times over the head of the bride and bridegroom and then throws the ingredients in a fire kept in the earthen pot near the groom or bride. The embers burn these ingredients. This is the symbolical burning away of bad eyes. Elderly women sing songs taking the name of each of the five women doing the ‘najjar uttarna’ ceremony.

“After the bath is over, mustard and ajawayan are taken around the head of the groom and thrown in the fire near by,” writes Satya Deo Ojha in ‘Some aspects of Marriage in Bhojpuri Folklore’.

Jeera jawain amma oinche
Dekhiya ho koyi najar na lague

Jeera jawain bhavji oinche
Dekhiya ho koyi najar na lague

Jeera jawain chachi oinche
Dekhiya ho koyi najar na lague

Jeera jawain mawsi oinche
Dekhiya ho koyi najar na lague

Jeera jawain phouphou oinche
Dekhiya ho koyi najar na lague

“Mother is removing the evil eyes from the bride with the cumin and bishop’s seeds. Look here, let not anybody’s evil eyes fall on my daughter. Chachi (aunt) is removing the evil eyes, Mausi (mother’s sister) is removing the evil eyes. Father’s sister is removing the evil eyes.”

The bride or bridegroom is then asked to symbolically crush the lamp with her/his right foot after overturning it and its contents. This is a residue of superstitious beliefs of folk nature. The idea is to remove all evil forces and obstacles that may even at this point mar the good and smooth running of the nuptials.

Janeo

 Janeo is the more popular term current in North India as in Mauritius for the ceremony known as Upanayana. It is the rite of giving the sacred thread and takes place a little before the bridegroom gets ready to leave for the bride’s place. Usually, it should have been done during childhood as an initiation rite. It is now performed symbolically because it is a compulsory rite. Together with the Vivah Sanskar, it entitled a person to perform all kinds of sacrifices as befitted an Aryan and increased his status in society. It was considered as a ‘passport for admission into the Aryan community in the Vedic periods’. With the Upanayana ceremony, one could be called the twice born. One who would not undergo this ceremony, was excommunicated and denied the privileges of the race and without it none could marry an Aryan girl.

At a time when the Aryan community was constantly coming into contact with the non-Aryans and the children were mixing freely, the Upanayana investiture served to distinguish the Aryan child/youth from the non-Aryan.

The transformation of a man’s status by means of religious ceremonies has a parallel in the Christian rite of baptism known in Mauritius as ‘premiere communion’. Through his physical birth, man loses his pristine purity. To re-establish his link with the spiritual world, he must be born again. He thus becomes a Dwija, a twice born.

The Upanayana ceremonies date far back in Aryan history. There is in fact a corresponding rite in the Parsi community called Naujat, the New Birth by which the Parsi children, both boys and girls receive religious initiation after they have reached the age of six years and three months. This indicates that the Upanayana originated in a period when the Indo-Aryans and the Persians were still living together.

The Upanayana originally was performed in the fifth or eighth year. It marked the commencement of the primary education, therefore an early age was preferred. It became a compulsory rite towards the end of the Upanishadic period. Education was an essential element in the cultural life of the Aryans. In order to make education universally available, the Upanayana was made compulsory.

When the Upanayana became a compulsory bodily sanskar only, it had to be performed, no matter how late in life. It is now performed as a remnant of the original rite at the time of marriage. In this sense, it is called Janeo, that is a ceremony in which a boy is invested with the sacred thread. Performed on the marriage day, it denotes that the bridegroom is fully prepared to enter the grihasthashram. It is a hurried ceremony of the actual Upanayana rite.

However, the ceremony performed reflects that the bridegroom has completed his education, has gone to the gurukul, has studied the Vedas. As such he receives his yajnopavita, the sacred thread that invests him with a second life. With this, he has symbolically completed his life of Brahmachari, and terminated his all-round education. He is now ready to assume the marriage status and his new responsibilities. That is why a bridegroom is required to go through the janeo ceremony, if he has not done so in his childhood.

At the janeo ceremony, the bridegroom is smeared with hardi. The priest requests the rivers Narbada, Godaveri, Ganga etc. to purify the environment. Having seated the gods and goddesses with due honour and propitiated them, he blesses the environment with rice and flowers and chants the ‘Vishwani Deva Savitr Duritanipara’ and ‘Shanti’ mantras. Flowers and fruits are offered to the gods. The inner planets, the Navgraha are next propitiated, so that the student’s journey will be smooth one. The ‘student’ is then offered a slate and a janeo thread on his shoulder. This represents his new student’s ‘uniform’.

He is next given a staff. The staff is symbolical of many aspects of the forest-day life. Armed with his staff, the student is directed to beg for alms. On the Upanayana day, he is required to beg only from those who would not refuse food, his mother and the relatives. He requests his mother “Mata, bhiksham dehi” and she says, Bhiksham bhava” “I give you alms” and gives him coconut, sweets and other fruits, rice, etc in his jholi (bag). Similarly he goes to his other relatives who do likewise. After his round of begging he comes back and bows to his guru and makes an offering to him of the alms received. The student performs the act of going to Kashi for his education. Women sing songs.

He then comes back and does the homa at the chowka. His education is terminated. He makes offerings of milk and fuel to the sacred fire. The sacred fire was the centre of all religious activities of the Indo-Aryan. The worship of fire began with the initiation into student life and lasted throughout life.

Now that the Brahmachari stage has been terminated symbolically, the samavartana rite is supposedly done. The ‘student’s’ hair is symbolically trimmed. A lock is put in the mother’s lap to be immersed in the Ganges. In Mauritius it is immersed in the sea. This is symbolical of the Kesanta Sanskar. He now goes for bath and changes his hardi dyed dress into a yellow coloured dhoti. Now he is given a gurumantra. The student’s sacred thread is removed and placed on the harish and he is invested with a new set of sacred thread. It contains three strands. Five married men help him to wear his new ‘thread’. He makes a guru puja. He is requested to touch the sil lodha, symbolical of the ‘mounting on stone’ ceremony. He is asked to turn the sil lodha upside down. The guru touches his heart, to show the complete harmony that exists between a student and his teacher. As part of the samavartana ceremony, the Kanchedan ceremony is done, the ceremony of gifting a comb and a mirror to him. Two of his phouphous adorn him, apply kajjal to his eyes, make the symbolical gesture of putting earrings to his ear lobes, offer him perfumes and bless him with flowers and garland him. They get a neg for this from the bridegroom’s father. He is now invested with a householder’s thread. The other one is removed and placed on the harish. He takes his guru’s ashirvaad (blessings) and washes his feet. Women, including his mother, do his parchawan and give ashirvaad with rice and flowers.

Since the bridrgroom is leaving the Brahmachari stage to enter the householder’s life, the ritual performed in one hour is meant to cover twenty-five years of a Brahmachari’s life. In the beginning, the upanayana must have been a very simple ceremony as in early times the father himself was the guru. By the time of the Brahmana period, the ceremony had acquired sacrificial elaboration. As the upanayana progressed till the modern times, it acquired many non-Vedic and popular characteristics and details that are practised to this very day in orthodox Hindu families in Mauritius.

Related articles

Sacred Thread (Upanayana Samskar)

Imli Ghontai

The imli ghontai ceremony is held on the wedding day before the barat (wedding party) leaves for the bride’s residence. What is imli ghontai? From the number of books consulted, no authority seems to know exactly the origin of the term, which has nothing to do with the actual ritual. Imli means tamarind. Gontai means to swallow. Tamarind is a well-known and common tree in the northeastern provinces of India, but what has this to do with the actual ritual is a matter of great puzzle. However, this custom, known by the same name is prevalent in Mauritius too. The bride at her residence and the bridegroom at his place sit in front of their mother in the maroh. The mother wears the beautifully decorated pat mawri, crown, on her head, that the son will soon wear. In the meantime the nao paints the feet, toes, fingertips and nails of both the mother and her child with red coloured liquid known as mahavar or alta. The nahachu nonkh tungana ceremony is held at this juncture.

What takes place in the imli ghontai ceremony? The mother sitting on a pidha, a low stool, behind her son/daughter covers his/her eyes with her hands. This is symbolical of the mother seating her son/daughter in her lap actually. She covers his head/her head with her anchal (end portion of sari). The boy/girl too sits on a pidha or low stool between his/her mother’s legs. The groom’s/bride’s maternal uncle, mama (mamoo in Mauritius)  offers a mango leaf to his nephew/niece. The bridegroom/bride bites a little piece of the stem of the mango leaf, which he/she then spits in his/her mother’s cupped right hand stretched in front of him/her. The uncle pours a little water on this, in her cupped outstretched right hand. The mother makes a symbolical gesture of sipping this water. This water poured in the mother’s right hand is symbolical and pregnant with meaning. It is to remind her that it was this water that he had given to her at the time of her own wedding, many years ago.

This water giving ceremony started in the laja homa ceremony when she was getting married. And he had made a protection vow with the sacred water at that time to protect her. Now that her own child is getting married, he reminds her of his promise made on her wedding day of supporting her all along in life. And now that her child has reached marriageable age and is entering a new rite of passage, he is there by her side to look after his nephew/or niece – the result of the water he had offered her- that is her progeny. She has done well, he seems to say, and has produced children of her own. She has had a prosperous life for which he had blessed her on her wedding day. Now that she is marrying her own child, he is there by her side again with the same sacred water to bless her child this time. This ceremony signifies the interest that the agnatic lineage of a woman takes in her even after her marriage and consequently her absorption into another family, and years later when her own child has grown up and reached marriageable age.

The maternal uncle gives a sari to his sister on this occasion to congratulate her. The bridegroom’s/bride’s mother is shown a lot of affection. Not one, but all her brothers bring saris for her and if the brothers are no more or are absent, their wives replace them. Sisters are also known to be doing the imli ghontai ceremony. Late Pandit Jugdish Sharma of d’Epinay (Mauritius) gave one explanation for the term imli. According to him, imli may be a corrupt form of amli, derived from aam (Sanskrit-Amar), that is, mango since the tender twigs of the mango leaves are utilised in the ceremony. Amli may be the leaf of mango that she offers her son/daughter as a sign of affection, which he/she returns in turn. Amli is also significant of what is close to the heart, that is the heart’s desire of a mother is being fulfilled when her child has reached marriageable age and is about to enter a new life of his/her own.

After the imli ghontai ceremony, the pat mawri is removed from the mother’s forehead and tied to the bridegroom’s. He is now ready for proceeding to the bride’s residence. The elderly ladies of the family and neighbourhood sing songs on the occasion. Special references are made to the bond that exists between the mother and her brother. 

Nahachu